True Sportsmanship

A public discourse narrative that has greatly influenced me is the story of Sara Tucholsky, Mallory Holtman, and Liz Wallace. In 2008 Tucholsky was a senior softball player for Western Oregon University, and during the doubleheader at Central Washington she hit her first career home run. After missing first base she turned to go back, and when she did she hurt her knee so badly she couldn’t finish her way around the bases. Her coaches tried to get her a pinch runner, but if they did her home run would only count as a single, and no one from her team or coaching staff was allowed to help her around the bases. At this point Central Washington’s first baseman, Holtman, and their shortstop, Wallace, made the decision to carry Tucholsky around the bases so her first career home run would count.

In this story Holtman and Wallace show true sportsmanship, when they make the decision to help injured Tucholsky around the bases. At the time this happened I was a sophomore in high school playing varsity softball, and their one decision showed me what the game is really about. I learned that sports weren’t all about winning or losing, but they were a tool to help mold young kids into more well-rounded people. The leadership and courage they showed on that day inspired me to become better on and off the field. I worked to become more of a leader and a positive influence to others. I also learned that it’s not the big exciting things, like hitting a home run, that make a difference; it’s the important decisions you make during a challenge that really changes things. To this day, I still look up to these two women, and they will always be role models of mine.