Thermopylae; the battle in which an enumerable amount
of Persians opposed a mere 300 Greeks. While the Thermopylae obstacle course
race may not consist of students attacking each other, the concept is similar.
Each year, hundreds of students, teachers and volunteers gather at Valley Creek
School, where they are faced with obstacles that they must conquer to
successfully complete their conquest. Much like in real battle, the myriad of
obstacles are anything but simple (while being immeasurably fun, as well!). You
must crawl through mud-pits, execute war-machines, hurdle over walls and much
more, all while completing an approximate 5k run.
In spite of this daunting description, every
competitor leaves having completed the course. Just as many greek cities united
to aid Sparta, despite their perpetual rivalry, adversaries dismiss their
desire to win in order to support others. Even when you may believe that you
are unable to continue, someone will be there to motivate you and encourage you
to persevere. In fact, the most successful competitors are those who advance
steadfastly, while also inspiring others; very much like the minuscule greek
army, that battled until they were no longer able. It is in these trying
moments that a person’s true character is revealed. Whether your goal is to
win the tire (A.K.A. the trophy, of
sorts) for your school, or simply to surpass your personal best, you will leave
feeling a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment (as well as layers of caked
dirt).
Despite the loss of the battle by the greek, the
intransigent courage shown by the Spartans boosted the morale of all who fought
with them. The
importance of leaders and teamwork can’t be emphasized enough, today
especially. The leader and the creator of this event is the marvellous
Mr.Maher. He serves as a constant role-model and motivator, but could certainly
lead rigorous training sessions for the Spartans, as well. He works incredibly
hard year-round, particularly leading up to the event, in order to put into
action the Thermopylae and prepare each athlete. Jim Rohn once said, “A good objective of leadership is to
help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well
to do even better.”;
Mr.Maher has definitely attained this objective.
The Thermopylae is a phenomenal event that tests your
abilities, encourages a healthy lifestyle and provides you with a reason to
roll around in mud! In addition to the amount and the size of the mud pits
growing each year, the size and success of the event is greatly increasing.
This year, 14 schools attended, bringing over 800 athletes. I have competed for
three years and can say that simply participating in the race is something to
be proud of.
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