Pushing the limits

W
ithout a doubt, 2020 has been a challenging year in every respect, and especially challenging for sports. 
We lost the spring seasons, snuck in a summer season, and approached the fall with caution. As we quietly close in on the culminating events of cross country, swimming, football and volleyball, I have noticed a theme emerging which bodes very well for the young people who are participating in these programs.
It may be an understated movement, however as each week goes by, here and there our young Dogie athletes are discovering that they can do things they didn’t think they could. They can push themselves far beyond what they perceived to be their limits, and they are learning an invaluable life lesson in the process.
I’ll admit that when you look at the season records this fall, my claim may seem a little out in left field, however, all you need to do is look a little bit closer to see that the idea is burgeoning among the young people who don the uniforms, and once that lesson is learned, the sky’s the limit for them as athletes, but more importantly, as humans.
It was the Dogie cross country runners and their head coach Kathy Beehler who got me thinking about this and taking notice of it there and in other sports.
Througout the course of their season, the men’s team especially, has taken to heart Beehler’s promise that their bodies are capable of so much more than they could imagine, and they have trusted and bought into the premise that if they take a chance, they will see a great reward.
And they have seen rewards for their actions.
I’ve watched the men almost unanimously improve their time from week to week, with a couple going a full minute faster in each meet of the year.
Last week, Beehler challenged her team to get into the 17s, which is something she strives for each year but often doesn’t see. 
Well, this squad had three young men rise to that challenge and break into that time frame, just as they are poised to be racing in the regional meet in a couple of weeks. 
And it’s not just the runners. 
The Lady Dogie swimmers are pushing themselves to be better than they thought they could and are determined to reach their goals of qualifying, competing and yes, even winning state titles in their events.
The Lady Dogie volleyball players are not letting their record discourage them from improving their game from week to week either. They have a goal of becoming a team that their opponents respect, and I believe they will make that happen.
The Dogie football players have faced one adversity after another all season, and yet play each play of each game with everything they’ve got, despite what the scoreboard may say.
Whether the outcome of a single competition — or even of an entire season — is a win or not, each and every one of these young athletes who continue to push harder, trust in the process and in their coaches and teammates, refuse to give in to hardship, and value the lessons learned from failure will emerge the true winners in the end.
This year that has been fraught with worry and doubt may just be what we needed to make us open to pushing our boundaries and finding out just what we are capable of achieving.