What Makes a Champion?

What makes a champion? It is not the trophy. It is not the talent. Not the salary, the most points, the fastest time, or the most records. It is not even being the best of the best. All of these things are just the benefits of what makes a true champion. You see, the real winners in life are those who have the courage to see the impossible. They are the people who overcome and persevere through all adversity. They learn from their mistakes, and no matter what, they never give up on their dreams. A true champion has VISION...

Vision, by the way, is something I happen to have dealt with in my lifetime. My identical twin sister, Aly, and I were born two-and-a-half months prematurely. Barely tipping the scales at two pounds each, we were placed into incubators, where an over-exposure to oxygen left me visually impaired. (Aly was in a different incubator, so her vision has been unaffected.) Considered legally blind, I have no vision with my right eye, and very limited vision (20/600) with my left eye. I have no perception of depth, and rapidly decreasing vision beyond a few feet. In fact, as I write this, my face is about one inch from the text.

Growing up, Aly and I shared a special bond. Because her vision is normal, she took on the role of one who kept a watchful eye on me as she inspired my independence. She strengthened my will to overcome my disability, too, as we shared common competitive interests. Our relationship was strengthened even more, when at the age of 12, we embarked upon what was to become one of the most rewarding endeavours of our lives to date. . . cheerleading.

It may sound quite improbable that I would have become a cheerleader, especially since I cannot even see the athletes I cheer for, but I never approached it that way. I simply saw cheerleading as an opportunity to see my dreams become reality.

Dreams, as I learned rather quickly, do not just happen by themselves. So, I stayed late at practice quite often where I learned the true meaning of commitment. Strength training taught me self-discipline. My first back flip taught me perseverance. My first stunt taught me balance, in the most literal sense of the word, and my first injury taught me to deal with physical and emotional pain, but it also taught me how to heal.