What Challenges Have You Overcome?
MARCH 5, 2014 5:06 AM March 5, 2014 5:06 am
Kayla Montgomery (4) has become a top runner for Mount Tabor High School despite having multiple sclerosis. Related ArticleCredit Jeremy M. Lange for The New York Times
The Times is full of articles every week about people who have overcome challenges of all kinds and have learned from failure.
What challenges have you overcome? Maybe they haven’t been as outwardly dramatic as that of this teenager, who runs track even though her multiple sclerosis causes her to collapse after every race, but perhaps they have felt dramatic and difficult to you.
In “For Runner With M.S., No Pain While Racing, No Feeling at the Finish,” Lindsay Crouse writes:
• When a pack of whip-thin girls zipped across the finish of the 1,600-meter race at a recent track meet here, the smallest runner’s legs wobbled like rubber, and she flopped into her waiting coach’s arms. She collapses every time she races.
Kayla Montgomery, 18, was found to have multiple sclerosis three years ago. Defying most logic, she has gone on to become one of the fastest young distance runners in the country — one who cannot stay on her feet after crossing the finish line.
Because M.S. blocks nerve signals from Montgomery’s legs to her brain, particularly as her body temperature increases, she can move at steady speeds that cause other runners pain she cannot sense, creating the peculiar circumstance in which the symptoms of a disease might confer an athletic advantage.
But intense exercise can also trigger weakness and instability; as Montgomery goes numb in races, she can continue moving forward as if on autopilot, but any disruption, like stopping, makes her lose control.
“When I finish, it feels like there’s nothing underneath me,” Montgomery said. “I start out feeling normal and then my legs gradually go numb. I’ve trained myself to think about other things while I race, to get through. But when I break the motion, I can’t control them and I fall.”
At the finish of every race, she staggers and crumples. Before momentum sends her flying to the ground, her coach braces to catch her, carrying her aside as her competitors finish and her parents swoop in to ice her legs. Minutes later, sensation returns and she rises, ready for another chance at forestalling a disease that one day may force her to trade the track for a wheelchair. M.S. has no cure.
Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …
— What do you think about Kayla Montgomery’s determination to run, even if she collapses after every race?
— Whom else do you admire who has confronted a challenge and overcome it?
— When have you ever faced a challenge of some kind Consider not just physical challenges, but emotional, academic, interpersonal or artistic challenges as well. What did you do? What happened in the end?
— If you’ll be applying to college sometime soon, you may be interested to know that one Common Application prompt reads, “Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?” You might consider answering those questions here, too, perhaps as practice for your college essay.
I think that Kayla Montgomery’s determination to run even if she collapses after every race is incredible and very hard to do.The mile gets you to push yourself and it’s not about being first. It’s about breaking your last time and pass your goals,and times that you want to achieve your only enemy on that track is yourself.
ReplyDeleteI admire Sara Kendall because she has some difficulties when she runs and she still gets through them she just keeps running forwards.Every time she finishes a lap she gets faster and stronger instead of getting weaker and slower like some of the runners.
I faced a challenge at our last meet.I did the 1600 for the first time and i was very nervous but my friend Emily told me that it’s not about winning it’s about breaking your PB (personal best).In the beginning i was in the front but towards the 5th lap I started to slow down.That’s when everyone else got in the front every time that i passed the line i would always look at the time and i would be so proud of myself because the numbers were amazing.My personal best for the mile for cross country at practice was 9 minutes and 45 seconds and then at the meet it was 8 minutes and 54 seconds.I got faster and I just kept on running.At the end I was the last one but I’m glad I have a new personal best now.
I agree, the fact that she collapses but still runs is incredible.
Delete— What do you think about Kayla Montgomery’s determination to run, even if she collapses after every race?
ReplyDeleteI think Kayla Montgomery’s determination is high and has very high respect and believes in herself very well because she collapses after every run she does. It shows the loving she has for running because she always takes the chance. There is no cure. And it says she will end up in a wheelchair so she will only stop till she can’t go anymore.
— Whom else do you admire who has confronted a challenge and overcome it?
I admire my mom. Because she says being a mom is one of the hardest things to do in life but she enjoys it. I’ve seen her go through a lot of things that i would not be able to handle and she went through it like it was nothing because she is a strong woman. So with certain challenges in my life i have overcome it because the sake of my mom.
— When have you ever faced a challenge of some kind Consider not just physical challenges, but emotional, academic, interpersonal or artistic challenges as well. What did you do? What happened in the end?
When I went through challenges like this I got help. I only got help depending on the situation. Most of the time i get help from someone. I get help from a close friend or a family member. In the end I would let go and forget the situation ever happened. Especially if it was really hard to go through I don’t want to remember something like that happened.
I feel as she’s doing what’s best for her. I heard about her before and watched her races on videos. I feel like she being strong by provoking her self to do better and do what she loves even tho she has a disease. She doesn’t care , she does what makes her feel good about herself. I admire Martin Luther King because he went through hell to get peace , but guess what he got it. If he still was alive today he’ll probably be happy to see that whites and blacks are getting along some of them are even getting married and having kids. That's all he ever wanted was for them to become equal and he finally got that.Well honestly no , everything i wanted to be i got there. I wanted to be on the track , cheerleading , softball etc , teams and i made all of them. The thing you have to focus on is to push yourself to do better , don’t give up because you didn’t make it the first time you have to keep trying eventually you’ll get there.
ReplyDelete-My opinion about kayla Montgomery is that she is very strong for still racing even after she falls. That shows love she has for the sport and team and even her coach. She's a very brave person and doesn't care on how hard she has to work to run for the team.
ReplyDelete-someone that i admire that had a challenge and overcome from it is my little cousin. He would practice playing basketball outside all day after school to push himself for his games he would have every other day. Even though we wouldn't score a lot for the team but when he pushes himself to practice.that's when he got better for himself and started realizing the game more for him.
-some challenge i faced is wrestling my first year of it was the best but worst. Wrestling is a very tough sport and for the first year i did it was tough for me to get the concept and the routine of it at first but me going to practice everyday and listening to the moves we learned a little more focus and i was on the mats for sure.
— What do you think about Kayla Montgomery’s determination to run, even if she collapses after every race?
ReplyDeleteHer determination is crazy high, she doesn't stop even tho she passes out it shoes she won't stop at anything. It shows her love for the team and coaches and that she is very strong and won't give up on something that she loves, that is something coaches look at and she might even be able to get into a good school because of that.
— Whom else do you admire who has confronted a challenge and overcome it?
My older cousin because in his first year of wrestling he was so tiny and little and was a twig, then the next year he was huge and worked out all off season and during school, the next year he came back and all the coaches were amazed. Now he is a Sophomore and captain of the Varsity wrestling team
— When have you ever faced a challenge of some kind Consider not just physical challenges, but emotional, academic, interpersonal or artistic challenges as well. What did you do? What happened in the end?
Yes i have faced a challenge before, it was my first season of soccer playing two age groups up
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ReplyDeleteWhat i think about her determination to run , is amazing. Because she collapses after every race, she still runs and even when she's running when her legs go numb she still pushes through. Also is amazing because it said one day her disease may force her to trade track from a wheelchair, which is scary but she still pushes through. I admire this boy named nick he went to central regional, he has no legs and one arm, and he still does everything possible. He works out a lot and actually works harder than most people. I see he still goes swimming, he was even a walker on the show the walking dead. And i just really admire him because he never let him having no legs and one arm stop him. Some challenges i have faced and i’m still facing is when i was born i had a collapsed lung, and now i lose breath easily, it’s harder for me to run and work out even walk up the stairs. But i’ve been working hard and starting to push through it.i faced this physically and emotionally, it’s hard because sometimes it beats me up and makes me feel like i can’t do it. A time when i experienced failure is when started track and i raced the 100 and lost. It affected me bad because i thought i was a failure and couldn’t ever do it. But the lessons i learned was even if you fail get back up and try again and keep trying. And now i’m great and i can run fast, cuz i worked hard i set my mind to the goal just like kayla Montgomery.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete— What do you think about Kayla Montgomery’s determination to run, even if she collapses after every race?
1)Honestly even if she collapses after every race, running is what makes her happy. As long as she is happy with it, i think she should keep going. I think its perfectly fine for her to run. It takes her mine away from her Multiple Sclerosis. And if its what she wants to do then why stop her? If you were doing something you loved would you stop? Cause i wouldn't because if i love it then it makes me happy.
— Whom else do you admire who has confronted a challenge and overcome it?
2) One person that i admire is nick Santonastasso. He has 1 arm, no legs, and a portion of a hand. But, he still does more than most people like swim daily,ride bikes all the time, works out everyday. And he wrestled with his disabilities for Central Regional. He doesn’t let his disability hold him back just like Kayla Montgomery does not. They’re so determined to do what they want and live to the fullest and people dont know what its like for them to do this stuff.
— When have you ever faced a challenge of some kind Consider not just physical challenges, but emotional, academic, interpersonal or artistic challenges as well. What did you do? What happened in the end?
3) Whenever i have a challenge i usually just wait it out depending on what it is. Like if i have a broken ankle im just going to sit in my house till it heals. But, if i'm failing classes then im going to have to make up work. Certain things you can wait out, others you have to do something to help it. For kayla montgomery, she cant wait for her disability to go away. Kayla has to live with what she has.