What do I do if I fall?

 

I am not a sports fanatic.  In fact, when reading the below blog post, I wasn't even sure what sport we were talking about until she said 'bases were loaded'.  However, I LOVE a good sports comeback story.  

This is one of those stories.  The amazing comeback story of Kenneth Rooks, Steeplechase runner.  You will want to watch the full video, you won't regret it!

So many lessons to learned here!  I loved a few articles I read about the story.  First, is a blog post from a life coach, Holly Snow (read her article here).  She says:

Several weeks ago there was a video circulating of the 2023 Men’s 3000M Steeplechase Final. If you haven’t seen it, look up the video and watch it. I promise it is worth your time. Kenneth Rooks, an NCAA champion from BYU, took a fall a few laps into the race. He hit the ground and rolled a bit, finally getting up dead last. He kept running the race, carefully advancing his way near the front of the pack. By the time the last lap bell rang, he was close to the front. After a great water jump, he sprinted ahead and won by a half second! It was an amazing race.

Last Friday night, my family and I were watching the Texas Rangers play the LA Dodgers. Whoop! Whoop! (As a side note—I love/hate the games when your two favorite teams play each other. While I was excited to watch our beloved Dodgers, it was hard to cheer against the Rangers. My family was split in their loyalties. I, however, was conflicted the entire game and cheered for everyone and everything. It was—weird and unsatisfying).

In the eighth inning, things turned ugly for the Rangers. 

The Dodgers had pulled ahead 9-5. After two back-to-back walks, the bases were loaded with one out. Josh Jung was up to bat. The pressure was on as he had the opportunity to tie up the game. He popped the ball to right field, where it was easily caught. The Rangers ran back to their bases to tag up, except for Nathaniel Lowe, who slipped trying to get back. Instead of getting up, he stayed on his knees, head down. He became the third out.

The inning was over.

The Dodgers beat the Rangers that night, 11-5. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Kenneth Rooks and Nathaniel Lowe.

From the outside, besides the difference in events, the two men appear to be the same. Both men are elite athletes. Both were competing against other incredible athletes in pressure-filled circumstances. Both men experienced unfortunate, badly-timed falls. But only one man got up and kept going. 

So what is the most significant difference between Nathaniel Lowe and Kenneth Rooks? 

Their thoughts.

There is no guarantee that Lowe could have safely made it back to the base…the fly ball to right field was not an ideal hit. But we will never know. He stopped. I am confident he was thinking something like, “It’s over…there’s no point…I can’t make it back”—negative thoughts along those lines. How am I so sure? Because Lowe quit, knelt on the ground, and essentially gave himself to the Dodgers on a platter.

In contrast, Rooks stood up from his fall in last place. Last. The remainder of his race showed that he was thinking things like, “I can do this…I won’t quit…I’m still in this race”—motivating, determined thoughts. And against incredible odds, Rooks won! We will never know what could have happened if Lowe had just gotten back up.

What about YOU? What do you do when you fall? More importantly, what are you thinking after you fall? Do you know? Here’s a little hint—look at what you do, and that will tell you what you’re thinking.

Even the best athletes in the world fall at times. Luckily, we always have a choice, and it is the same for everyone. Will you get up and keep going as hard as you can—or will you give up?

The choice is yours. 

The second was an article written by The Church News. Here are a few highlights:

The first time the television announcers mentioned Kenneth Rooks’ name was when he fell more than two laps into the 3,000-meter race.

The Latter-day Saint from Brigham Young University made sure it wasn’t the last.

Rooks not only recovered to rejoin the pack, he stunned everyone by pulling ahead in the final stretch to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, July 8.

Despite the fall, Rooks recorded the fastest time of his three-year steeplechase career, 8:16.78. The victory comes one month after the returned missionary from Walla Walla, Washington, finished his junior season by winning the NCAA championships.

Rooks previously served a full-time mission in Uganda and Orem, Utah, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

His goal was to be competitive in the race, no matter what.

“I wanted to make sure I left it out on the track today, whether I had the success I had today or I didn’t,” Rooks told reporters after the race.

What makes his triumph even more impressive is that Rooks did it against professionals in the event, including Benard Keter (Nike/U.S. Army), Isaac Updike (Under Armour/Dark Sky Dist.), Mason Ferlic (Adidas) and Anthony Rotich (Nike/U.S. Army).

Speaking to NBC afterward, Rooks said falling was a scenario he contemplated — “What would I do if I fell?” If that happened, his strategy was to gradually work his way back to the pack and do his best to make a move at the end. 

I just love this story!  At first thought, preparing for a fall might seem a bit negative, but the reality is, we are going to fall at times.  And falling in sports is common.  Sometimes, as in Rook's case, it is people around you that inhibit what you can see, get in your way, make you slow and stumble.  But, that is just part of the race.  I love that Rooks knew what he would do if that fall happened.  The plan was there.  The race is only lost to those who quit!