Embracing the Struggle
By Zig Ziglar
"She was speed and motion incarnate..." Jesse Owens
Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely, the 20th of 22 children. As a young child she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever. At age four she developed polio and her left leg began to atrophy. The doctors thought she would never walk again, but her family didn't give up. They took turns massaging her legs for hours. Finally, with the aid of a brace and orthopedic shoe, she slowly started to walk. She had been bedridden and out of school for two years.
At the age of eleven the leg brace came off and the orthopedic shoe, which she hated, was thrown away. Wilma Rudolph was free at last.
Wilma had an absolute passion for running. She would occasionally skip school and sneak into a local stadium. The sheer joy of running was so great that she would run all day long. Within a year she was challenging every boy in the neighborhood and beating most of them. At age 15, just four years after she threw away the brace, she was invited by Ed Temple to train with the Tigerbelles, the celebrated Tennessee State University women's track team. At age sixteen she qualified for the 1956 Olympic team but won only a bronze medal. She then enrolled at Tennessee State on a track scholarship and trained under Ed Temple, who coached the '60 Olympic team. It was on that team that Wilma Rudolph became a superstar. On the day before her first heat in the 100, she severely sprained her ankle but still won gold medals in the 100 meter and the 200 meter. She then anchored the 400 meter relay en route to her third gold medal.
What Wilma Rudolph did was incredible! I believe her success was not in spite of her problems, but because of them. She treasured the good health that others took for granted. Her joy filled her with an exuberance that intensified her training and enabled her to outshine the athletes of her day. Think about it. Follow your star and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
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