I wasn’t born an athletically active person and had struggles in participating in sports (soccer, basketball,
etc.) as well as others. It made me feel shameful and frustrated whenever I was required to do sports. As a
result, I was naturally excluded from playing in sports meetings in elementary school.
The twisting point occurred in fifth grade. There was once an opportunity for me to engage in a shuttlecock
kicking competition. This sport was completely compared to others – I could particularly play this sport at
ease. For the first time, I experienced the fun of doing sports and asked if I could participate in the
competition.
I was refused for no sports experience or talent by our class monitor. But I used my kicking skills to persuade
him, and it finally worked.
I eventually got a place in the competition. Even though I was not a born athlete, I could always have the
right to enjoy sports and win honor for the class. Furthermore, I became more and more willing to play
sports with my classmates happily. I was no longer a weak boy who did no sports at all.
Charles Yang, Co-founder of Youth Torch