Billy Mills Inspiration Essay Contest

Jack McCarthy, age 9 (Mendham, New Jersey) - 3rd place

Billy Mills inspires me because he never gave up on running.  He always gave it his best shot and became a winner.  Billy didn't let anyone or anything bother him when he ran.  If you want to be good at any sport, you have to practice and work hard and think you can do it.

Billy Mills went for the gold and never gave up and was a winner even though he was not the favorite.  When he was bumped by the other runners at the Olympics and was in fourth place, he kept moving up until he won.

Billy didn't let anything hold him back, even when his cousin died.  He continued to train hard and focus on the Olympics.  He did everything it took to take two minutes off his best time.

Billy Mills inspired me when I ran cross country last season.  I went to the USATF New Jersey State Championships.  On my way to the meet I watched "Running Brave," a movie about Billy.  Before my race, I saw that there were a lot of runners, and only the top ten got medals.  At the final stretch, I was in eleventh place.  I saw that the tenth place runner was really close to me.  I ran so hard that I caught him, beat him by a second, and won the last medal.  My team finished first.  While I was kicking at the end of the race, I thought about how Billy Mills kicked at the end of his race to win the Olympics.

At the USATF Regional Championships, I was way back in fourteenth place.  Before my race, my dad showed me where to sprint down the last hill.  When I got to that hill, I kept thinking "I can do it."  I ran as hard as I could at the end of the race just like Billy Mills in the Olympics, and I moved all the way up to sixth place.  I also ran my fastest time.

When I am older, I want to be just like Billy Mills and win the gold at the Olympics.  I have a poster of Billy (without an autograph) above my bed.  Every time I look up at the poster, Billy reminds me of what running really means to me.  It is my destiny.