To all of the short athletes out there, this article will resonate with you and hopefully motivate you. To the tall athletes who thought it was okay to push me around just because I was smaller than you, this article is also for you. I am here to say that you made me stronger and in fact you’re not as intimidating as you think you are.
My elementary school days were great for many reasons, but looking back, I now realize one reason stood out above the rest: I was taller than just about every single one of my friends and classmates, and by a good amount, too. I felt like I was on top of the world. I felt powerful and cool. I had an edge in sports and used it to my advantage. Things were great. Little did I know, once middle school hit, those happy feelings would dwindle and very quickly disappear.
I should've known my growth spurt just happened early. Both of my parents come from short families so it would have taken a miracle for me to have any sort of vertical height advantage in life, and that miracle did not happen.
I watched my friends and classmates sprout up and I became frustrated that I didn't follow suit. Week after week, month after month, my height didn't change. "You grew half an inch" was a yearly occurrence at routine doctors check-ups. Half an inch. Pathetic.
Sports are everything to me. Growing up, I played everything under the sun: basketball, baseball (with the boys, that's right...eight years!), soccer, tennis, ice-skating, and even danced, did gymnastics, swam, skateboarded, and rode horses. I loved the feeling of being active, being with friends, and making great memories (and at that age, win trophies and medals for everything…because who wouldn’t?).
From middle school on, all of my teammates and opponents were a lot taller and could do so much more than me. They could jump higher for a rebound. They could run faster because their legs were longer. They could push me around because they were just that much bigger than me. I wanted to be like them but I knew that I couldn’t. I was frustrated at myself (and my parents for that matter) for not being taller, even though there was nothing I could do about it. But you know what, that didn’t stop me, and it shouldn’t stop you either.
Originally, I had finished this article in a very negative, angry light regarding how frustrating it was that I continued to get pushed around by girls who were bigger than me. Then I realized that wasn’t the correct way to go about the situation. I should be proud of my height, and you should, too.
Being a three-sport varsity short athlete wasn’t easy, but I did it, and so many people like me do the same. Soccer, basketball, and softball were (and still are) my passions. Throughout my freshman and sophomore seasons on the varsity teams, I got a very good feeling for how tough it was going to be for a five foot girl (finally told you my height and that’s where I’ve stood for the past seven years) to strive in very physical sports where tall, muscular girls would beat the crap out of me. I found myself on the ground more often than I was actually standing, and no I was not a klutz. No matter how many times I got hacked going up for a layup, I continued to drive to the basket game after game (despite my mom’s begging and pleading to stop because I kept getting hurt…sorry Mom). No matter how many bumps and bruises, no matter how much pain I was in, I got up every time stronger than before.
What makes being short actually a pretty cool thing is that you’re doubted. You may think, “Why would that be good?” Well, it feels so much greater to accomplish things when you’re the underdog. People don’t think you can do something, and then bam, you prove them wrong. You work so hard to be the best you can be, and at the same time, show everyone else that you can compete just as well as the taller competition. Thank you to the naysayers for telling me I was never tall enough to make a varsity sports team, or that I wouldn't succeed on them because I was short. Well, I happened to make two out of three my freshman year, and then the third one sophomore year. All-League, Unsung Heroine softball player, too. Take that.
I look at myself as lucky to be short. I learned a lot of things about the game, life, and myself. I’m glad I was pushed around all the time, I really am. It taught me to work harder, practice longer, and keep my head up. It showed me that nothing in life is easy and that you have to work for what you want. I learned firsthand to fall down seven times and stand up eight. I never gave up on myself, and that’s why I continued to drain threes, snag line drives, and fly balls in center field, and fake people out on the soccer field.
Anyone who plays a sport or has a passion certainly has a role model (or role models), and for me, those were my coaches. They knew I wasn’t tall (and never would be) but they did know that I had a lot of passion, determination, and talent, so they instilled in me that I could do anything I could put my mind to, so I did. Thank you to those coaches for showing me the road to positivity. Without that, I don’t know how my sports situation would have panned out, but I do know it wouldn’t have been as great as it was.
To all of you short athletes out there, play your game, kick ass, and show them who’s boss. Set your goals high, and don't stop until you get there. Don’t be discouraged about your height. Being short is an awesome thing. Sure, there’s always going to be someone bigger and better than you, but it’s a fun competition to see how well you can push yourself and how far you can go. Just look at athletes like Rajon Rondo, Dustin Pedroia, and Julian Edelman (yes I’m biased because I’m a Boston sports fanatic, but you get the point): what they lack in size compared to those around them, they make up for in determination and talent.
My mom continues to say, “Good things come in small packages.” Think about it, we have it pretty awesome. We have a great perspective on life because we’re always looking up. Even Shakespeare has been quoted to talk about us, “Though she be but little, she is fierce!”
Rock on, shorties.
