A different way of defining "winners"

Here are two stories that will demonstrate that a winning attitude isn't always about the score.
A student named Ike Ditzenberger attends from high school in Snohomish, Washington. Like many of his peers, he practices hard with the football team each day. What makes Ike a bit unusual, though, is that he has Downs syndrome. He has to work harder at it than his teammates. He’s no Brett Favre. But each day at the end of practice, he gets the final run. The other guys on the team have adopted Ike in a way. The Snohomish senior captain, Keith Wigney, explains it this way: "He's someone that everybody can kind of enjoy because he has such a great personality and character."

Recently, the team from Snohomish High School and the opposing team from Lake Stevens collaborated to give Ike a wonderful gift. When Ike got the ball and started running toward the end zone, the Lake Stevens team made a series of diving runs at him, but each one fell short. And his Snohomish teammates formed a protective wall around him as he ran to make a touchdown. He carried the ball for 51 yards, and is probably still celebrating.

There must be some really special kids on the west coast, as you'll see in this recounting of a championship game between teams from Washington and Oregon. This is the tale of Sara Tucholsky and the way the opposing team united to help her score a home run after she blew out her knee.

I've noticed that often there is a tendency for people to feel more and more disgruntled about the younger generation as the years go by. But if I find myself tempted to do so, I hope to remember the kindness and character of these young men and women who worked together to give another the thrill of a lifetime.