The Glory of the Underdogs

When you think of the word "underdogs" your mind typically goes to a sports team projected to be horrible but in the end shows up everyone else. To me, this word means something more. To me, the word "underdogs" represents the strongest of them all coming forward because when everyone tells them they aren't worthy, they rise up through hard work and determination, conquering everything they do. Typically, people want to win or complete something to get the praise from others, but the satisfaction you receive from yourself is far greater than the satisfaction from others; something of which our society has yet to learn.

One person that stands out to me as the epitome of an underdog as she soared to new heights in track and field is basically my second sister, Jillian DiGiacinto. The grit and determination this young woman possessed throughout high school was like no other. Strength and determination doesn't come easy but as well as this, it always comes with bumps and hurdles (literally and figuratively) in the road. Jillian DiGiacinto was the up and coming track star for a small town in New Jersey. Breaking records left and right in the hurdles and cutting time like it was nothing in 4x4's was what she did best, until it all came crashing down. Jillian's sophomore year she had discovered that she had a stress fracture in her L5 spinal disc, resulting in the halt of her track career. Jillian was faced with the hard truth that she may never be able to do the sport that she had loved ever again, but this injury didn't stop her. She was forced with the decision of no activity for a year or wearing a plastic back brace that covered her entire torso for 23 hours a day for 6 months. After that, she would need to wear the brace for another 6 months, but this time only at night. Easy decision right?

What would she do you may ask yourself, but to Jillian the only answer was to make sure she got back on that track. Jillian went through countless hours in the back brace trying to stay positive at the track meets as all of her friends continued to do what she once did. Not once did she look for pity, but instead used it for fuel. She made goals of things that she would do when she wasn't hurt anymore to keep her focused on that one goal. A quote that Jillian lived by was, "minor setbacks, major comebacks" and trust me that's what she did. When Jill came back she was unstoppable. There were times where she did in fact have to hurdle with the brace on in the very beginning, but she knew that in order to get back to where she was before that she needed to push herself. The grit and determination this woman holds is remarkable, but she couldn't have done it without the help of her friends, family, and coaches.

Junior year came by for Jillian and college scouts were eager to see her. Scholarships for D1 schools came her way and eventually she attended Quinnipiac to study Occupational therapy AND run track. To this day, Jillian DiGiacinto is remembered in this town for her remarkable determination and loyalty to the track and field department. In the high school in which she attended, her spikes from her high school years lay in the cases with all of the track awards that were won throughout the entire track program.

The level of sacrifice, pain, and determination that Jillian went through shows the true meaning of an underdog. Nothing could get in her way and nothing can get in your way. If you tell yourself that you can't do it and you don't take that leap, you're leaving the door of possibilities and opportunities closed. Take that leap because as Jill said, "minor setbacks, major combacks."