Josh Ripley.
Posted on 09/22/2011 2:35:46 PM PDT by rawhide
Josh Ripley didn't have to stop. Running in a recent cross country meet for Andover (Minn.) High, the junior varsity runner was making his way through the trail at the Applejack Invite when he heard a loud scream during the first mile of a two-mile race. Most of the other kids running didn't pay much attention to Lakeville South runner Mark Paulauskas, who was writhing in pain at the time, as they passed by.
The only person who decided to pay attention was Ripley. As an Anoka-Hennepin school district release reported, Ripley immediately noticed Paulauskas holding his bloody ankle. Then, instead of running back and calling for help, he did the only thing he could think of: He carried the injured runner a half mile back to coaches and family members.
"I didn't think about my race, I knew I needed to stop and help him," Ripley said in the school district release. "It was something I would expect my other teammates to do. I'm nothing special; I was just in the right place at the right time."
Amazingly, the story gets even better from there.
After dropping Paulauskas off with his coaches, Ripley proceeded to go back and finish the race -- even after carrying a kid for a half mile on the running trail. Admittedly he was a bit winded, but still completed the course as scheduled.
It's safe to say the average athlete would have taken a breather and called off the rest of the race after such a harrowing and intense experience. Luckily, Ripley is clearly not the average athlete. Fittingly, he'll be honored at a school board meeting next week. Talk about an incredible example of sportsmanship.
(Excerpt) Read more at rivals.yahoo.com ...
That was a breath of fresh air. Thank you.
I’ve got something in my eyes.
Believe it or not,he did it.
What a kid.
Josh Ripley.
Shades of Hans Brinker.
Thank you. I often wonder what the world would be like if we only had stories like this for 1 week.
Thanks for the story - kudos to Josh!
Character counts. He’s a winner.
God bless Josh Ripley: splendid athlete, splendid man. A credit to the human race.
What a great kid! His parents must be so proud of him. Thanks for posting this.
Ripley - believe it or not!
Makes us all believers that decency is not extinguished everywhere.
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