This may come as a surprise to some people reading this column, but I used to be actively involved in sports.

That's right. Throughout middle and high school I ran track, was a cheerleader, a wrestlerette, and I was also on the soccer team. I even tried out for the basketball team a couple of times, but never made the final cut.

As my staff and I mulled over the cover theme for this issue of the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, I couldn't help but think of the positive attributes I learned as a result of being involved in sports. While I was initially introduced to positive characteristics at home, being an athlete reinforced everything my mom taught me.

Perhaps one of the lessons I learned that has always resonated with me was the spirit of tenacity.

Join me as I travel down memory lane.

I was in 8th grade at a track meet against my school's biggest competitor. Everyone was in the stands at that meet, including a guy who I had a major crush on. My specialties in track were running distance and also doing the hurdles. I was great at hurdles…usually. Things were different at this particular track meet.

I remember myself and the other girls positioning ourselves for takeoff. Once we heard the gun that signaled the beginning of the race, I took off and was in first place. I ran, then jumped a hurdle; ran then jumped a hurdle; ran…then fell.

All I remember is that my glasses went flying through the air and my legs and the hurdle were in some weird wrestling hold. My heart stopped. Not only was I completely embarrassed because everyone saw me fall (including my crush), I also felt like I was letting my team down because we were challenging our biggest rival.

While I wanted to do nothing more than hobble off the track with my dejected feelings, instead I untangled my legs from that treacherous hurdle and finished the race…sans my glasses.

What led me to get up and finish the race were lessons that my mother and coach would always say.

"Shannon, it doesn't always matter where you finish in a race, what matters is that you finish the race," my mother used to always say as she shared life lessons with me. And my coach would often tell our team if we fall, we should always get back up and keep going. He said we should never give up.

On that particular day, the words of my mother and coach rang in my ears. And while I was no longer in the lead, I did finish the race second from last.

While my story sounds like something from "The Wonder Years" or one of those corny high school movies; it is a true story and I learned an invaluable lesson.

Although I was incredibly embarrassed, I remember feeling a sense of pride as I crossed the finish line because I picked myself up and finished the race to the best of my ability.

Today, as I head a company that, like other businesses, has its fair share of ups and downs; I remember the importance of tenacity. I understand why it is important to never give up and I know that in the end, all the hard work and challenges will be well worth the reward of knowing that we stayed the course and finished the race.

In this issue of the Indiana Minority Business Magazine, you will learn about individuals who have not only excelled athletically, but also professionally. I'm sure much of the dedication, teamwork, and tenacity they have as business leaders were learned through their involvement in sports.

We currently live in a society where technology (video games, computers, etc.) takes many of our children away from playing outside and being involved in sports. Cutbacks in athletic funding for schools doesn't help much either.

I hope that more parents understand the benefits of having their children involved in athletics and actually encourage them to participate in various sports. The key, however, is to also stress the importance of having a back-up plan.

We all know that an extended career in sports of any kind is unlikely. Parents should promote athletics while also promoting academic excellence. Doing so will give a child the best of both words as well lessons that they can take from the sports arena and implement into