Girl Helps Opponent Finish Race

**The Black Wolf** · 06-05-2012

http://www.yardbarker.com/high_schoo...video/10941581

There was some outstanding sportsmanship displayed at the Ohio state track meet last Saturday.

Meghan Vogel, a junior at West Liberty-Salem High School in Ohio, won the state’s Division III 1,600 meter race, but she gained more attention for a race in which she finished last.

Vogel was running the 3,200 meter race and about 50 meters from the finish line when she saw Arden McMath, a sophomore from Arlington High School, collapse. Instead of passing her, Vogel stopped to carry her competitor across the finish line.

Race rules say Vogel should have been automatically disqualified for helping another runner, but the Springfield News-Sun says meet management took no action. They gave McMath 14th place and a finishing time of 12:29.90, and Vogel 15th in 12:30.24. Vogel made sure McMath crossed the finish line first because she had been ahead of her.

“Helping her across the finish line was a lot more satisfying than winning the state championship,” Vogel told the News-Sun.

“What a selfless act,” said Arlington coach Paul Hunter. “She could have just gone around Arden. But she chose to help. I’ve never seen that at a state meet. That’s real sportsmanship.”

We’ve seen other outstanding acts of sportsmanship in track and cross country before, and this ranks right up there. It’s great to have a heartwarming story like this to balance out all the negative ones we see in high school athletics.

Well done Meghan, well done.

That's really what the world needs more of: compassion.

**Kuro** · 06-05-2012

Wow that's what I call great sportsmanship good on her part.

**-Kwesnoth-** · 06-05-2012

My faith in humanity has been restored.

**mooninites** · 06-05-2012

The media needs more stories like this. Makes people feel good.

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2

**bash** · 06-05-2012

Originally Posted by -Kwesnoth-

My faith in humanity has been restored.

It wont last for very long so enjoy it.

**MjW** · 06-05-2012

That was a nice thing to do. It's not like she would have won if she didn't help.

**[DT]** · 06-05-2012

Originally Posted by bash

It wont last for very long so enjoy it.

Next week we’ll hear Arden has been eaten by Meghan in some sort of post-race cannibal sacrifice...

*goo · 06-05-2012

Erm. Shouldn't she have carried the injured girl to a medic instead.

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**Xelios** · 06-05-2012

Originally Posted by *goo

Erm. Shouldn't she have carried the injured girl to a medic instead.

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Exactly. This is pretty dumb. She collapsed, she needs medical attention, not a 2nd to last place finish.

**itachi73378** · 06-05-2012

Originally Posted by *goo

Erm. Shouldn't she have carried the injured girl to a medic instead.

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Originally Posted by Xelios

Exactly. This is pretty dumb. She collapsed, she needs medical attention, not a 2nd to last place finish.

It was probably just exhaustion, so medical attention was not the priority. And ofcourse the medics had examined her afterwards, so there's no problem.

**Dave-The-Rave** · 06-05-2012

I would have trampled her and won the race.

**Xelios** · 06-05-2012

Originally Posted by itachi73378

It was probably just exhaustion, so medical attention was not the priority. And ofcourse the medics had examined her afterwards, so there's no problem.

Of course. I'm not saying there's anything inherently wrong with her, but it's almost always procedural to be examined and rushed to the standing medical examiners that are usually there. It's happened at a few track meets I've participated in.

**admartian** · 06-05-2012

This girl just earned herself a Platinum trophy for Sportmanship.

**weskurtz81** · 06-05-2012

Maybe the two girls discussed her condition and decided she felt ok, maybe they were very close to the finish line, could have been any number of different scenarios. Shouldn't automatically assume the girl that helped did something wrong without knowing the circumstances.

**Blacksite** · 06-06-2012

Originally Posted by [DT]

Next week we’ll hear Arden has been eaten by Meghan in some sort of post-race cannibal sacrifice...

She had a good run.

**TRF** · 06-06-2012

1. Win the goddamn race.
2. Go back and help the girl.

But it was an honorable thing to do.

Tapatalking from my bed. Ya mutha says hi.

**mickice** · 06-06-2012

It was a stupid thing to do. You are there to race, if someone collapses there is the entire crowd of watchers to help not to mention probably some train medical guys hired just for that cause and even those water cup holders.

**TRF** · 06-06-2012

Originally Posted by mickice

It was a stupid thing to do. You are there to race, if someone collapses there is the entire crowd of watchers to help not to mention probably some train medical guys hired just for that cause and even those water cup holders.

You've got your priorities straight. That whole "someone else will do it" mentality is what leaves a lot of problems unsolved.

Tapatalking from my bed. Ya mutha says hi.

**Xelios** · 06-06-2012

Originally Posted by weskurtz81

Maybe the two girls discussed her condition and decided she felt ok, maybe they were very close to the finish line, could have been any number of different scenarios. Shouldn't automatically assume the girl that helped did something wrong without knowing the circumstances.

They weren't close to the finish. It says the lead girl was 50 meters from finishing when she saw the other girl collapse. Which means if it was an oval track (which it usually is), she was at least a lap behind. Which is quite a large distance. Had it not been a oval track, the 2nd girl was still pretty far behind.

And she did make a mistake because there are trained professionals for this scenario. You shouldn't help pull people out of a mangled car wreckage if you don't know what you're doing, because you might in fact end up killing them while they're still salvageable.

**FdMstng99** · 06-07-2012

Tough crowd. Your either damned if you do or damned if you don't. If she would have just ran past her people would be talking about the girl just running past and not offering any help.

**Dave-The-Rave** · 06-07-2012

There are plenty of people there who could've helped, the whole point of a race is the fittest person wins it.

**MjW** · 06-07-2012

Originally Posted by [DT]

Next week we’ll hear Arden has been eaten by Meghan in some sort of post-race cannibal sacrifice...

**Morganator** · 06-07-2012

Originally Posted by -Kwesnoth-

My faith in humanity has been restored.

How easily you're swayed. One small thing shouldn't be enough to restore your faith in humanity. No offense man but if that's all it takes, you've got a naive outlook on the human race.