By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
One of the reasons we love high school sports is because it isn’t always about the best against the best. Sometimes it is just about kids who love to compete trying to do their best.
To that end, they sometimes find their best does not come in the arena of competition.
Stefanie Olsavski recently graduated from Hamilton Heights High School, having competed in track & field for four years. She was a shot putter, and a dedicated one. Her senior season was a frustrating one and could have been devastating.
Toward the end of fall conditioning, Stefanie began to experience back pain that limited her ability to train. That same pain limited her ability to perform at her best during the actual season this spring. It has since been diagnosed as a chronic disorder.
While the injury made for a less-than-satisfying finish to her track career, Stefanie had more than enough to give her plenty of self satisfaction. That is because she – and anyone who knows her – realized a long time ago that her best could be experienced at a horse farm and riding stable about a mile from the school.
The place is called Agape, and it offers a unique style of therapy to mentally and physically challenged youth. The therapy involves the children riding horses under the supervision of handlers and instructors.
Stefanie was first introduced to Agape while in junior high. She immediately went home and told her mother that she wanted to help. Five years later, she is not only still helping but has decided to make working in similar circumstances a career. She has brought the same dedication she displayed toward track and her involvement in color guard to the service of others at the facility.
As you will see in the accompanying video, along the way she found the best in herself.
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