Article January 1, 2001 Issue

Kendra Nordin

Athletes

with contributions from Kendra Nordin—Jamaica Plain, MA

I like to do road races. And I competed in my first triathlon last summer, which included swimming, biking, and running. I also play soccer and do in-line skating and downhill skiing.

For me, participating in athletics is an act of discovery. It puts me in situations that push my limits. Reading Science and Health and the Bible has given me insights on how to be a better athlete. And the lessons I'm learning in athletics teach me more about real womanhood — and ultimately about God. Womanhood is a quality of the Father-Mother God. And in sports, spiritual womanhood is expressed in power, grace, and mothering.

When I played soccer in college, for instance, I typically played the forward line — trying to score. But one season, I was switched to defense. My role was to protect the goal from being scored by the other team. At times I felt almost like a mother bear protecting her cub from being attacked. In that sense, motherhood has a place on the playing field. Sometimes, too, you express motherhood in athletics through building teamwork, encouraging fellow athletes, or even through nurturing your own spirituality.

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