By: Drew Rogers

Dayton, TN- As I have spent time working in sports information over the past year, I've been a witness to many great triumphs and victories. I have the unique privilege of being present at almost all Bryan sporting events. However, I do miss some and one of these such events took place on Lookout Mountain last Friday. The Bryan men's and women's cross country team ran their first event of the year. One such member, Kennedy Groves, had an extraordinary race.

 

Groves was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of two. Told by doctors that she would struggle to walk, let alone run. Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects the muscles, specifically in the movement, balance, and maintaining posture areas. Kennedy has been in physical, occupational, and speech therapy since her diagnosis. She has to work harder at everyday tasks than the rest of us. Her muscles will always be affected by this disorder. While interviewing her, I was stunned at the level of perseverance and bravery in her story. 

 

Starting ballet at the age of 3, she said "ballet was really good for me, the combination of music and movement helped create bridges in my brain between dead cells." She continued dancing until the age of 12. When high school hit, she decided to join the local homeschool cross country team. She told me "I liked this team a lot. I trained with them everyday and by my third 5k, I was able to complete the entire race." Running cross country eventually turned into her earning a spot on the track and field team. There she learned how to overcome the hurdles as her sister had before her. 

 

After her last track meet, Kennedy recalled being extremely sad and emotional. I think this is something anyone who plays a sport for what they think is last time can relate to. In April of that year she would take a visit to Bryan. This was not initially an athletic visit. But after speaking with the coach and working out the details, Kennedy signed her letter of intent for cross country and track and field. She still faces setbacks and challenges routinely. She is able to overcome these obstacles with her faith and of course her heroes. One of Kennedy's heroes is Eric Little. Little was a runner in the 1924 Olympics that went on to become a missionary. Little is quoted as saying "God gave me the ability to run, when I run I feel God's pleasure. 

 

At this point in the interview I was absolutely blown away. With the story, the perseverance, and bravery, I knew I had to get this article out as soon as I could. But if you'll recall, the start of this story mentioned a specific race that took place last Friday. On August 30, 2024, Kennedy Groves ran Personal Record time by over three minutes. An absolutely unheard of feat, Groves reminds us all to not worry so much about setbacks but to enjoy the journey and push on.