The Relay Race That Taught Us to Listen

Our school's sports day was coming, and every class had to enter a relay race.

I was chosen as the last runner, which made me both proud and nervous.

The problem was that our team rarely practised together, so we kept dropping the baton during training.

Our coach, Ms.

Li, stopped us and said, "Winning is not about speed alone; it is about trusting each other." She asked us to spend ten minutes before each practice just talking about our worries.

At first, it felt strange to share feelings with classmates I hardly knew.

However, as we listened to each other, we began to understand who needed encouragement and who needed space.

On the day of the race, we were not the fastest team, but our handovers were smooth and calm.

When I crossed the finish line, I realised that the loudest cheers came from my own teammates.

We did not win a medal, yet we gained something more valuable than gold.