As one of the smallest people in the school, it became clear to me that my first love was not going to happen, that of playing the back-court on the basketball team for St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia, Pa.

I did find however that even someone as small as myself could participate in sports and do so in a positive way. I became the coxwain on the rowing team. That's the little person who sits in the back of the boat and both spurns the rowers on by barking commands and also steers the boat so that it maintains a straight line to the finish.

There is an analogy here that needs to be exploited. I couldn't play basketball because I thought I was too small, yet there is a very successful professional player who is five feet six inches tall. I might never have made the team but by trying something another sport, I was able to perform and participate in a way that was both fulfilling and fun.