I was sitting on the bleachers, panting from just running a quarter mile on the high school track. Mr. Hickky and Mr. Jones, the track team coaches were standing not far from me. The mile boys were about to run. I could see Arnold standing, just waiting for the signal. The other seven guys were in their start stance.

Some of the guys had talked Arnold into tying out for the team. Arnold was mentally challenged a bit. It was a big joke....the joke was on Arnold. Arnold would ride his bike 12 miles to school every morning and then back home after school. Arnold hated the bus because kids made fun of him.

Mr. Jones fired the start shot and the seven guys sprinted out....soon paced and Arnold was a few yards behind them. The cheerleaders were practicing just at the end of the bleachers. They began chanting,"Go Arnold...go...go Arnold go! Arnold looked over at them as he passed by and picked up his pace.

In less than a minute....Arnold was in front of the pack. It was obvious that the cheerleaders were in on the joke too. During the first lap, Arnold had pulled 50 yards in front of the other runners. He went by again and the girls cheered him on.

I could see his pace pick up and he was pulling far ahead of the other runners. In the third lap, he was a lap ahead. Coach Jones shouted,"Damn...Damn...this boy can run.....we need him on the team!" Coach Hikky laughed and said,"Hell no we don't....he's a godd**mn retard...you caint run a retard....hell Jones...he would run himself to death!"

Coach Jones looked back at me...nudged Coach Hikky and nodded for him to look behind him. They both gazed at me with a "Don't you repeat that" look. I just got up and walked to the fountain to get a drink. I was pretty disgusted with what I heard and what was going on.

Arnold finished the mile run..... a track and a half ahead of the team. He wasn't panting nearly as much as the other guys. The girls chanted "Arnold" and the jocks laughed until Coach Jones told them to all shut up. The joke was obvious when Coach Hikky picked 4 guys for the team and Arnold wasn't one of them.

Arnold kind of hung his head down and walked across the track field to his bike. The giggles of the girls and the.... trying to sound like men...chuckles of the boys went on as Arnold dissapeared down the street on his bike. I just sat there, alone on the bleachers and thought of how I use to chase Arnold in grade school.

My friends and I could never catch him. I had made fun of him too before, like calling him a dummy. I would call him a dummy and he would always shout back,"You are what you say...you are what you say!" That day, I realized that Arnold was right....I was being the dummy.

The only person on the track field that day who was not a dumb ass was Arnold. He had beaten the high school's best runners by far. I believe that Arnold could have easily won state championships. He was amazingly fast and durable. The idiot coaches didn't even have sense enough to clock him. It had to be less than 5 minutes.

I stepped down the bleachers and tossed my towel in the basket. I walked off the field and said to myself,"F**k this...I don't want any part of this shit!" The trials for my running were to take place a few days later....I was just there for practice. I didn't try out for any sports after that.

Arnold was mentally challenged but in my opinion, he was absolutely intelligent enough to participate in any sport. He wasn't good at reading, writing or math but he could do it. How many kids like Arnold are left out because they are not socially correct?

I still remember that day well....the Victory of Arnold....and I smile.