Jim Thorpe overcame many difficult situations with his courage. He lost his twin brother when he was 9, his mother 2 years later, and his father before he became an adult. All three died due to illnesses and he was forced to continue his education without their support. He was sent to boarding schools by his parents. He hated attending them as he had to speak English, cut his hair and dress up. He ran away more than once until he became interested in sports. …show more content…
He persevered as he wanted to play football but was considered too small. In college, Carlisle, he would watch the team play for hours. He asked the coach if he could try out the coach said, “you are too short and wimpy, sorry but you can’t play for us.” Jim did not give up and noticed the track team. He saw them practicing the high jump, so he asked if he could try it. He was told that he could but warned that they had a school record that was very hard to beat. Jim did the high jump and on his first try, he beat the school record. This inspired him to pursue track and he became the team Captain. He also thought that it might help him get onto the football team as they were both coached by the same