by Dr. Raquel Barnes
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk,if you can’t walk then crawl,but whatever you do,you have to keep moving forward.”
—-Martin Luther King
As we celebrate the memory of Martin Luther King this month, we celebrate the national holiday of a civil rights leader who used his thoughts, ideas and actions to motivate us. Martin Luther King inspired a lot of people. He’s changed the world by bringing freedom and being a champion for peace. He never gave in to his battles, nor surrendered. All he did was remain steadfast in planting seeds that paved the way to inspiring future leaders to this present day.
This past weekend the WPH Castle Hill Florida cup was held in Hollywood, Beach Florida with about 110 of the best men and women that play the sport possibly in the world. The venue showcased several events. In the women’s division, we witnessed courageous performances by many ladies, but Christina Torres who’s tenacious persona makes for a formidable foe in any tournament led her to a path of victory. Although she has debuted as a professional athlete for several years now, it’s in a cross section of instances where we see the audacity of her thoughts becoming a catalyst for her actions. As a spectator, its something that you can admire because not everyone can use their thoughts to motivate themselves or to ascribe to their goals. Christina’s most intimidating quality is her determination, she hustled for third place in both the women’s singles and doubles in the big ball event. But it’s her sheer will that makes her stand out. She was quoted “After placing third in the other two divisions, I knew I couldn’t go home without a win! So I played my heart out in the mixed. I knew it was going to be hard seeing my brother in the finals.” She then went on to win the open mixed doubles beating the number one contender in the world, her older brother Timothy Gonzalez! Which by no stretch of the imagination is an easy feat. Perhaps it’s considered a benchmark status symbol in the world of Handball that you have arrived as a serious athlete. Christina attributes her mother to teaching her how to play the sport of Handball at a young age, and this helped her build her confidence.
She’s gone on to apply the skills learned in handball to her family life (being a proud mom of two and wife), her career, and dealing with the pressures of juggling a full time job while going to school. What makes her even more of an inspiration for women and young girls is that she doesn’t have time for haters, she embraces who she is as a woman. Her practical down-to-earthiness transcends her to a woman that can relate to many inner city youths. She also gives back to her community by volunteering and teaching Handball to young children. She’s tough,courageous and just like Martin Luther King her thoughts propelled her to victory as they should motivate all of us to never falter and remain steadfast in our goals.
Congratulations Tina!