Living by faith: Hawks' Bailey Nelson donates summer to helping next generation of high school runners

Ormond Beach Observer
Sports

Nearly every day throughout the summer, Bailey Nelson would hop out of bed and into her running shoes to go train with the Spruce Creek cross country team — at 5:45 a.m.

After hours of training — tired and doused in sweat from a hard, way-too-early run — Nelson would head to her next event.

Four times a week, from 9 a.m. to noon, Nelson would take part in the Spruce Creek Running and Fitness program, where she would help coach budding elementary and middle school runners.

Nelson, now a junior at Spruce Creek High School, would help the kids stretch and offer them words of encouragement.

“Just getting to see them improve [was the best part],” said Nelson, who has been on the Hawks’ cross country team since her freshman year. “Right now, they don’t really know much, but as they get more experience, they’ll be ready by the time they get to high school, which is good for them.”

Throughout the majority of the summer, Nelson, although quiet and reserved, was able to form tight bonds with all the kids in her group. She left an impactful message for the young runners.

“Pain is temporary, but the results are forever,” she told the kids under her command. “Don’t back down even if it’s hard at the moment. It’ll be worth it in the end.”

Nelson, who was a part of the program while she was in middle school, was excited at the opportunity to have an impact on Port Orange’s next generation of high school runners. That reason is not entirely why she chose to donate most of her summer vacation, though. That honor belongs to her faith.

“Jesus said it’s more blessed to give than to receive,” said Scott Kirschner, the pastor at Christ the King Community Church in Port Orange, where Nelson is a member. “And she really takes that to heart. She understands that there’s a lot more value in giving than there is just receiving and taking.

Kirschner, who also assists with coaching the Hawks’ cross country team in addition to the running and fitness program, has been able to watch Nelson transform into a high school student willing to serve her community and her faith.

“She’s a great girl, a great athlete and a great student,” Kirschner said. “And to see her give back, I know, makes her parents very proud. It makes us as coaches really proud. And she’s just one of many. We’ve got some really great kids in our cross country program here at Spruce Creek.”