Caroline Neihoff
East Rockford Middle School
Rockford

A hero doesn't have to be tough and brawny, nor does a hero have to be great at everything. In some people's eyes, a hero can be someone recovering from an illness, while others think a hero is someone in a red shiny cape who flies around taking out bad guys. My brother isn't Superman but, to me, he’s just the person I imagine when I hear the word hero.

The nonstop downpour and icy wind had taken a toll on the rowing regatta site, evolving it into a muddy nightmare. Rowers ran frantically to their cars to escape the water falling from the sky. Everyone tried, but failed, to get away from the wet mass of land that was once thought to be a parking lot. The only thing that could help this disaster? A hero with a whole lot of determination.

Called upon by the cries of frustrated people, Chris dropped everything he had been doing to help others get their cars unstuck from the mud. With help from his teammates, he began pushing each car, one by one, out of the parking lot.

Soon, with a few cars left, his buddies drove home. Chris, however, stayed to help. Word had spread quickly of his bravery, and the sudden lack of helpers. People who had been helped before, left their own cars to join in. After many "heaves" and "ho's" one car was left. They attempted to lift the car from the soggy landscape as the driver pressed on the gas. With no luck, the boys stopped and looked around for anything they could use as leverage. A man who had been watching the mud bath, offered mats for Chris to put under the tires of the car. Gratefully, my brother laid them down. And pushed with the other men to successfully free the vehicle.

Happy chatter fluttered through the air, as total strangers high-fived each other. One conversation that I overheard, between two young men, sparked a sense of pride towards my brother. They were asking each other why they bothered to help with the cars. "If he hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have done anything," a boy said, gesturing towards my brother. The man who offered the mats to Chris said the same thing to my mother. "Your son helped me, so I thought it was best to return the favor." Chris inspired others to do the right thing by setting up an example.

To me that is heroism. People helping people. Drenched in rain, and chilled to the bone, my brother sacrificed his own needs for others. He inspired one person, which led to a chain reaction as more people joined in to help. Even in terrible conditions after a long sporting event; nationality, religion, or sports team didn’t matter anymore. Everyone was equal. All because of one humble, caring person willing to give up his time and warmth for the greater good. That is heroism, with or without a shiny red cape and brawny muscles. That is my brother, Chris Neihoff, the humble hero.