Athletics

Beyond The Bar

N Our Voice by Tyus Wilson

I looked at the bar, preparing to jump.

It was my final jump at the Big Ten Championships.

There was no fear, no pressure, no anxiety.

I was at peace.

The result? I won the Big Ten title and jumped a PR of 7 feet 6 inches, making me tied for fourth in the world and first in the country.

Those are great accomplishments, but it’s not me who should receive the praise.

The reason for my success is my faith in Christ. Without Him I would not have achieved anything.

My relationship with God has completely changed my mindset in how I approach competition. It’s not competing for myself. It’s a way I can bring glory to God.

My relationship with God has transformed my life, and I will take every opportunity to share that with the world.

A turning point

I played several different sports growing up, but began to really excel at high jumping at a young age.

As a freshman in high school, I remember jumping 7’0’’ and being one of the youngest jumpers to ever do that. I started getting recruited by a lot of colleges at that time, including Nebraska.

My recruiting process was during COVID, so I didn’t exactly get the traditional college visits.

But after talking with the coaches, I knew Nebraska was the perfect fit for me.

The transition from high school to college, however, wasn’t easy for me.

I was dealing with some minor injuries and struggled adjusting to the harder workouts in college.

Then my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and it changed my life in an instant.

My dad means the world to me, and watching him go through that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

At that moment, I was questioning everything.

What was the purpose of all of this?

There has to be more to life than this.

Fortunately, I found the answer.

And it has changed my life.

Finding my purpose

During that really difficult time, I went to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp. I heard a lot of great messages, but there was one that really stuck out to me.

It was about how we can bring glory to God in everything that we do.

Everything began to click.

I had spent so much of my life chasing after worldly accomplishments and accolades.

I thought those things would bring me happiness and fulfillment.

But they never did.

They never will.

I know now that I was looking for satisfaction in the wrong places.

The only thing that could truly fill that void was my relationship with Christ.

My identity was no longer in my sport or my accomplishments. My identity became in Christ, and He was the one I was living for.

Everything I do is now a form of worship.

When I jump, I don’t do it for myself. I do it for the Lord. I don’t compete for my glory, but for His.

It’s a complete shift in how I approach competition and life in general, and it has truly been a blessing.

Lessons learned

As an athlete, there’s always this desire to be the best. You look at the best athletes in your sport and you want to be just like them

But there is a saying that comparison is the thief of joy.

I’ve learned that the only person I should be comparing myself to is the person I was yesterday.

I’m not trying to be like the best high jumper in the world. I’m trying to be the best high jumper that God created me to be.

I’m also trying to be the best witness for Christ that I can be.

I want people to look at me and see something different. I want them to see the joy and peace that I have in my life and know that it comes from my relationship with Christ.

I want to use my platform as an athlete to share my faith and how God has transformed my life.

I may have a few more years of competition left, but I know that my time as an athlete is limited.

I want my legacy to be more than just how high I jumped or how many medals I won.

I want my legacy to be about the impact I had on others and how I used my sport to bring glory to God.

I have learned that satisfaction and fulfillment is not found in the work that is done, but the one that gave us the work to do.

I don’t know what is in store for me, but God has a plan for my life, and it’s better than anything I could come up with.

I look forward to glorifying him in every way.

I’m grateful for Nebraska and how it has impacted my life.

Anyone who chooses Nebraska is making the right choice.