It was a perfect evening for this year’s FCA Fields of Faith at the Heartland football field on Wednesday night. An estimated group of 120 students, parents, coaches, and teachers spread out on the grass and enjoyed hearing an inspirational talk from three-time Olympian Maggie Malone-Hardin.
The Bethesda praise team provided live music to begin the event, and FCA Heartland sponsor Tara Maltsberger welcomed everyone. Those attending were treated to water, popcorn, and treats, and received an FCA 4 Gospel sports wristband. She explained the meaning of the symbols on the wristband to the audience.
- ❤️ (Heart): Represents God’s unconditional love for you and that He created you.
- ➗ (Division Symbol): Illustrates that sin separates you from God.
- ✝ (Cross): Signifies that Jesus Christ died on the cross to bridge the gap caused by sin, offering forgiveness and eternal life.
- ❓ (Question Mark): Invites a personal decision to accept Jesus and trust Him for a relationship with God.
Before Maggie started her talk, she let everyone know that she, too, grew up in a small town just down the road in Geneva. She also mentioned that she had known Christa Lindsay, a Heartland teacher, since she was five years old. Christa grew up in Geneva and was just a year younger than Maggie.
She shared her five core principles — Growth, Resilience, Health, Community & Faith —with personal stories of the success and adversity she faced during her athletic journey as a javelin thrower in college at Texas A&M and her quest for an Olympic medal.
Early on, she learned from her mother, who was a great collegiate athlete herself, that she needed to be “coachable”. “I wanted to be the best, but she told me I was uncoachable if I wasn’t able to listen, take feedback, and make changes.”
Maggie learned that she needed to surround herself with people who were better than she was, find mentors, and respect the advice of her parents and coaches. “I had a lot of coaches and I didn’t thank them enough! If I hadn’t listened, I wouldn’t have been a three-time Olympian.”
She quickly learned that being healthy wasn’t just physical, but it also included mental and emotional health. “The brain and body are intertwined. To be your best, you should keep hydrated, get enough sleep, turn off your phone 30 minutes before bedtime, do a 30-minute digital detox, and move for 20 minutes a day.”
Maggie’s athletic journey wasn’t easy, and she shared the highs and lows she experienced. Due to her underperformance at the 2016, 2021, and 2023 Olympics, she almost quit each time, but someone always came alongside her and encouraged her to “just keep going.” And she did.
At her lowest point in life in 2016, she said she was doing everything the world had told her to do —living the dream —but she was broken on the inside. She was experiencing eating disorders and using drugs and alcohol until her friends came alongside her and got her to a Christian counselor.
As a result, her life took a different direction, one that focused on pleasing God, rather than the world.
That’s when she discovered her purpose for throwing the javelin wasn’t to please anyone but God. Her life was forever changed. She learned that your mind feasts on whatever you feed it, and her victory was in Christ, not medals.
Her quest for an Olympic medal isn’t finished yet, but now she throws to make God great, not herself. If all goes as she’s planned, she will be competing in the 2028 Olympics.
