Back in January, when Revac Banfield arrived home disappointed at his performance in an indoor track and field meet in Spokane, a handwritten note sat in his bedroom.

It was from his mother, Camara Banfield, who like her son, was a high school state champion sprinter. She chose to convey her words on pen and paper in order to better speak from the heart, urging her son to find his joy and to do what makes him happy.

The Columbia River High senior kept the letter.

“It helped me realize,” he said, “that very terrible loss for me wasn’t the end of the world, as it felt like it was at the time.”

As the reigning Class 2A state champion at 100 and 200 meters, Revac Banfield is open about his struggles dealing with pressures and expectations on the track.