Perhaps the old adage “write what you know” should be expanded to “write what you know—or what you want to know”; it was following her curiosity that brought Ruohan Huang (US) to the topic of her winning Sports Writing Competition entry. “Indian Horse Relay is a unique and powerful topic,” she says. “I not only wanted to share that with other people, but I also wanted to learn more about it myself.”
Below, we talk to Ruohan about her research process, how she infused her piece with humanity, and her cryptic book recommendation for the WtW community!
For your entry, you focused on the sport of Indian Horse Relay. What made you choose this topic? Did you have any previous knowledge of or experience with the sport before writing about it?
I came upon an article about the Indian Horse Relay a few months ago. It wasn’t like basketball or soccer, which basically everyone knows about. Indian Horse Relay is a unique and powerful topic, and I not only wanted to share that with other people, but I also wanted to learn more about it myself, using this opportunity to research further into the important sport of the Plains Nations’ indigenous peoples.
What research was involved in writing this piece? How did you weave this research into your narrative without making it overbearing?
I merged my own impression of the sport with both primary and secondary sources. I’ve always felt that quotes were some of the most powerful ways to present a message, so using quotes from articles and an interview, I combined them into my piece to represent the main points and to give views of the people who have had first-hand experience with the sport.
Guest Judge Joon Lee praised your piece for connecting “the three things I love about sports writing: human stories, sports as a part of a larger culture and subjects that deserve a brighter spotlight.” How did you go about ensuring your piece captured the human elements of this sport?
Before researching, I only thought that the sport was exciting to watch. It was thrilling and exhilaratingly dangerous. But when I got to know more about the relay, I realized the importance of family, spirit, heritage, and history in this truly wonderful sport. People were overcoming fear to support their family and their tradition as a whole. I found very moving quotes and stories, and incorporated them into my piece. Indian Horse Relay is a unique sport that should be recognized for the powerful personal stories and perspectives it contains, and I really wanted to ensure that my narrative delivered this message.
What book have you read recently that you would recommend to the WtW community?
Recently, I’ve been reading The Woman All Spies Fear by Amy Butler Greenfield. It is a fascinating biography of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, an American cryptanalyst (code breaker) who was an absolute genius in deciphering secret messages. She deciphered thousands (maybe even millions) of intercepted messages, helping the government during both World Wars and the Rum War (Prohibition). This book offers the story of an important historical figure who had greatly contributed to the nation but is not widely known to us because of her hidden life.