- Kentucky race officials refused to give Codie Thacker a new number
- High School coach praised athlete for standing up for her principles
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Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED:
17:35 EST, 5 November 2013
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UPDATED:
17:58 EST, 5 November 2013
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A Christian teenager refused to compete in a regional cross country trial on Saturday after being issued with a bib marked 666.
Codie Thacker had been training since June for the race but said seeing the bib with ‘the mark of the beast’ made her sick.
Her Whitley County high school coach tried to get race organizers to issue her with a new number, but when they refused Codie put faith before her desire to win and pulled out of the race.
Beliefs: Codie, pictured center preparing for a race, says she had no choice but to withdraw from the contest
Faith: Codie Thacker refused to compete in a regional cross country race after being issued with a 666 bib
‘I just don’t believe that 666 should be
a number that’s anywhere on your body and I did not want that number
associated with me. It kind of made me sick,’ Codie told WKYT.
‘I’ve been training since June for this race, and it’s kind of like the climax of my season to run regionals and to see how well I do,’ she added.
The numbers used to identify competitors are computer generated, and Codie’s coach Gina Croley was surprised when race organizers refused to change it.
‘I don’t think it was any type of you
know let’s give somebody this number, but when it was brought to their
attention, I feel like if it were possible, it could have been changed,’ she said.
But when the Kentucky High School Athletic Association refused to swap the bib, Codie decided her faith was more important than the chance to win a medal.
‘I was upset, because I’d trained all season for it. But in another sense I stood up for my beliefs and I stood up for God,’ she said.
Joe Angolia, a spokesman for the athletic association, said officials did not know the teenager had objected to the number for religious reasons.
Principles: Kentucky teenager Codie says the thought of wearing the number of the beast makes her sick
Marked: Race officials refused to issue Codie with another bib after she raised concerns about the one, pictured above
Mr Angolia said: ‘We’ve made adjustments to uniform
codes and things like that in the past when it’s known that religious
reasons are in play.’
Despite her refusal to race, Codie’s decision was supported by her coach who praised her for standing up for her beliefs.
Ms Croley said, ‘I wouldn’t have been
more proud of her if she won the entire meet. She stood on her
principles.’
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