A group of friends in St. Catharines wants to send a message that winning isn’t everything, but everybody deserves a chance at success.

At Harriet Tubman public school in St. Catharines, the pre-teens made sure one of their own won a track race before heading off to high school.

Eleven boys participating in a 800-metre race stopped at the finish line and cheered on their friend Daniel Eios to cross first.

Daniel says he will remember the moment for the rest of his life, “I always wanted a ribbon and the desire to win, it’s something I’ve always wanted.”

A dozen kids joined the race and everyone agreed to let Daniel win. Their goal is to encourage others to participate in all kinds of activities and support each other.

Daniel is on the badminton team as well and will now join his friends at the school board’s regional meet in three weeks.