For many student athletes, track meets are the culmination of weeks and months of hard work.

Practice, practice, practice might get you to the top of the podium– but that doesn't mean all the endurance-building sprints or the weight-lifting repetitions are fun along the way. Competitions are where it all pays off.

For 15-year-old Asher, it's different.

"Right now, me not being able to participate with the men does make things a lot harder for me," he said. "There's a sense of fear and unbelonging that comes up during those meets, and it detriments how you perform during it."

To read more, head to NC Health News.