In the text, Lu overcomes both literal and figurative hurdles. With the help of Coach, Lu discovers methods for overcoming the hurdles in his life on and off the track, an important one being not letting embarrassment get in the way of achieving a goal or overcoming an obstacle. Through putting aside fears of embarrassment or failure, Lu overcomes his own obstacles and helps others to surmount the hurdles that stand in their way.

At the beginning of the text, Lu is concerned with appearing cool and avoiding embarrassment. His new track event, the 110-meter hurdle, poses a challenge to this goal, especially after a fall during his first meet running the event. He explains to Coach: “I am scared of not jumping ‘em and breaking my whole body up. You saw what happened on Saturday. I ain't built for that kind of embarrassment, Coach. Plus I’m way too pretty for bruises” (32). Though he tries to make light of his anxiety about the hurdles, Coach senses the ego in Lu’s statement, and therefore helps him to understand that embarrassment is a part of life, an unavoidable hurdle: “You can thank me tomorrow by butting out all that embarrassment nonsense.