Crouched on one knee, I was stuck in this snippet of time. In a few moments, I was about to compete in what would be possibly the fastest and most important race of my life, but in that present moment, seconds stood still. New Balance Nationals; there was nothing but time and track ahead of me. Everything about one of the most awe-inspiring events of my life was was the result of a series of mishaps. Only through Kleo a teammate, did we learn of this competition. As sophomores and freshmen, neither I or my three teammates were aware of New Balance Nationals’ existence, yet three months earlier, we had qualified for it- the exclusive competition where the elite high school athletes in track and field from all over the country competed against each other in their respective events. The race that made us eligible for New Balance was a fluke in itself. The day of the race was a haze of constant cold, rain, and wind, creating slippery ground and making it near impossible to perform well, let alone meet a record time. We should not have been allowed to race given the state of the weather, yet we surpassed that hurdle. Then, another hurdle; how to fund our trip to North Carolina A&T University to compete. Kleo initiated a fundraiser through Krispy Kreme. We raised the money by …show more content…
This has made me realize that consciousness and determination allows me to better identify my own good experiences to ensure my own success. Because I had a life-altering experience at Nationals, I hope that I can be more intentional about the objectives that matter to me. I want to leave my mark on this earth by intention; otherwise, I may leave nothing at all. If I could do it over again, I would have recognized my goal earlier, made a longer term plan, and trained harder. The athletes from that day had almost the same amount of time to train, but I find that what separated the élite every time, was their intention and resolve to be the
It’s the triumphs as well as the defeats, that I will remember most about my life when I look back in thirty years. If I can look back and say, “I didn’t think I could ever accomplish this, but I gave it my all.” Pursuing the next challenge along with being a well-rounded, compassionate person will allow me to consider my life a success in thirty years. Nothing in my life emulates this attitude towards what I will consider a success, in terms of pushing my limits, in thirty years, than my current pursuit of collegiate level sports.
Wind howling, heavy breathing, spikes clicking on the ground, coach’s yelling. The most intense race of the season. The wind was very powerful for this course on the Tell City Country Club through these enormous green hills of the golf course. Dead grass and brown leaves were blowing nonstop. All nine of the schools slowly started walking up to the starting line. Everyone was looking at each other while representing their own school with showing their school color off with pride. There were three teams total that knew that would be an extremely close score. My team and I stood in our red jerseys knowing that we were going to be the ones to win. I could feel the jitters going through my body. Boom!(personification) The gun went off. Nothing
Last year in January, my school cheer team and I accomplished a huge goal. We won nationals. The Owasso team was expected to win this competition, but it was still very difficult to achieve. The competition is held in Dallas, Texas, where thousands of cheerleaders compete to accomplish a once in a lifetime goal. My team only went up against one other team, but still won. The other team was not much better than the Owasso cheerleaders, which does not mean that it was easy. Winning with my dream team gave me an indescribable feeling inside. It was absolutely unreal. We came back home with our winning title ready to begin a new season. Knowing that every other team from all around the state was gunning for us, we were hungry for another win. Another
As most athletes, who are dedicated to their sport, practice harder than athletes who just play sports for fun. However, there are disappointments in the sport. Many in which involve record holders (mostly in individual sports). Or some in which involve how state standings and/or championships are viewed. As stated by A.E. Housman, “The time you won your town the race we chaired you through the marketplace; man and boy stood cheering by, and home we brought you shoulder-high.” (Prentice Hall Literature [page 1092 lines 1-4]). As newer generations come into the sport, some are born with a gift unimaginable with great potential, people who set the school/state record cause a sadness in the record holder from the past.
This will prove to be especially important as I move on to college, and as I embark on my journey of being a student athlete at the University of Nevada Reno. I know that being a student athlete will be challenging in the sense that I will have so many obligations and so little time; however, this mentality will further help me achieve my goals both athletically and academically, as I refuse to settle for anything less that what I am capable of achieving. I know that at times it will be tough, but I also know that quitting is not an option. If I were to stop in the middle of a race right when it got tough, I would never be able to experience the triumph of finishing. In the end, the glory of the fight is one of the most rewarding elements of
In any sport, whether it’s football or softball or tennis, failure is bound to happen. Every athlete, at some point in his or her career, will deal with defeat. Although no one, especially competitors, enjoy failure, it is an essential to reaching success. I recently faced defeat on the softball field that still haunts me to this day, but the lessons I learned and the development in my character made the experience worth it.
I knew that I was going to run my heart out. It took a lot of time, patience, and determination go get where I am now. Eventually, the terrifying, life-changing day came. My final race day as a LaPorte Slicer. All of my brothers (my teammates) were anxious to start. With my foot right behind the white line, I looked to my brothers and said, "It's some of our last race today, lets run as a pack and kick some butt today." They shook their heads in agreement. Then came silence, the time before a race where everyone was silent, even the spectators, waiting to hear the crack of the starting gun. The gun cracked and off we went. My legs were so used to the motions and aching pain that they did exactly as they were told, without protest. Eventually, the team split up and I was near nobody on my team. Some fell behind while others sprang forward running faster than I did. Halfway through the race, I remembered my coach saying, "Find someone ahead of you, and pass them. After that, do it again, push yourself to run faster and let nobody pass you." I did exactly what he said, feeling like a car in the passing lane; I passed guy after guy. Each one took more time than the last, but I did what I had to
The timers near the finish lines start their timers and the intense rivalries between individuals and schools start with the gun as the runners take off. The course, now filled with hundreds of hot runners, is matted down as the runners run over and trample it. Action and intense competition filled the air. The fans all crowd around the edges of the course pushing and trying to get the best view of their favorite athlete or team. The parking lot’s now packed to a max with only a few forgetful spectators running back to their cars for forgotten items. Similar to the parking lot, concessions only has a select few little children to whom candy is more important than their older siblings. Team tents vacant, except for the food and it’s wafting aroma left to be eaten after the race along with numerous numerous sweat stained smelly duffle bags. The finish line shoot, now bustling with activity, has the clock running, bustling with the activity of exhausted sweat drenched runners stumbling across it. The smell of sweat now filled the air along with the sound of the occasional cry from the medical tent which was now filled with runners who either had dropes out of the race or had already finished and hurt themselves and were in
I proved to myself and that I am a tough human being that can take on anything, one step at a time. There will be breakdowns as well as self and extrinsic doubt involved, but I will and can do anything. Many of my peers and teachers do not know I did this race and frankly, I don't need them to. I may not have changed in anyone else's eyes that day but for me everything changed. I raced for myself that
... like some might have, I wouldn’t have played. Especially if I thought I’d further hurt myself, but since I thought I could contribute to my team, it was my obligation to them to try. And although I played with caution, I played without fear and with confidence in myself. “…..it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” (Rocky Balboa 2006). By choosing to get up when life knocked me down I discovered that even at my lowest points I can still persevere and achieve great feats. My life is by no means easy, but what some might see as setbacks I see as life pushing me into the “deep end pool”. I see a challenge and an opportunity to try and swim and achieve greatness. And once you get into the habit of “swimming” winning becomes a state of mind.
As the Tiger rolled around, there arose a question of whether or not to keep the team together or break it up and give the two seniors a chance to compete in other individual events at regionals. I actually didn't know about this possibility until about five minutes before the race began on Saturday. We were all huddled together preparing for the start. Jeremy came up to Rodney and me and told us that if we didn't do well the team might be dropped. Kicking our motivational drive into high, the four of us focused on only one thing: running the time we all knew we could. Getting into the blocks I felt more ready than ever. At the sound of the gun, I shot out of the blocks. I sprinted around the track, concentrating on making a great hand-off.
The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It was visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday.
Can’t think. My body shakes and screams from the tension. Heart pounding, nerves tingling, every muscle contracted. Stop. Focus. Deep breath and close everything out. I shut my eyes and the turbulent world in which I am submerged goes black and silent. Coach says visualize the race. Visualize your ideal race. I visualize….
Wait. Be still. Don't go over the line. Don't let go. Wait for it. "BANG!" My reactions were precise as I sprung out of the blocks. The sun was beating down on my back as my feet clawed at the blistering, red turf. With every step I took, my toes sunk into the squishy, foul smelling surface, as my lungs grasped for air. Everything felt the way it should as I plunged toward my destination. I clutched the baton in my sweaty palms, promising myself not to let go. My long legs moved me as fast as I could go as I hugged the corner of the line like a little girl hugging her favorite teddy bear. The steps were just like I had practiced. As I came closer to my final steps, my stomach started twisting and my heart beat began to rise. The different colors of arrows started to pass under my feet, and I knew it was time.
The greatest achievement in my life would have to be my success in the sport of football. I started playing the game at the age of eight. It stuck with me throughout my life until now. During a football game there are numerous amounts of dynamic situations to be involved with. There are so many crucial actions that take place in the matter of seconds. In a certain instance in my life , the game had a strong impact on my life. It took place my senior year against our rivals, the best team in the district. That Monday we began preparing for the coming Friday. It was a typical week until I woke up Wednesday morning. I was routinely late for school running around the house. On my way out the door the phone brought me to an abrupt stop. Turning around, I started to sprint to the phone. A few steps into it, I crushed my little toe on the leg of my couch. Face down on the carpet, I proceeded to scream in pain. Answering the phone quickly got check off my things to do list. As soon as I could regain my sanity I hopped over to the couch and forgot about school. My toe suddenly turned black and swollen. It was the worst coincidence that could’ve happened to me. I went to the hospital later that day, where I heard that my foot was broken and I couldn’t play.