Cross America Personal Narrative

I was always a very active kid, I liked running around and just having fun. So in grade seven a couple of friends told me to do track and field because they thought I was a fast sprinter, but I didn't really believe them until I tried out for the team and made a spot for the 100 meter sprint and the 4x100 meter relay sprint. On the race day I ran the 100 meter race and came second with a time of 13.10 seconds. I was proud of my time and place because it was the very first official race that I ran in. As for the relay race we came first with a couple of seconds to spare.

My participation in Cross Country over the past 4 years has influenced me greatly. Particularly in my senior year, it taught me how to work hard, bond with my teammates, and really appreciate the sport. It has influenced my career goals through possibly looking towards a health career, and has bonded me with my family by their support through the season. My senior year of Cross Country was the first year I was able to make the varsity team.

Ever since I was little and even now, I have always loved sports that involve running, including track. In middle school when I was in seventh grade, I wanted to participate in track because I knew I would enjoy the sport. Track started in the spring during seventh grade, and the first couple of practices I thought were challenging because of what little practice I had before track had even started. From this point on, I knew I would have to work hard to reach the goals that I wanted to accomplish, and to even get personal records in running so that I could compete in sectional or even state meets that include top runners from every school. I had also kept in mind on what events I wanted to compete in, which were the one hundred meter dash,

Cross country has helped me with my transition from childhood and adulthood by teaching me that success is earned through hard work, determination, and leading by example. That's what I did after my first bad race, I worked hard and continued on my quest and showed my coaches and my teammates that I could lead the

I then got my height and weight measured 6ft 1in 221 lbs, which Is huge for a thirteen year old, but compared to all of the others I was underweight. I then began to wait for the coaches to call us up for warm-ups, my dad came up to me and told me this “ You have been training for this since February, you have put the work in and now you are ready”. As I was waiting I looked around and saw many very athletic looking athletes, many were bragging to each other about how they would definitely make the team. Lots of guys looked bigger, stronger, and faster. I could tell that I was the only one who was still thirteen.

I have attended four different high schools in four years. I have always participated in sports throughout high school. Although after school activities have made a huge impact on my high school career, none have been more of an influence than football. I played football alongside numerous teammates and coaches, and was taught valuable life lessons for use on and off of the field.

We finished the season not to well with many losses and little wins. Then my 2nd year of varsity started in 9th grade. This had been my most successful year so far. I do not know why I did so good this however, it had been my hardest. I went from being 110 pounds to 99 pounds at the beginning of the year and it became harder and harder to maintain my weight due to the fact that I had grown about an inch in the middle of the season.

I loved running, and seeing myself not run was going to be hard for me. This time trial determined who would make Varsity and Junior Varsity. The time trial consisted of a little less than 3.2 mile run. I was right behind the top girl runners the whole time.

I made it to the locker room, my trainer Chris gave me the shot. As he set it down I saw the label it said, “Cortisone.” And I knew what it was I instantly knew that my knee was bad, because this was high medical grade medicine. As I put on my equipment I looked around me.

During my final year of Cross Country around Regionals at Oglethorpe, I ran my final race for my high school career. Banks County was nearly number one in the State, the furthest we had ever ranked in history, and spirit and hopes for State Championship were high. I was nervous, like nobody’s business, I had messed up during my senior night because I was upset for my parents for not showing up and escorting me. And I was scared that I was going to do horribly. But as I ran, I realized that if I let my past mistakes and failures hold me back or get in my way, so I ran, harder and better than I ever had before and apparently even beat a “skinny kid”.

I hadn’t been involved in an accident or any sort of injury but the pain picked up on me suddenly. Unfortunately, the pain continued growing gradually. Taking painkillers initially went futile as the hip pain aggravated until I checked my doctor who advised the alternative: inversion tables. This should be done before going through the process for chances of avoiding mistakes and further worsening your hip pain.

My determination to get better and overcome my obstacles paid off my senior year when I awarded second-team

During the game which I suffered my injury I caught the ball midair around half court. While I was still in the air I went to make a move, but when I landed on the court I heard a popping noise and my knee buckled. I was then on the ground when I heard the whistle blow and saw Coach Friesen and Coach Conley running over to me. At first I thought that my calf was injured but there was an intense pain coming from it, but it eventually faded and I realized my knee was the real problem.

I didn’t even know what cross country is before I came to this school. And by the end of the season, I was one of the best runners in the team. This transition didn 't come from nowhere. I was literally the slowest person in the whole team(including girls) when the season began. And I remembered what one of the girls in the team told me: Kenny, just go join another activity, there is not chance for you to make the APAC team.

When the symptoms cause more pain than usual, a short break from sports will be recommended. The basic and only treatment for