Personal Narrative: Becoming Captain Of Soccer

All things in life can be enjoyable but also unexpected. Everyone has their own natural high. My natural high is riding my dirt bike. Even though riding my dirt bike is fun, it can also be very dangerous. It is very important to always wear safety gear while operating an off-road vehicle. Remember to always pay attention to the surroundings.

During my elementary school time, I had learned that this world is full of competition and you have to act out in order to stand a chance. I was quite intelligent in my classes, especially on the subject of mathematics. While I thought nothing of it,as I was bullied for that reason, my teachers saw it differently. Then, during the 4th grade, my teacher, Mr.Green, had asked me if I would like to join the school’s math field day team. At first, I wasn’t so sure, but after a few days, I was now a part of my school’s math field day team, along my twin brother, Anthony. That was a decision never regretted in my life, as it showed me that I wasn’t alone, that their were others like me, and able to make friends within my team, which in turn taught the truth of this world.

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”. It was my best and proudest moment for both of the seasons. I will always remember it fondly,

I had spent months training for those 20 minutes. I prepared for every possible thing that could have gone sour during those fleeting moments that would determine how my freshman season would end. If the start was too slow I would gradually speed up after mile one. If my hip injury worsened mid-race I would alter my stride to avoid pain. What about if I completely fell apart one mile in? I should have imagined what to do in this scenario, because it was the only one that actually happened.

There we were, in Houston Texas, Dejah, Aniya, and I were warming up, practicing handoffs in tent city. We had made it to the Houston Texas AAU National Junior Olympics. It was No Limits Track Club’s second to last day on our eight day trip. It was the most competitive day of them all. It was time for the four by one hundred meter relay. With my relay team stretched,warmed up, and ready to go, we headed towards the stadium where we would race against the fastest girls in the nation. Intimidated but not deterred we headed out of Tent City and into the gates of Turner Stadium.

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.

I have not been able to participate in athletics nearly as much as I would have liked. I started running track in the spring of my seventh grade year. I performed surprisingly well and decided to participate in cross country the next fall. I spent the summer training and preparing for the season, and it definitely showed. I ran in the varsity race for my first cross country meet ever. I was an eighth grade girl who was running the same workouts as the junior and senior boys. My team won the conference meet and I won all conference honors. We went on to place second at the section meet, which earned us a place at the state meet. I earned all section honors myself and missed going to state as an individual by only a few places. At the state meet,

I smiled gently as my feet sunk into the warm sands of the Punta Cana coast. During a short snorkeling expedition on the magnificent coral reefs, I was abruptly awoken by a loud series of bangs. Who was outside the door this time of night? As the banging got louder, my anger quickly morphed into terror. My mind began racing with the infinite possibilities awaiting me outside the safety of my bedroom. But wait, what if my parents were in trouble? In an attempt to save them from a burglar or a fire, I sprinted to the front door. To my surprise, there was no such danger: only my parents, a mysterious woman, and two policemen. After a brief encounter, my father and the woman were escorted out with a few of his belongings that he threw into a makeshift

As I ran across the finish line for the last time I could not help but smile; all the memories and lessons learned from my years on cross country and track flashed before my eyes. Salem Cross Country and Track has impacted and shaped me into a leader, friend, daughter, and student.

Many students find that a difficult course load and after school activities are difficult to balance. However, student athletes perform the amazing task of combining the two. This feat involves staying up late to finish assignments after already completing a hard workout. I believe that I should receive the David Logan Scholarship because I am a competitor in the classroom and on the field.

I ran in my middle school’s track team for two years. I ran the mile, one hundred meter dash and triple jump. Out of all the events I participated in I absolutely despised the mile, I hated the aftermath the most. The feeling of my lungs burning, legs aching from the long run and the heavy asthmatic breathes. Although the mile had several cons, I loved the challenge and I was too stubborn to quit. The first time i ran the mile was at an away meet against Sayville Middle School, I had been practicing and training for weeks  beating my own time repetitively raising the bar on my personal best time. Immediately upon arrival I was intimidated by the track, it looked like it went on for miles in comparison to the track at my school. The one hundred

It was a rainy day, for I felt gloomy, tired, drowsy, and drained. It was freshman year, and I was ready to compete in the regional championships of 1A high school swimming. I was going to swim in the 400 freestyle relay, and I was nervous, excited, ready, and energized. As I sat on the bleachers, where the CSD swim team was located. Before I knew it I was up on the starting block, just about ready to dive off after the previous swimmer made it to the wall. As I was swimming I was flying, soaring, racing and gliding. When I got out of the water after swimming 100 meters I felt gassed, juiced, exhausted, and spent. The raced turned out very well, for we beat Pine Lake Prep, as well as Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. However, we did not

I have been playing soccer since before I could even walk. In fact, I joined my first soccer team at the age of five. Soccer is something I have always loved and been passionate about. When I was on the co-ed recreation league teams I was one of the only girls on my team, so I had to compete with boys who doubted me and thought I was weak. I worked hard during practice and out of practice to become better and, eventually, I became more aggressive than them. My eighth-grade year, I tried out for the school’s co-ed soccer team and was confident that I would make the team. During the three hard days of try-outs, I pushed myself to improve each day and received several compliments from the coaches. On the last day, the head coach pulled me aside to tell me

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” Soccer is a sport that taught me nothing is guaranteed, nothing is impossible, and most importantly, nothing comes easy. It not only takes skill to master the sport, but it also takes heart and desire to motivate yourself through the good and bad times. The challenge of pushing away the voices that simply tell me to give up was and still is one of the most frustrating parts i had to deal with. I learned that the greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fail something.

One of the most significant activities in my life would have to be soccer ever since I got a hold of the ball in 10th grade, it sparked my interest and a fire was ignited. It simply stared with a few friends asking me to join them then slowly progressed into everyday after school I would go outside to kick around the ball, I never really knew it was for me until I started getting more into it, soccer became my outlet more like an escape for me, it was somewhere I could go when I needed to be alone just the ball and I. Honestly, I never knew that it would affect me in the way it has, it started out as a just for fun kind of thing, then it escalated into actually playing games, turning more into a passion and I could actually see myself in the