Personal Narrative-Confidence In Soccer

I expected to get a few bruises, but not a getting a concussion. Before the soccer game, my idea of a concussion was getting bumped in the head, receive headaches, and it would heal up in a week and then you would go back to the way you were. I was wrong. At times, concussions can be deadly, and if you have them more than once, it will decrease your chance of keeping your brain healthy and surviving. Concussions can also give you migraines and make you dizzy. I’ve only known one person who had a concussion and I didn’t look at it as an injury because he seemed fine, but I didn’t know about his symptoms. Getting this concussion was from playing a “friendly” game of soccer after running a cross country race. After that

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,

Have you ever ran in a cross country meet? I have ran in countless cross country meets; I have been running cross country for eight years now. Every race I run is a challenge, no matter what, because I push by body to its limit. Most people do not consider cross country to be fun. The enjoyable part is definitely not the race itself, but the feeling afterwards knowing that I kept pushing myself when my body and mind were both telling me to stop. Our cross country teams won our first meet of the season, but there is more to the story than just the two trophies we brought back. It was an extremely unpleasant race for three different reasons.

I love the quote from the Odyssey "With sweet, reluctant, amorous delay." this quote goes with my story because in 7th grade I got close to beating 5 minute mile but I had to wait till 8th grade. Even though my physical ability pulled me back, working hard to accomplish my my goal and good coaching helped and hard work got me closer..

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.

On September 14th, Haverford High School hosted one of the most important races for the Upper Darby Cross Country team. In most races, the winning team is not rewarded with a prize. But this was a different race. The girls team were running, fighting for the possession of the sports bra. The tradition of the sports bra was established by the coaches of both teams, Upper Darby and Haverford, in late seventies inspired by the boys’ tradition with a bronze shoe. The trophy was an actual sports bra that had been plastered. Painted purple and red with gold in the middle, it hung from wooden posts attached to a wooden base. The colors represented the school colors of each team with gold as the hue we share. Despite its vulgar impressions, it is the

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.

Imagine this. On a Monday morning around 9:30, it was that time of year again: Fitness testing

Parents and coaches yell at you to push harder. Everyone around you is hurting too, it's just a matter of who loves the pain more; who pushes harder to finish faster. After I hit the finish-line, I realize why I run. I love the competitiveness, the adrenaline, and above all, the feeling I get when I finish. So what exactly has this painful, insane sport taught me? It taught me commitment, dedication, sportsmanship, and most importantly, it gave me inspiration. Cross-Country inspired me to exceed my running capabilities and see what I can actually do. With inspiration from this sport, I decided to run a marathon as part of a school project. After all, if I love the feeling from finishing a 3.1 mile race, just imagine what I could feel from a 26.2 mile race. Raising over $1,000 for the Alzheimer's foundation, I ran that marathon, and finished 5th out of nearly 200 people. Cross-Country inspired me to go beyond my boundaries, and dedicate my life to

Participating in high school soccer has taught me many life lessons, of which “determination” was the most important. At Fleetwood High School, soccer is a highly respected sport. As a freshman, I competed against many talented upper classmen for a spot on the team. Being one of the youngest players trying out was intimidating, but it forced me to establish a goal for myself. I was determined to, not only make the team, but to make the varsity team. I made the team; however, only made the JV team. Not playing on the varsity team was disappointing and there were times I felt like giving up, but my determination kicked in and I came to realize that, if I continued to work hard and increased my training, my goal was obtainable. Unfortunately,

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 look ahead and see that I will be approaching a steep hill soon. I then run up the hill, circle around the three cones on top of the hill and let all my energy out coming down. I was coming down the

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

Reporters, flocking around me, all my eyes could see were the staggering number of camera flashes and the reporters repeatedly asking the same question, “Hicham, how did you manage to smash the last world record by nearly 20 seconds?”

I wish I could include a picture of me playing soccer with this essay because that was all I did from age five to fifteen. Soccer was life for ten years so most people are surprised to hear that the fall of my senior year in high school I will Captain of my high school Cross Country team. How I became Captain of a running sport is an accomplishment I never saw coming. If you had asked me in elementary school, middle school, or even my first two years of high school if I would do anything but play soccer I would have said never.

Running down the field with the ball in my feet and my teammates shouting at me to pass the ball. My only thought was that I can score alone, I don 't need my teammates. I guess now looking back in the past when I was a kid I never realized how valuable teamwork is in soccer. Looking back I almost never played like I was on a team. I played like it was a one man show. Now that I 've understood why teamwork is important i 've changed the way I play in the game.