Personal Narrative Analysis

February 2014, my hockey team was on their way to playoffs. This season, we, the Bronco bantam B team, were last in the league. I was on second line with my center, Pernie and my left wing, Jenna. We were ok, but in my eleven year old, cocky mind, I deserved better. I wanted to be on first line with Carson and Blackwell, our starting center and left wing. My coach never changed lines, and I had gotten better through the year, so i got cocky and felt like i deserved more. I was as fast as a bullet, I hit like a wrecking ball, and was a sniper when it came to pass accuracy. I went and talked to my coach in the locker room, insisting he move me up. After 15 long minutes of arguing, he agreed. At that moment I was the happiest man alive! I threw on my equipment as though I was on fire. I strapped on my helmet, I ran to the door, my stick jumped into my hand, and I took the ice.

It was just another dry, hot, boiling summer day. The morning was chilly as it was breezy as I went through the preparations for the baseball doubleheader we had that night. Both games were against our rival Brandon Valley whom we had gone back in fourth with winning as well as losing. The first game is always a must win as that goes towards your record to acquire a place higher up in the region tournament just weeks away. The start of the game seemed normal, but we always kept it close. Finally the last inning, it was the top of the seventh since we only play seven innings in a game. Exhausted from playing the first six as hard as I could I came in to pitch in a tie game.

Bases were loaded and I was up, I took a deep breath and stepped into the box. I stood there frozen as the pitch passed me. “Strike one”. Let's go Noah what are you doing, stop standing there and hit the wicked ball, as I thought to myself. I swung at the next pitch as hard as I could while staying on balance and hit it to deep left center. I ran through first, rounding second heading to third the Bulldogs were just getting the ball into the shortstop. “SAFE”called the ump, I got up and dusted myself off thinking, golly a triple, not bad. Now it was 7-3 us, the pitch was thrown, it went way over the catcher and I started heading home all the momentum I could get was speeding me up. It was going to be a close play, but I knew I could get in there….

The top of the first inning went by super quick, going 1,2,3 with two strikeouts and a little dinker hit right back at me. I got all kinds of congrats going back to the dugout. It was now our turn to bat. I was not in the batting lineup since I was pitching. We ended up scoring one run that inning. That was all we were going to need for runs.

The following morning my nose still hurts but I have a game to play so there is no time to dwell over it. We show up and the kids we are playing are throwing seventy, which isn’t that fast for us. I was fairly confident that we are gonna win, all of my teammates were being cocky as usual. The game started and just like that, we are losing by 4-runs, none of it was my fault. We commited 6 errors in the 1st inning, I had never been more disappointed in any team i had played with, ever. We ended up losing but I didn’t worry about it because I was going out to dinner after.

My teammates and I were over-confident and had made some early mental errors. This allowed Cascade to earn three runs in the first inning, while we got none. In the huddle after inning one, our coach said, “Where’s the energy boys? You guys look flat out there!” In the next few innings, we found ways to pick up two runs, only while allowing Cascade another. It was a defensive battle, as neither team could get any runs. By the time we reached the sixth inning, the score was tied four to four. I started to get nervous, as I knew I would have a pivotal at-bat this inning. The first batter got on base with a walk. Our team, was very excited as he was the winning run. Our excitement instantly faded, as the next two batters struck out. This left me up with the last out. Our man on base had stolen to second, putting him in perfect scoring position. My teammates yelled from the dugout, “Let’s go Hinch! You got this big guy.” My coach said to me, “Alex, sit back and drive the ball. Make sure it’s a good pitch!” I could feel the pressure of the moment, but wanted to be the guy to get us the win. The at-bat started off slow as I got two strikes and two balls. On the fifth pitch, I got a ball right down the middle. I made a big swing at the ball and felt it come off my bat. Immediately, I started sprinting towards first and was signaled to go for second. The winning run had scored and our team went wild! We had won the game, and left Cascade with two victories. From this point on, I was much more confident. My teammates also felt a new sense of belief in me. The rest of the year was very enjoyable and left me with many new friendships! It was a summer I will always

It was very hard to accept that I was not as good as the other players that made the team. But what was also equally frustrating was seeing that the hard work I had put into preparing for tryouts had not paid off. For the first few weeks after being cut I was in a very bad mood. As the team started their season without me, I was missing baseball badly. At this point it became clear that I had two possible options.

I was giving every pitch everything I had. I was like a bulldog on the mound. We were into the 8th inning. We had a long bottom half scoring six runs with two outs. I sat a lot in the dugout as my team piled on runs. When I took the field in the top of the 8th my arm was feeling tight. Being 17 years old I thought nothing about it. It was just another thing. Not thinking my next pitch would be my last for a

My sophomore year of highschool I was not very good at baseball. Honestly, the team as a whole was not very good. We were a young and immature team; we did not have very much success throughout the year. We actually had a losing record that year at sixteen and twenty-four, and that is embarrassing if you ask me. The entire season was honestly a disappointment because we knew that we were much better than that, and the next year we would prove that theory true. The next year the team made a complete 180 degree turn. Although, at the beginning of the season we started with three straight losses; The season turned for the better quickly.

In the first inning we were on defense and we had our ideal positions out on the field. I was on first base and the coach's son William was the pitcher. All the other positions were filled with other athletes mostly dedicated to baseball or another sport. We had a great start to the game with an easy pop out. Although the next hit was wacked into left field getting him an easy double. We retired the last two batters with easy

After the victory I was still angry with myself. That one at-bat made me realize that I can do better and be a better baseball player. Every day after that game I made my dad do hitting drills with me. I hit the cages every other day until my next season came around which was high school baseball. When it came time for my high school season I led the team in hits and runs batted in. We won the GNC tournament and made it to the state championship; sadly we

While you're working at the rescue station, the phone rings of a missing father who hasn't been seen in 5 months after going to Mount. Everest. You think to yourself, "Why should I save them? They risked their life, so now you are going to risk ours?" Well, this is what you have been training for, for half your life. Training for this long will finally pay off. The man's life matters too and it is in danger, so he needs to be saved. People do have the right to rescue services when they put themselves at risk.

We were up by one and we were excited. We were screaming and shouting. The next few innings were uneventful. When the seventh inning came around, that’s when things got interesting. The other team scored three runs. We were down by two, but luckily we were at the top of our lineup, so all of our best hitters were going up to bat. Justin and another kid named Jay was on second and third and I was up to bat. We had two outs, and if I could get a base hit, Jay and Justin could score. I had butterflies the whole time I was walking up to bat. When I was in the batter’s box the butterflies were gone, and all I was focused on was the pitcher and the baseball. The first two pitches I watched and they were both strikes. At this point the butterflies had found their way back into my stomach. I was thinking in my head; I wasn’t about to let my team down. The whole time the pitcher was getting ready to throw the final pitch, I had my eyes on the ball. When the ball escaped the fingertips on the pitcher, the butterflies turned into adrenaline and I swung the bat and nailed the ball. I felt like I just hit a home run, but in a few short moments that feeling was ceased when the right fielder held up his glove with excitement. I walked back to the dugout with my head down. I felt like crying because I let my team down. I went the rest of the day not saying another word.

The rest of the season I hit baseballs everywhere like it was no problem. My coach even moved me up in the lineup. At the end of the season our team had an award ceremony. I was very proud for coach to announce my name as the hits leader of the season. I was so ecstatic; I must have looked like a boy on Christmas morning. I was so amused myself, I went to school and bragged about it. I even received a new nickname- “Hitting Champ!” Another change was I gained more respect from my peers; I was no longer looked at as “The Kid who was Always Injured”, to “The Kid Who Put More Work in Then Anyone Else”. My coach and my dad to this day still do what ever they can to help me. I never thought one hit could change how I was viewed as a

The next year as a junior I tried out for the varsity team I thought I deserved to make the team because I was fast and a strong fielder. Throughout tryouts I felt like I was doing great When I found out that I got cut I was angry and sad, but I didn’t let my emotions get to me.