Personal Narrative: Track And Field

that I can be happy at and if running track in college is a good idea and when I realize what the best thing to do then I will decide but until that time comes I wait and research and think about what I could do to my life to have a smile on my face everyday and having the life that is worthwhile. I love running track with a passion I know that because when I'm on the line about to push off the blocks the feeling I have in my stomach is like faith telling me and all I think about is run run run and saying repeatedly “I can do it”, then when that gunshot goes off I go, I run my heart out and I don't stop until I win and go for the best of my

While working with them it is my desire to mentor and encourage them to strive for greatness in all areas of life, not just in their sport alone. It is my belief that athletics can easily become a student’s identity and when injuries occur many athletes are faced with the question of who they are and where they fit in. In these cases, I believe that I will be able to help them overcome their physical injuries through rehabilitation exercises and therapeutic modalities but I hope to support them through those struggles that are so common among student athletes. All in all, this is my life’s purpose and I hold strongly to the fact that I will begin to see it unfold as I start my graduate studies at Tarleton State University in the fall of

“6:28,” the clock read as I was pulling into the parking lot, “6:29”. I exited the truck, grabbing my track bag as fast as possible. My phone fell out of my pocket. I paid no attention out of haste. I bent down with my track bag in my hand. I felt the glass lightly cutting my hand as I picked up my phone. I felt like Usain Bolt as I sped walk to the bus at what felt like at least thirty miles per hour. Sweaty and Tired I entered the bus. Why must we wake up so early? The meet starts at 9:00 and it’s only an hour drive away. Regardless, I strolled onto the buss. Horrified, I received the soul-penetrating stares of every single member of the Trojan Track team, athlete and student alike. Earlier that morning, having assumed that at least a few

The Texas heat can best be described as merciless and seemingly eternal; a vicious boxer constantly rattling the track with radiation. The sound of exhausted lungs desperately trying to grasp one breath muffled the sound of my coaches screaming exactly two hundred meters away. It was a scenario I was too familiar with, yet I had no desire to quit. From my sophomore to senior year in high school I was a proud member of the Marcus Track & Field team. My inclusion in the competitions, however, were not always guaranteed to me.

“You have to be committed, and know that along the way you’ll get better and stronger”,

It was a cool autumn afternoon and the Northside track team was getting ready to start practice. It was the first practice of the season. Coach came out of the gym and recommended that everyone needs to stretch before every practice. Everyone started to stretch except for the team captain which wasn’t there at the time. Arriving late the rest of the team was already done stretching so he didn’t get to stretch.

All throughout history people have been made to feel less than because the color of their skin. I encountered this all throughout high school running track. Track consists mainly of African Americans while a small portion consists of Caucasians for sprinting and field events. My high school coach was named Coach Lucas and he was African American. He constantly told me I wouldn’t be able to do well or that I should find a different sport because track is not a white woman’s sport. He also degraded me when I would do well at track meets by always saying I won because I got lucky and the other kids just had a bad day running.

It all started when my track coach had said “You should go out for cross country next year.” I had thought about it long and hard because I’ve never pictured myself as a runner. So thought to myself and decided that I’m not a very good volleyball player and took the chance to join cross country at the beginning of my eighth grade year. At first it was a little weird and we had to run more distance than we did in track season. We ran about 3 miles and lifted after we arrived back at the school. Of course I was sore the next day because I was not in shape and haven’t ran since the beginning of the summer. After the first practice was out of the way, I had to sit and think about what I was doing. “I have to do this every day” I thought to myself. I was thinking about dropping out because the first practice was hard enough and doing it every day made me want to give up.

Sitting in my frigid bleak classroom I found myself constantly looking out the window staring at the rain that had been barreling down all morning. This frightened me a great deal, for I was prepared to compete in my first official Cross Country race of the season. I waited for this day for quite a few months. Unfortunately, previous back-to-back injuries prevented me from fulfilling my dream of running. These injuries were so severe i had to go into surgery just to be able to walk normal again much less of running on uneven surfaces like cross country. The long months of rehabilitation were log and painstakingly hard, not just physically but mentally as well. There were so many days i knew there was no way i was ever going to be my normal self again. When I was finally able to run again I spent all of my summer practicing for this year’s season. Many of my

My junior year in high school was full of new experiences. The experience that became the most influential for me was joining the cross-country team, It had changed my outlook in life by staying healthy as well as staying in healthy relationships. The friends I made in that first session was phenomenal they became some of my few closest friends. Joining the team gave me an advantage to easily tackle challenges that I encounter by receiving live advice and knowledge during our runs.

My plans when I get older where like every other child's. I want to be in the NFL. To get where I am you have to start at a young age. I showed up at practice everyday and on time. I also studied the play sheets and went through all my routes. I studied day and night to be where I am. It wasn't easy. There was no time to play games get in trouble do drugs or hang out with friend on an everyday bases. You have to tighten up be a man. It's not like I woke up one day and I was starting running back I had to do what's right stay in school not miss a day because that one day could have been the most important day ever and I wouldn't have even known. You know why?? Because I was and didn't show up to school. Don't be that person I used to be.

I go to the grass by where we will line up for the race and I put my spikes on. Making sure every spike is tight; I double knot the laces and stand up. Now my stomach really hurts. The nerves of a runner before a race are one of the worst things to handle. The announcer puts me in line and I take a deep breath once it’s my time to go up to the blocks. I set up my blocks for my standards and take off my sweats. The breeze hits my thighs as my tank top flows from side to side. The sun wishes me good luck just before I start my race. I slightly shake as the announcer tells us, “Runners to your mark!” and I get down. Shaking more vigorously now, my heart is pounding in my chest. It seems like hours waiting for him to yell, “Get set!” “Go!” but once he does I know it’s go time. I push off my blocks, and I run as fast as I can. I can feel my legs moving together in motion as the balls of my feet dig into the track. My spikes are doing their job in helping me grip to the surface as I make my way to the finish line. Neck and neck with the girl next to me I hope she gets winded out near the end and slows down so I can just scarcely make it past her. I feel like I am running as fast as a horse. Crossing that finish line and coming to a slow stop, I breathe heavily as I exhale in relief of being over. I did it, I’m done… and I did well. My legs raw, I get off the track. (AB) Some fellow sprinters congratulate me as I do the same to them. That is what’s nice about track, it seems like most of the people are very friendly. They have no problem congratulating you or talking to you about how nervous they are before a race. We know we are all in the same boat and all we want is to succeed. Every blue moon a distance runner will congratulate a sprinter but I don’t think it has ever happened to me. I don’t know if they are just caught up in their own world or if they are just being stingy about the whole

Horses are full of energy as I was unloading our pacer from the trailer he leapt and hit with his front hooves with a thump and just about knocked me down once we was out and around the truck!

A personal experience I have went through in my life would be making it to districts in track and field my sophomore year of high school. Making it to districts was a big accomplishment for me and my teammates because track is something that I take a lot of my time to focus on and do multiple hours of training so I am able to compete with the other athletes. I come from a small town in Ohio called Oak Hill. The sport track and field is something you do not hear that much about because our high school is not very big and very few athletes actually run track to make it somewhat far in competition, so for my 4x1 team to make it to regionals was a big deal for me considering it is something that does not happen that often at my local high school.

When any of my sisters has a problem with homework or a male at school, I make sure to give them the best advice.MY brother, even at 7 years old, still comes up to me to ask for help with his LEGOs or pouring a glass of milk. I never used to be as helpful, but with age comes responsibility. When my older sisters visit from college, they now come to me for guidance with their dilemmas in life. Being a leader in my home has led me to be a leader in my school as well. I was voted captain of the track team, but not through ballots or surveys. My track team choose me, because every individual feels they can ask me anything and I will assist them. To this day, I still try to have the best influence on my family and my team. As a leader in my community