I Was The Best Player

We walked together to the field, the spikes on the bottom of my cleats clicking with each step on the parking lot pavement. A huge field with onlookers filling the bleachers on the far side came into view, lit up by the soft evening light. I spotted the girls on my team and my tired looking grey-haired coach. Me and my dad split up, me going to warm up with my team and my dad going to sit with the team parents. As I was passing with my teammates I watched the opposing team carefully. I observed how neat their drills were and how accurate their shots and passes were. They all looked so athletic and that really made me doubt myself. How was I supposed to prove to everyone that I was a good player if I had to play against a team this good? What if I mess up and the other team completely destroys my team? The loud buzzer that ended the warm ups sounded and both teams went to their side of the field. My coach called today’s starters out, and luckily he didn’t choose me. Relieved, I went to go sit on one of the hard metal chairs they provided for the teams on the sidelines. The chairs were uncomfortable but that didn’t bother me. I had other things on my mind. I sat shivering watching the events of the game

I woke up looking around not knowing what was going on. I looked around realizing that I was in an unknown bed. Panicking at first I tried to find my bearings, but I calmed down quickly as I watched my mother walk into the room.

Getting hurt while playing sports is no fun, especially if it happens to you twice in the same season or should I say year. Having to watch your teammates train and compete while you are sitting on the sidelines really stinks, in fact it sucks.

I refused to cheer too much because I know it would drive my focus away and it was best to stay humble. I reminded the offensive team this because it would be our hubris if we let our victories envelope our heads. By the end of the final quarter, we had won our game by only a 2-point conversion. The cannonade from my chest was still lunging towards the outside world. Throughout the game I feared failure, yet I overcame it. Realizing that my role was more influential than I known previously, I adapted to the pressure. I reflected on my own performance and knew I could do better. There was so much I could improve on and I was determined to be the

After the players collapsed, an investigation began after some students reported that student athletes may have taken Adderall, a prescription drug used to treat ADHD (Dillion, 2015). The medication is known in the sports world as a performance-enhancing drug that increases focus (Dillion, 2015). Health risks associated with taking the medications include “heart-related problems, sudden death in patients who have heart problems or heart defects, stroke and heart attack in adults and increased blood pressure and heart rate,” according to

TWEEEEEET. Boom boom, boom boom. I heard the beating of my heart as I picked myself up from the ground. Trailing 1-0 with just over a minute left to play, the referee had blown the whistle for a penalty kick, and my coach was calling my name to take it. I stepped up to the spot, it was the last play of the game. I stared into the keeper's eyes. Left or right, left or right. He blew the whistle. Strategically placing the ball into the lower right corner, I could smell the celebrations, I could hear the parents and teammates chanting my name, but instead, all my senses were snapped back to reality when the keeper hit the ball out of bounds. That was it, I had the chance to win the championship for my team, and I blew it.

I arrived at practice with my shoes laced, hair pulled back, and the mindset that I was unstoppable. I could play against every member of my team and come out the victor on any given day. It was the first day of practice that week, and challenge matches were scheduled to begin. The team went through our daily shuffle of drills, conditioning, and running to prepare for what was lying ahead. While warming up with my friends, I felt great, talking about homecoming, boys, and a variety of irrelevant events. I felt ready. The odds were in my favor and nobody could stop me.

Painkillers can be good for certain things, but can take a turn real quick when not used properly or for appropriate reasons. The rise of prescription drug abuse in the athletic world has significantly gone up throughout the years. The problem starts getting out of control when high school athletes are able to have access to these pills. Athletes are committed to their sports and will do anything to compete and come out on top. Unfortunately, that means they may cut corners to be able to compete. Injuries are a part of all sports and some injuries are very painful and make playing sports almost unbearable. This is where painkillers come into play. For some athletes it starts off as a way to get through a game or as something to get through

We rushed out onto the field for the last time. The chilly rain was pouring down. The field was soaked. With every step I took there was a sloshing sensation in my cleat. I put my game face on. No ball would get by me. We were going to score. We were going to win. For the next twenty five minutes, I watched a back and forth in the midfield. Several times I stopped the ball and passed it forward to Kaylee, only for the pass to be intercepted before we were able to score. And then, just as the clock was running down to under five minutes left, I stopped a hard pass just outside our circle. I dribbled for several

Finally, the day of our first game had arrived. All of us had butterflies in our stomachs. It was the type of feeling you get when you know you are well prepared for something, but you inexplicably still feel nervous. As soon as the ball was kicked first, all of the anxious feelings I had melted away and the game became quite fun. Just as the prior years, the first game had the easiest opponent to beat and my team and I had no problem securing a victory against them. The second game was a bit more of a challenge, but defeating that team was nothing we were not prepared for. The true challenge came in the third and championship game. Although we enjoyed a bye game due to our two previous victories, the other team had the advantage of some truly God-gifted athletes. In particular, number seven was a beast of a thirteen-year-old. He stood at an impressive six feet tall and he towered over us on every snap. During the first drive, we had marched the ball down the field slowly but surely and on the four-yard line we fumbled. Of course, number seven picked up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown. At halftime, our coach sat us down and had a long talk with us. Even though we were discouraged by their touchdown, we picked ourselves up and started scoring. We scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter and one more in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Not only did we come back from a losing

We were killing the Scrubs and there was no need for me to even play anymore. Coach Shamy put some new players in the game. It wasn’t long before the game ended and we were shaking hands with the other team. Franklin’s coach patted me on my back. He knew I completely dominated his team. When you looked at the scoreboard, it looked like a massacre took place at the high school that day. We completely murdered the other team. It was fun though. All of the hard work in practice paid off. And I had a great game as an added bonus. I realized that game, that I just need to have fun when I’m playing. That’s one thing I learned that day; I play my best when I’m having fun. And, being the chef that I am, I definitely had fun filleting Franklin’s whole team that

All of the hard work culminated in our last game of the season, the division title was on the line. With fifty-six seconds left in the game, we earned a corner kick. A perfect ball spiraled toward the six-yard box. Time slowed to a crawl as I felt my body leap into the air. Reaction, muscle memory and instinct took over. My teammates erupted when the ball whizzed off my head and landed in the back of the net. The clock buzzed seconds later and we all ran together to celebrate our win. I was elated we had won the game, but more importantly, I felt satisfied, and not just because of the goal.

I woke up to my mom entering my room screaming, “ ITS GAME DAY!” Instead of waking up to my usual routine, sluggish and begging for more sleep, today was completely different. It was a beautiful and sunny Saturday in December. I still was in shock my school finally made it to the championship game. It felt like a dream as if my mother never woke me up by her yelling. I knew this was a huge game and something I would remember forever. Considering the high circumstances of this game I knew I had to be one hundred percent ready to play my best. My head coach, Coach Sphire wanted all of us players to report to the film room by noon that day. As time past by my team I had discussed many offensive and defensive plays, watched film, and prepared ourselves

The team was ready, we had been working extremely hard for the past seven months for this. We were all in great shape and very rested. A few of the returning players were meeting me at my house to carpool to the final game of the state championship tournament. Everyone knew that the hard work had paid off when we won the semi-final game the preceding day.

I looked up at the scoreboard and the time read 8 minutes left. As I looked at the scoreboard I felt a jolt of energy enter my body. I had felt as if a fire was lit under me. My eyes opened as if I had just seen a ghost. I remember thinking to myself, “how can we lose this game?” I made a promise to myself that I would win 4 state titles while being at Battlefield High School. This was my sophomore year of high school and I had already won one state title, how could I give up now and let my dreams be crushed, I worked too hard for that to happen. In that moment I knew there was only one result I was going to walk off the field with, and that was with a win and another State Championship. I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “My team needs energy. They need a leader.”