Personal Learning Experience

The first way cross country changed my life was by teaching me that it’s okay to not be the best at something you do and still enjoy it. I joined cross country because friends and I thought it would be great conditioning for basketball and help me build toughness and staminia. I never thought I would actually enjoy it or be very good. As I kept running I got better and improved, but in comparison to other girls I wasn’t very fast at all. I was one of the slowest people on

In all my life, I’ve never had a commitment that required so much of me as track and field, both physically and mentally. Towards the end of my high school career, track and field for me meant having to push through a difficult physical condition known as tarsal coalition, a condition that causes inflammation in my feet. With help from my coaches, I had to learn to endure past physical limitation and strengthen my faith in my abilities. By doing so, I became more confident in myself and I was able to help lead other team members to do the same. Not only did track and field teach me to lead, but it also taught me how to be a part of a team. I learned the value of teamwork through building relay race teams. In all relay races, I was either the

Track represents the major skills needed in my life; leadership, talent and comfort. Track was introduced to me from my basketball coach. The situation was mostly an eye for an eye, but instead it was he coached, I ran. The diversity of races and field events was extremely new to me.

The runners who were naturally gifted often did not work hard, did not go the extra mile, and when faced with hardships would often quit. The ones who worked hard were dedicated and stronger runners as individuals. I fell in the place of the hardworking group. I became more dedicated than most with my practice, diet, and workouts. Coach would look to dedicate himself to the strongest from the talented and hardworking individuals. When I stayed back with the few other dedicated runners, it became rewarding knowing that I was going the extra mile. I slowly began to learn that in order to keep up with my competitors I would have to work twice as hard as them to only get half of their talent. I taught myself that practice doesn’t make perfect and perfect practice doesn’t make perfect. I knew I would have to practice until I could not get it wrong and that stuck with me during all my practices and meets.

I was able to become the person I never thought I would be by running my way to being happy. My team is always there for me and continues to push me to be the best version of myself no matter what. Running was able to save my life by giving me a

I used to be able to run so fast I could fly. Racing through the woods behind my house I was untouchable, unbeatable; I imagined I was a graceful as a fox and as fast as a deer racing over bushes, logs, and ditches. Running served as an escape from the perfect student, perfect manners persona I adopted in the classroom allowing me to break out of my shy shell and go from being ¨the teacher’s pet¨ to ¨the fast girl.¨ My love of running-- as well as my parents-- drove me to play soccer; I ditched my goody two shoes for cleats and never looked back. I could chase down any opponent and outrun any defender, through sports I completely let my boundaries down.

Sports taught me the qualities that help reflect in the classroom, in my team, and in the community. These resulted in my success throughout the academic year, in my team, and also in the community as well. I have accomplished a lot and plan to do more in the

Starting out just testing the water, Cross Country and Tennis as has a profound effect on my life. Cross Country has taught me that getting first place is not as important as the effort put into the race. Not all races can be won but giving it your best is a reward itself. Tennis was not as simple of a sport that expected it to be at all. From hitting the ball to weather tennis was an incredibly complex sport. I found it fascinating that changing the angle of the tennis racquet from 30 degrees would be a difference of almost half the court. Also power was never a key factor of any competition. It was all about strategy and consistency. During my junior year we were runner-up the Ohio Valley Cross Country League and during my senior year won Ohio Valley Athletic Conference in

Since the 7th grade, I have and continue to push and strive to become the most elite athlete I can be. In middle school, I ran the 100m, 200m, and 400m relay, and the main objective of middle school track for me was to not only place, but to also gain experience before entering high school track. As my high school track career began, track and field was not as much fun and games as it was preparing for future track events. One of the most challenging moments as a freshman was being able to transition from the 100m to the 400m. When most high school athletes think of the 400m, they feel it's one of the most gruesome races to run, and it is. Although I had zero experience running the 400m, I was more concerned doing what was beneficial for

Since my freshman year of high school when I fell in love with the sport, track has been extremely important to me and influential in shaping the person who I am today. My first year on the team, I wasn't allowed to participate at the track meets because my academic performance was not on par with my school’s standards. Realizing how good I was and how much potential there was for me to be better; I decided to get my act together. With all my success in high school, Monmouth recognized my talent and offered me a scholarship to run for their school. So I made that decision of taking that scholarship and committing to Monmouth University. I think it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I can honestly say being a D1 athlete feels amazing. It's a big transition from high school sports to college sports, having two practices a day, waking up early in the morning to lift, then having a hard workout later on the day. I love everyone's dedication here including the coaches, and my fellow athletes who drive me to be better and better every

Running was a part of my life between 2014 and 2016, when I was still a young middle school kid. I tried out for the track team, and I ran for my first time in March. Track and Field was a new experience for me, I had

Still being a chubby twelve year old, the idea of running being its own sport was quite nerve racking. The races would incorporate other kids, but I would still be competing with myself. Nonetheless, I wanted to become better and do the best that I could do. I had absolutely no idea what type of events I could run. Low and behold, I was thrown into the three shortest sprint races like every other kid on the middle school track

Sports differ in many ways even the things that should be the same can be complete opposites. I have played football, basketball, soccer, track, and cross country and I never payed attention to running in any of those sports except for in track and cross country. I did not notice the amount of running I did in all those sport until I had to only focus on the running aspect. To this day I can say I have learned lessons in all of my sports, but running sports have taught me the most. Running is mandatory in so many sports, yet it has presented some of the largest obstacles for a me to overcome mentally.

I find myself listening to the rhythm of my feet. Running is important to me because it is a time for me to relax. It’s a place where I can escape from reality and feel the wind gushing over my face as I let me feet bounce off the ground. Running has always allowed me to bring out my competitive side. As much as I enjoy the competition of the sport my biggest competitor is myself.

I never thought of myself as an athlete when I was younger. I was the “brainiac”. I got 100s with ease. I was the guy people came to when they had trouble with their homework. School was easy. When I tried, I never failed. Even if I didn’t try, the worst thing to happen would be a B+. So when my middle school gym coach told me he thought I had what it took to be a track athlete, I took it to heart. I