Personal Narrative: Football

The pressure was on. Myself as well as my middle school football team had been practicing for weeks to beat our opponent, Southport Middle School. They had beaten up the year before and it was our turn to pay them back.

“Now everybody turn to your left, now your right. I see, and you all see an abundance of members, but by the end of season this team will not be this big. Not because of my fault, but because of your own inability to want to work hard and improve. Some of you will finish this season and some of you will say, ‘I quit.’ You determine your fate. Welcome to the Monmouth-Roseville Cross Country team. I’m your coach Samuel, but you can call me Sam.” I had finally met my coach.

The chills creep up my spine, uncomfortably I notice every single person there was watching my every move. We were going head-to-head with the Vikings, they did very well at intimidating our team to death, but inside I knew we could try. They had some tall buffy people that didn't seem afraid that our dignity was high and on the line. We couldn't waste it here, right now. Next, a loud Screech the referee blew her whistle, and at that moment we knew it was time. We played as if it was the Olympics, even though it was just for fun.Then, the ball went all over the court back and forth meanwhile the crowd screaming, cheering, and excitedly saying, “Go Huskies!”

Barley in I could hear the pummel of feet, the clicking of spikes striking rocks, heavy breathing, and the crowd encouraging me. I was working arduously to think clearly and not let the sweat dripping off me and heat disturb me. I couldn't smell anything because I was breathing heavily. After the race a man gave me water and i was to drained to raise it. But I did and it chilled my throat with satisfaction. I sprinted to inspirit my teammates when their heat begun and it felt excruciating to hoist my legs. I knew Jonah and Noah would be rounding the corner soon and heading to their shoot. I strained my throat to shout as Jonah came in second place. Soon after Noah did not show up. I started to panic because I knew he should have finished by now. As each person passed by I felt my heart squeeze tight and become rigid. hearing my teammates beside me questioning each other and stating things that may have occurred. I swung around and darted toward the other direction of Finish. After talking to a friend and a couple acquaintances. I heard someone had collapsed from heat exhaustion. I started to lose it and could feel my eyes filling with water. When I saw my teammates jogging to a

Harvey started laughing, "No way I'm giving it back now, this is too fun!" But then suddenly, I decided to take advantage of this moment. I know he'd get tired at some point, and unfortunately for him, I could run for days. Thank you middle school track team.

The rest of that season leading up to the Class MM State Championship and the State Open Championship went very smoothly. Confidence-wise, this team was unlike any other Tech School team that I had dealt with. They were, as I referred to them, ‘a blue-color team’ and openly welcomed competition. Because, they were so tough, both mentally as well as physically, I felt I could put them through a workout two weeks before the Championship race that would hopefully give them the added self-confidence to climb one more step on the ladder of success. The workout that I designed was similar to one that I had created and done myself in preparation for an upcoming race. Entitled, “The State Meet Won’t Hurt This Much”, it involved initially running

My story begins in a town, a small town, a town where nothing really happens. I live in this town on 1015E 400S todo Road and I go to school in this town. This town is called Knox. In Knox we take pride in our sports like softball, baseball, volleyball but the most important one is football. Football is the sport everyone in town comes to watch, football is what everyone waits for and everyone gets sad when it is over. Me and my friend Jaden Shepard were at one of these particular football games and we were talking about the town.

“If you run with Malia and Mackenzie, you’ll be within medal distance,” Coach VanHorn reassured me. “Just run fast up the hills. If you extend your legs downhill, you should not get passed. Nobody should pass you on the downhills.” We nodded, and stood together at the back line. I looked over at my teammates. Daycee, Star, Ghini, Malia, Mackenzie, and me. I exhaled, shaking my head back and forth. I looked up from my low stance to the ref in his white uniform, his left arm in an orange sleeve, holding a starter gun.

“We’re are attacking that way.” Robbie --The captain-- said. Next thing I knew my teammates were all set on the field. The games starts and I intently watch,

My last year playing for the Vols taught me an appreciated lesson about not being prepared for an opportunity. The chance to play football professionally loomed over the horizon. From little league to the college level, footballers welcome the opportunity to play in the NFL. For many it is a dream of a lifetime that is reserved for a selected few. The percentage of high school and college seniors eventually going pro is less than 5 percent. Even if you had a solid career there is no guarantee that you will get the opportunity. Case in point, my football resume includes being a starter for two years with six career interceptions. I letter four years, a member of two championship teams; and played an instrumental role in the greatest comeback

For all of the things I have tried over the years, few would I deem worthy enough to say they that I could not complete it. Yet alone, think I could would fail yet overcome the odds and then somehow succeed. But at the end of the day, there will always be something that fits that definition. In my case, one of the more recent examples of this would be during my junior year of high school.

Its 4 o’clock in the evening and we are warming up for practice. Our coach talks to us for a couple of minutes before we start running:

Covered in sweat and feeling overwhelmed, I meandered out of the stuffy gym. Down the stairs and out the doors I went to find my cheer team. I had just finished practicing with Varsity even though I had, disappointingly, made the JV team earlier in the season. When Sydney had hurt her shoulder just two weeks before the homecoming assembly, my instructor had an offer for me to perform in place of Sydney. Esteemed and at the same time terrified I accepted the offer. As an ignorant freshman who had never performed in front of anybody before, I would have to perform in front of my entire student body in just two weeks.

I got up and finished the last hurdle. I crossed the finish line last. It broke my heart, I thought that I let my team down. My family awaited to meet me after I went to get my clothes. They were asking so many questions about my shoulder, I was too busy crying and looking through tunnel vision at the team that I just let down. We went to the hospital to find that my collar bone was broken, and that I could not finish the season. I went to school the next day, retuning the track uniform. I passed a few kids on the hall, but everybody just said that they were sorry for what happened. But my moment of realization happened when I went to the bathroom upset, Josie following close behind carrying my bag for me. She too had ran hurdles and had seen what happened. “It doesn’t matter to the team that you fell, or that you got last”. “It matters that you finished, and you gave it your all while you could”. “You finished the race with a broken collar bone”. I realized then that I may make your team loose, or win. That does not matter, what matters is that either way you gave it everything you had. I carry that with me at all times. I will remember that

On a hot sunny day in Hyde Park there was a boy named Devin and he had a football game. Before the game he did his ritual where he had to have a scrimmage before every game to get warmed up. After an hour of warming up it was time to get ready for the game. When he was talking to friends and getting ready coach went up to him and said, “You're the best on the team I need you to do your thing, we're counting on you.”That comment had been stuck in his head so from there on he thought he had to put the team on his back.