Personal Narrative: My Racing Career Path

I went to my first NASCAR race on September 18th, 2016 in Joliet, Illinois. It was hot and it was a blast up there.

One day in the summer my mom told me we were going to this place in Auburn Hills to go to this museum where i met four Nascar Drivers! So when i went to the museum we had to wait five to six hours in a line with a lot of people. I got to meet my favorite driver! i was so excited when i got to meet him.

To say that I've invested myself into the sport of Track and Field would be a gross understatement. I indulged myself in an almost cultic workout routine for what encompassed the majority of my sophomore years summer. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into my training for one of my most anticipated seasons of Track and Field yet. With my regiment beginning at 10:00am and ending at 3:00pm everyday for almost 5 months, I felt more invested in it then anything else I had ever endeavoured on in my life. Needless to say, by the time the beginning of the season finally rolled around, I felt more prepared than ever to tackle the lengthy and vexatious sport.

But my dad was there encouraging me to keep going and not to stop and because of him I didn't stop. Even though I didn’t stop, I was getting discouraged as it felt as if the race would go on forever but then I caught a glimpse of the finish line. It was still half mile away but seeing it filled me with the resolve that told I could finish this race. From that moment I knew I wasn’t going to ever think about stopping until I crossed that finish line. I powered through that last half mile with my dad and sprinted across the finish. I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t place, I was more

I like go-cart racing. I do it all the time at the Lake of the Ozarks. They have my favorite called Leman’s Carts. The strong odor of Gasoline and grease means you’re about ready to race.

The physics lab, with its windows shuttered and lights off, only the blue light from the projector illuminating the room, seemed like a better place to take a nap than repair cars and learn how to drive them on a Monday morning at 8:00 AM. However, the footage from the professional go-karting racing circuit playing on the screen left me both exhilarated and terrified, and most definitely not drowsy. Minutes later, our group of fourteen boarded the bus that would take us to the indoor racing center of Denver, where amateurs and pros alike trained for racing season, Unser Racing.

My first year of track was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Each step I took as I ran, I felt was an accomplishment. I felt proud of myself and really committed to track. Through off season work, track practice and meets I became a better, stronger athlete. I actually felt as though I was apart of a team.

The bystanders erupted from the stands as I burst past the line of scrimmage. I stiff arm a defender to the ground, and I watch as the safety advances to my position. I stutter my feet quickly, and he breaks down into a stance as he attempts to tackle me. I get out of my stutter and burst to my right, and he immediately follows. As he begins to get closer to me, I plant my right foot down, hard, and he hesitates. Bad mistake. As soon as he stops, I immediately translate into a sprint and I explode up field. The entire stadium shakes, and my ears almost pop as I storm down the sideline. I look behind me and the safety has given up on his chase, which is exactly as I expected. I glide into the endzone, and I toss the ball to the waiting referee, but not before I celebrate my 4th touchdown of the game with my teammates.

Well as an athlete for the past four years in high school. I have gone through many ups and downs in my sport. My sport is cross country running. As an athlete I have experienced many injuries that have knocked me down from my performance. However, these injuries didn't totally keep me down. I always get back up even stronger and faster than ever before. I started running the summer right before my freshman year. It was just a fun idea my friends and I thought about. We wanted to run as fun thing to do to just hang out. For instance, never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to end up loving the sport. As an incoming freshman I was pretty slow compared to my team mates who have been running years before me. Indeed, this was the thing that kept me going.

I have always been an active person, never being able to just sit inside and watch television for hours. Every since I was a child, my father always had me involved in a sport such as soccer, lacrosse, or field hockey. I never pursued soccer and lacrosse in high school, but I thoroughly enjoyed field hockey. I played from eighth grade to sophomore year. When junior year of high school came, I realized how out of shape I was and underqualified for the team. I loved playing, but I knew I wasn’t going to make the team. Ultimately I never tried out, and still to this day regret my decision.

Lacrosse. My sport. My passion. My game. It isn’t 10 people on a field it is 10 people who are engaged in the game. It isn’t people just wearing helmets and padding it is people who show their passion for the game. My belief is lacrosse.

It was February 28 , 2015. I was already on my way to Idaho championships before I knew it our team was there. At first I was incredibly terrified because of how many swimmers were there. After warm-ups with my teammates the races began, I swan my 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, and my sprint 50-meter freestyle was close by. Usually I’m not nervous while doing this particular race but today is different. I will be racing 16 year olds while I’m only 14. Ten minutes before the race I explained to my coach that I was not feeling well but my coach looked at me and said “Maddy you are very much capable of getting first place, if you believe in yourself anything is possible.”

I am, and always have been, very enthusiastic about everything automotive. My father is currently a manager of sales at our local Toyota dealership, but he has been at least a salesman for my entire life. His job and passion became my own at a very young age when I would play racing video games on our PlayStation or take a ride in his 1969 Mercury Cyclone. Over the years, we have gone to many events and have partaken in many car related activities. What started from going to car shows in my dad’s car and walking around the dealership has evolved to having my own car and working at the dealership as an auto detailer. As I have grown up, so has my passion for cars.

I am a runner. At least that is what I would always tell people. Laziness and injury isn't what is usually thought of when I say that. But that is what I am, I just am constantly battling between my body and mind. Exercise makes it better. At Least that's what they told me. So I tried I put all my effort, all my energy into it. I thought if I kept pushing myself either I would break or all of a sudden I would feel alright for once. We are taught that exercise creates endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. So clearly I wasn't exercising enough or I wouldn't be depressed. I wasn't born with depression I was taught it.

One must be willing to persevere through tough times in order to reach the good times. On September 17, last weekend, I earned what I consider to be my best race result in my young cycling career. After a high speed crash in the road race the day before, I managed to bounce back and earned a third place in the Pensacola Cycling Classic pro / one / two criterium. This perfectly exemplifies one of the many life lessons that cycling has taught me over the course of the past five years. I would have never learned these lessons, had I not received my first road bike in 2012.