Wade Boggs's Ability In Sports

Of the more than twenty million Americans who are running today, most who start do so for the wrong reasons, with the wrong attitude, and tend to lose interest after a few weeks or months. Many quit. This is usually because they become concerned with superficial goals such as time and distance and never discover the more profound mental benefits that running offers. (Lilliefors 15)

My assistant varsity baseball coach stared me dead in the eyes and said two words to me during my senior year of high school that I would never forget; “Be undeniable.” For me, this was a shockingly new concept. Throughout my childhood, baseball has always a part of my life. From my childhood little league games into my adolescent years, I have always played the game and excelled at it. When I matriculated into high school I could not wait to join varsity and lay the foundation to accomplish my goal of becoming a Division I baseball player in college.

After every race, you can vaguely expect what you will see up on the clock. I know, now, how much I put in, is only as much as I can expect to get out. Running has helped me form some ideas that are still fresh in my brain but will hopefully help me become a better version of myself. Just remember, someone may have a lifetime ahead of them, but they need to make the last bit just as good as the

I had no experience as a runner nor did I have the form. This did not phase me however. That year I promised myself to push through all the six mile runs, sore legs, gnarly blisters, and at times, lack of oxygen. At every meet and speed workout practice I pushed myself further and further. I set a goal every time I kicked off from the starting line and never let myself get discouraged when I failed. By my senior year, I was the fourth fastest runner on varsity. That year our varsity team won the district meet, which qualified us to run in the 2016 state meet in Oregon. The transformation over the years were evident. My determination to accomplish my goal of becoming a faster runner was complete. If I had simply just given up that first day of practice, I wouldn't have ran along side of the fastest runners in Oregon or have met the multitude of people that are now my closest friends. Having a goal sets one up for a challenge, whether it being physically or mentally, goals keep us active and thinking in more ways than one. Still, if someone has self-control, confidence, and a goal, they are still not complete.

While I am not as experienced in the faculty of endurance as Shackleton was, my trials as a distance runner have bequeathed me with a concrete idea of what endurance is. My debilitating cramps, my slogs through mud pits that were formerly legitimate trails, and my stomach emptying wretches on the side of the sizzling track have enstilled in me the prerequisite for a belief that what I am doing really matters. When I fail to maintain a positive mental attitude, my exhausted legs slow in their powerful dance; they simply refuse to go any faster as the blanket of apathy envelopes me. Although my running horror story pales in comparison to Shackleton's epic of frostbite and starvation, the workout early on a rainy Saturday morning in November required that I suck it up and believe in what I was doing. I had already run three one mile repeats at a ridiculously fast rate of speed over the trail with the biggest hill in site. When Coach asked

Ted Williams once said “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer”.

You are a runner and you are fast. In 1934, you set a high school world interscholastic record for the mile at 4:21.2. At the age of 19 you run the 5000 meters in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany and finish a disappointing 8th, but run your last lap faster than anyone one in history. Adolf Hitler is so impressed he asks to meet you. In 1938, you run a 4:08 mile. Many people believe that you will be the first human to break the 4:00 minute mile barrier. Your future is bright and your goals and dreams are big: Olympic gold in the 1500 in 1940.

When I set my mind to something, I am determined to complete it no matter what it costs me. As stated earlier, I began to love running. Typically, I would come back from one of my runs feeling refreshed, but one day, I began to feel a sharp pain in my hip. I ignored it and continued on, but as time passed, the pain only grew and grew until it affected my walking. Although all the signs were there, I refused to believe that I had an injury and continued to pursue a faster mile time.

Before asking any questions, Erin starts off by mentioning how amazed she is by runners she states “ But whenever i actually talk to a runner, i see the passion for the sport eeking out of every body movement they make”. She doesn’t understand how they can run for miles and miles without getting tired while she gets tired by just simply chasing after her kids. She figured that a runner would be perfect to interview. She chose Noelle because her and Erin have a lot in common they are both mother of two kids, twins to be exact and both love to do photography. Noelle Isaak just recently began running but in such a little time she has trained hard for marathons, she even fainted at the GO! St. Louis Marathon which was held in extremely hot and humid weather she only ran 21 out of 26 miles. She explains that her training routine is a very long and rigorous process from spending 5 to 7 days a week training for up to 2 to 4 hours and still having to come home to start off her normal day. No matter how many marathons she’s run she still likes to train as if it’s her first race because she believes that running is one of the hardest sports. One question in specific that was interesting was “What do you think is the biggest misconception about the sport or runners in general?” her answer was very open and honest. She responded with “That running must come easy. Until recently i was never a runner. I never felt like i was cut

Jack Nimble was the fastest hurdler on his high school track team. In fact, he was so fast that he was able to win the state championship in New York. As a state champion, Jack was invited to compete in the national championship. However, being his first time competing in a national championship, Jack was overwhelmed with anxiety and had lost his confidence. As he practiced for the national championship, Jack was not able to focus as he ran. His coach noticed how he wasn’t able to run as fast as he normally would, as well as jump over hurdles perfectly. As the days grew closer to the Championship, Jack’s coach decided that they shouldn’t practice, instead they should have a talk to help Jack with his anxiety and help him regain his confidence.

With many opposition from many coaches against them, Beane and DePodesta recruited an mixed unit of minor league and college baseball players in which their statistics suggest a lot of hidden value. “These sorts of calculations could value only past performance. No matter how accurately you valued past performance, it was still an uncertain guide to future performance. ... In human behavior, there was always uncertainty and risk.” (p.136).

Olympic athletes try to break out humanity’s limit. For example, sprint racers train themselves to run faster and faster. Only a few

This chapter explains the details of the start of Louie Zamperini’s distance running career. It started when he found out that his house key worked for the back door of Torrance High School’s gym. Eventually he was found out and dragged off to the principal’s, where he was banned from joining any extracurricular activities. When Louie’s brother, Pete heard this, he went to the principal, dragging their mother along for authority, to protest this decision. Finally, the school allowed Louie to join sports in 1932. After that, Pete began pressuring Louie to put his time an energy into something less ‘illegal’ than stealing, like running. Even though he looked like the only boy in his class that could run, Louie was weakened from his round

I believe the message the author is trying to portray to readers that nothing that comes easy isas meaningful in the end. Meaning, if you were a runner like Wes Santee who was just naturally talented and didn’t have to work for much the sweet taste of the win wouldn’t be as valuable s it would for someone like Roger. Roger didn’t have much free time outside of work but he used every spare minute he had to perfect his skills. That is why when he achieved his goal the win was so sweet. I used the following textual evidence from the book to help develop my interpretation “You get very tired, very fast and after a certain amount of pain and you slow up. If you don't keep running, keep your blood circulating, the muscles stop pumping the blood back and you get dizzy” (Bascome 106). This expert shows the pain that Roger had to put his body threw for perfection. Personally, I learned some new skills and techniques to help improve my racing. I have my first track meet on Friday January 6 and when I run I will keep Rogers motivation and pain in my head as motivation for when I get weak. I also learned not to quit no matter what anyone says. I really want to get my

I was interested in learning why and how he appeared so confident rather than stressed like all of the other runners who were doing the exact same race. It seemed as though he, one of the many elite runners, was not worried about the competition, it was as if he hadn't even noticed them there. If he had gotten nervous, I was interested in finding out how he handled with the stresses. I asked him, “During the race do you get nervous at all? Why? Or Why not?”, in which he answered, “I feel that everyone gets nervous but when I get nervous it’s not really because of the race; it’s more or less me being nervous that I’m not going to run the time I practiced so hard to run.” This answer was interesting to me because similarly, I had predicted that since he had the practice and training, he was able to contain the confidence in what he was doing. It was as if he went to the meet expecting to run a certain time or perform at a certain level whereas a persons’ nerves are usually based off them messing up at some point of the race. In a sense, he was more nervous about not running good then he was about running bad. To this answered I replied, “Was there any point when you felt completely confident in yourself?” He responded saying, “Back in high school, in my Junior year I started competing at a high level and by my senior year I was the guy to beat; with that, I was confident that I was going to win pretty much every race. Occasionally, I would get nervous when I was faced with great competition but was confident I did everything I could to prepare myself.” This has a lot to do with self-imagery as he envisioned himself as the competitor to beat. This was the bulk of the interview and I feel this similar interview would receive similar answers from other Elite