You Are Too Small

The day was October 8th, 2014. I hardly played. One school day, my 5th teacher, Ms. Smit said, “flyers for the basketball team on the table” ordinarily I took one. Kids from 4th, 5th, and 6th grade came to try out for the team. After tryouts, a paper next to the nurse's office was hung up. The paper sheet named those who had made the team. Surprisingly, I made the team, most likely from my height. I felt like I shouldn’t have made the team. At the time, I barely started to play basketball. I went to the practices at school and tried to make myself a little bit better, since a tournament was about to begin in a few weeks.

When I showed up to softball tryouts at the beginning of my senior year, I was convinced that I was going to be put on the junior varsity team for the fourth consecutive year. I was sure that I would never be moved up to varsity, regardless of how hard I played. My junior year I was embarrassed to be one of only two juniors on J.V. I was so self-conscious, that I had considered quitting so that I wouldn’t be the only senior not on varsity. However, I decided that quitting would be more humiliating than being on J.V. and forced myself to play my final season of softball. I showed up to tryouts the first week of school, and I played with every ounce of effort that I had. When teams were announced, I was legitimately shocked to find out that I

My junior year of high school I decided to compete in the Miss Washington City pageant after winning first attendant (second place) the previous year. I prepared to fullest of my ability this upcoming pageant. I bought a new gown, practiced my interviewing, and of course forced my clumsy self to walk in high heels. Take my words for it, high heels and myself do not mix. I spent a lot of hours preparing for this pageant. When it was all over, myself and the other contestants were standing on stage waiting for the judges to announce the winner, I knew I had this in the bag. However, the bag was ripped out from my grasp and I was awarded with second place

The first day of tryouts came around and I woke up that morning shaking with excitment and shear nervousness. I ate my bagel and chocolate milk, (a pregame ritual of mine) laced up my cleats, and was on my way. The second I got to the field I knew I was in for a long day. Most of the guys were double my size and looked like they were professionals. After a few days of the long, hard, and grueling tryout process the coaches posted the team on their website. When I saw my name wasn't on the list I felt spiteful, angry, even a little ashamed with myself. I knew I deserved a spot on that team and I was determined to claim it.

Sometime around fall of my freshman year, I decided to join the Marmion lacrosse team, mainly because many of my friends were playing, but also because its exciting nature intrigued me. I did not realize it at the time, but this decision would end up changing my life. Being an athletic person, along with lacrosse being a relatively easy sport to learn, I became a good player on the freshman team. I worked my way up the ranks, from getting minimal playing time at first, then starting a few games in. A little under halfway through the season, the JV coach asked me

We would always begin our practices with sprints and one long run before we continued with technical drills. Many girls struggled with the endurance aspect of soccer. I would always do my best to finish the run, then immediately head back to the last person running in to finish so that they would not feel singled out during these athletic struggles. I thought of how great our soccer team was going to become. The chemistry seemed just right and to the point where we could see ourselves winning the district tournament at the end of the year. Unfortunately, my dreams of victory came to a halt when I started to see divisions on the team. These divisions started due to one of the seniors talking down to underclassman, especially to one of the most talented girls on the team who became our top scorer. This particular senior became jealous of our top scorer and decided to ban girls together so they wouldn’t assist her in her attempts to score. Thankfully our team’s talent led us to win most of our games, but I could see how much these divisions were hurting us as a team. I decided to talk to my soccer coach about the matter to get his opinion. He reminded of my captain position, and how I am expected try to resolve these situations as well. I concluded that

When I first joined the North Attleboro Swim Team my freshman year of high school, I did not know what to expect. Prior to joining, I had never swam on a team before so it was a whole new experience to me. As the first week of swim started, I was apprehensive if I wanted to continue since I was not on the same caliber as my other teammates were. The practices were brutal but extremely rewarding, as I strived to prove myself and to my coaches. As my freshman season was under way, a couple of upperclassmen took

My freshman year I made the Varsity soccer team. Every practice I had to strive and work harder to be able to keep up with the upperclassmen skill level and talent. I was finally getting to where I wanted with consistent practice. I became a starter and the upperclassmen would pass me the ball more and help me on the field when there were opponents on me. It wasn’t until the middle of the season when everything changed. We were playing against a school who was very skilled and talented. It was in the first half of the game when one of the girls on the opposing team had the ball and was dribbling it down the field. It got past our midfield players and two defenders. I was the last one before it reached our goalie. I ran towards her and with everything I had I kicked the ball.

I didn’t think it was fair for a fifth grader to make varsity when she didn’t put in the effort, simply because her older sister was also on the team . I didn’t find it fair that we were placed on the lowest team and we tried as hard as them if not harder, we were as good as them, if not better, and we came to every single conditioning, practice, and meeting. Yes, I know I was given the option to leave if I felt this way, but I was determined to show them that I deserved to be right along with everyone else. Through tears, practices, games, extra workout sessions, additional batting cage time , and many arguments with my mom over the stress softball was causing me I was moved to freshman. I felt so accomplished, yet still unamused by the fact there were fifth graders dressing varsity. I don’t care to admit if someone is better than me but, they weren’t. Simply because they had siblings on the team or knew a coach personally they were placed on varsity. Fifth graders who came to about one week of conditioning moved up because of unfair circumstances, and in the end it created an unpleasant environment and negative energy over the

This football camp I attended was only for the elite offensive linemen in the state of Massachusetts, but I received an invite my senior year to attend this. I was nowhere near one of the elite offensive linemen in the state, but the coach that ran it was a coach in my league. I have been battling it out with his team for the past three years, and the last person I expected anything from was this man. I was the smallest left tackle in our entire league for my entire high school career. But this coach admired my hustle, passion, and perseverance of being a smaller player, I also stopped his top defensive end every single year. So, when I got to the camp, all the other players would look at me like I was a boy among men. That whole week I was doing everything in my power to keep up with them, but my skills weren’t comparable to theirs. The thing that got me noticed at the camp was I went up against the biggest and most skilled guys there and didn’t care for one minute about getting shown up. I wanted to be the best player I could be, and the only way that would be possible is if I went against the best.

I have always been told that I got blessed with my genes. Everything I do athletically just comes natural to me. I have had the opportunity to play multiple sports whom of which I have had success in. In all of the sports I’ve participated in I have loved soccer the most and track is just the most natural sport for me. I’ve played soccer for over half of my young life. Soccer just makes me happy when I play. I have also been blessed by being average at soccer too. I didn’t do well my 9th grade season so coming into being a Sophomore I wanted to change that. I worked hard in the off-season and I became a varsity Captain and I finished the season 3rd in the area for assist and was a 2nd team All-District player. I was proud of myself but i knew I didn’t give it everything I had.

I practiced at every practiced and played in every game. With my help on the offensive line, our team went undefeated and then moved on and captured the youth championship title, a game where I again played every down and never gave an inch. The season as a whole was by no means easy, but the championship game was the toughest. I blocked a guy that was a foot taller than me and he had about ninety pounds on me. This did not discourage me though, I worked him every play. My hard work and dedication showed so much that the coaches recommended me for the all star game. For the all star game each team in the county recommended five players, then all the players were split into two teams. After a week of practice with the new team, the two all star teams played on the following saturday. I again worked hard enough that I started and played the entire game. We again won the game. Due to my hard work and dedication, not only did I prove my mother wrong and get recognized for being the first female in the county to play, I also started a movement. After my football career, many other females in the county decided to challenge the gender stereotype and play

The year was 2010. I was on my way to my first swim meet. I had no idea what to expect. I was both anxious and nervous. These feelings tripled as my team arrived and began to warm up. Looking around at the other teams I could not help but get the sense that I did not belong. All the other swimmers had well-defined muscles and little body fat while I had well-defined body fat and little muscle definition. None of the other competitors took me seriously as I took my mark for the race. I did not take myself seriously. However, once the event was over, I had finished 2nd out of 23 competitors in my event. This experience is an example of how judgment based on body alone can be misleading. From the moment we are born we are judged by others, and

The alarm clock beeps as I turn over to hit the snooze button, it is 4:30 am on a hazy and dreary Fourth of July morning. Rolling out of bed, I slip on my USA Field Hockey tank top and tie my sneakers tight. This morning I am attending the annual Explosive Sports Performance Militia Fourth of July workout. Driving there, I began to feel excited and nervous as I realize I may be the only girl that attends this event. My trainer promoted the workout to the top dedicated athletes at the gym. The week prior to the event, he approached me while I was lifting weights completing my workout alongside a former Penn State football player. Overhearing their conversation, I listen to my trainer tell the brawny football player that he expects I am more likely to show up for the grueling workout than he would be. Ultimately, the exchange between the two men gave me the motivation to show up ready to prove that women can perform at same level as top male athletes.

In track my junior year I wanted the great opportunity of going to invitationals, and even regionals. Then my coach took away that opportunity from me, by choosing my other teammates over me to go. I think my coach did this because he saw no potential in me as he did the others. I know I should’ve fought against his decisions, but instead I just kept quiet during the year because I didn’t want any problems. The situation never did improve as the season went on. Since I made the decision to keep quiet about it. Afterwards I actually improved myself, and found a better coach to help me for next season.