"whats a few injuries compared to forming some of the strongest friendships"
I played soccer my first two years of highschool. My junior year the coach and I both decided soccer wasn't for me, so for the first time in all my life I didn't play a sport. After the first semester, it got old real quick. I decided to join the track team. I was one of the worst on the team, being a junior and running with the freshman was a discouragement at times, but to be fair we all had the same "running age."
By the time school ended, my coach and other runners had encouraged me to run cross in the summer. How in the world could I ever run cross country as a first year senior and enjoy it, if I was one of the worst distance runners on the track team?
Long story short I ended up running. With the overwhelming encouragement from the 55 runners on the team and the tough love from a coach who cares, I made varsity my first race, and ran varsity each race.
3 days before state I was put in a boot for 8 weeks due to a tibial stress fracture in my right leg. Atleast my team could still run, even though I had raced all year just to prepare for these last 3.1 miles.
December comes and I get cleared to run in January. Finally. Amidst the craziness of rehab training I recieve a letter in the mail, from a small NAIA private school, saying that if I came to visit they had something they would like to offer me.
I fell in love with the school, and this being my first year running cross, I felt so blessedness fortunate to get to run for 4 more years.
By February I was back in full track training.
By March, I was back in a boot. This time a tibial stress fracture on my left leg.
By April, I still managed to sign that daunting yet exciting letter of intent with hope.
It's now summer and I've been working my tail off, mostly out of fear, for the coming season. I still cannot believe I went from one of the worst on the team as a first year senior, to an average joe with two broken legs and a college scholarship.
I almost didn't run cross country. If I had the choice, knowing id break both my legs and knowing how much time id spend with some of the weirdest people I've ever met, I would go back and yell at myself to join the team sooner.
I mean after all, what's a few injuries compared to seeing your teammates PR, to forming the strongest friendships I've ever had, to learning more about yourself, to being able to push other people as they push you, to being apart of something greater than yourself?
- Anonymous
