RUNNING WAS NOT TAKEN AWAY FROM ME
I am currently a sophomore. This past summer I transferred schools. It wasn't really my choice. I had been having pretty strong family issues. Cross country is my love. I want to run in college more than anything. It is my dream. All I want to do in life is run and then run again. When I transferred, they told me I would be eligible right away. So I was super excited and began training with the team right away. My training was going really well, and our team was looking amazing. Nothing had me more excited than cross country season. 2 days before our first race, my coach came to me and said, "I have some bad news". "Yes coach", I said. "You aren't going to be able to run this Friday night", he said. So I asked why not. I was declared ineligible. For the entire school year. Not just cross country season, indoor and outdoor track included. It was because I transferred. I immediately became very angry. I wanted to hit something. Later that night, I couldn't stop crying. This went on for about 2 weeks. I found myself fighting with my dad. I was angry at everyone and everything. I was out of control. The one thing that has been a constant in my life, was taken away from me. But, it wasn't. I later realized this. I was still allowed to practice. So everyday I go out and I practice. I run with my team. I workout, I train, I give 100% effort every single day. People ask me why do you do it? What's the point? The point is, running is my happy place. I'm free when I run. Nobody can hurt me when I'm running. It clears my head. And I'm looking for some revenge. Next year I will train harder than ever before. I will give it all. I will have trained for an entire year for the 2017 cross country season. Running was not taken away from me. Actually, it gave me a new drive, a new purpose. A new reason to run harder than I ever have before. If I earn a cross country scholarship, I will look back on this time and thank God he gave it to me. Because running was not taken away from me.
- @adam_keller5 (Adam Keller)
