A Fresh Start

Last year's team ready for action....

Running season has sadly ended. Although it had its ups and downs, it was overall a successful first cross country season. I became both a mentally and physically stronger runner. My greatest achievement, however, was learning the ability to push myself. When I was out on the course, and I felt like I had nothing left to give for that last mile, I learned to dig deep, deeper than I ever had before. Now, whenever I feel like I've got nothing left, I think back to those races and know that there is ALWAYS something left to give.

When one door closes, another opens. My new door was the door to basketball season. Being an avid basketball player for roughly the past eight years, I was pretty confident in my ability to make the team. However, playing in the first day of pre-season training, was an eye-opening experience. This was not cross country season anymore. I could no longer let my mind go blank and leave it all of the course. I had to think. I had to function as not just an individual, but an individual part of a team.

Although my first day was rough, cross country season did lend a helping hand in keeping me going. I dug deep. Basketball was (and still is) my game, my jam, my way of life. I was not about to be defeated after one bad day. From there, I pushed myself much harder, both at school training and outside of it. During the pre-season training, I played just as hard as I would in a game, putting an added amount of precision into each dribble, pass and shot. I sprinted down the court, huffing and puffing until water was the only thing that could quench my thirsty body. Outside of the in-school training, I practiced my basic skills at the neighborhood basketball court. Shooting drills were an absolute necessity. Every night, I played for a little longer and pushed myself a little harder.

By the time tryouts rolled around, I was a much stronger player than at the beginning of the pre-season. I breezed through tryouts, but went in with the mindset that although basketball may be my game, it was everyone else's game too. The real difference in all of us was who was gonna push to the max, to the point of pure exhaustion. In that area, I was an expert. When my coach called me outside to inform me of whether or not I made the team, the look on his face was all I needed to see. He congratulated me and commented on the fact that I seemed to have improved a lot since the previous season. My goal had been reached, try outs were over. Now, let the real season begin.