Growth doesn’t happen overnight. We all know that. It’s over a period of time that we begin to see improvements and development through trials and tribulations.
During my time at Northbrook High school, from 9th grade to 12th, I can say that I’m not the same athlete I was before, and I can honestly attribute this to Track and Field. Not only have my passion and muscles grown, but my mentality as a whole has also gone through drastic changes.
Last season, from the months of January to April of 2021, I was training for the district, area, and regional track meets. Practices during the school week consisted of two-lap warm-ups, aerobic and anaerobic stretches, the primary workout, the secondary core workout, and the end of the day stretches. There was never a day where I didn’t taste my salty sweat, have blurry vision, sore muscles, or smell pickle juice. These were very integral to the track season. This happened every day, 3:15 pm - 5:30 pm, from Monday to Friday. This was our typical workout routine.
Then I began to run into problems.
During sophomore year, I wasn’t placing, nor was I winning anything at my meets. I was constantly beating myself up for my mistakes and outcomes I wasn’t satisfied with. I had gotten accustomed to winning most of the time, so when this losing streak appeared, I didn't know how to cope with it. Later on, my coach would remind me of my strengths and weaknesses. This really knocked me into reality. It opened my eyes to the concept that, “You can’t win them all.” At that moment, I decided to take advantage of these losses and learn from them. At each practice I would remember my defeats and how I felt, and I would use that to motivate me to work harder than ever so I wouldn’t have to feel those feelings again. Soon, I began to run faster and later on win medals again. I used this same tactic junior year, and I was soon running the 300 meter hurdles at the Texas regional meet, placing 8th out of 16 schools.
Without the influence of track in my life, I would have developed the habit of quitting when things become rough, getting upset over minor inconveniences, and completely shutting down when I’m not first.
You can say that track has improved the way I live my life.
This is my college essay I had submitted for admission to LSC, PVAMU, TA&M, HCC, UH, and UTA. The creation of this piece was complicated yet simple. Pulling the memories was easy. It was structuring the piece correctly that was the hard part. Everything had to be in a certain place in order for the piece to flow smoothly and make sense. In terms of literary devices, I decided to go with an anecdote so I could answer the prompt as best as possible. My goal is to make it to college. In order for that to happen, the essay is the first step forward to getting there. I chose my life with track to be the core of my essay because I could pull good details from the different experiences and emotions I went through.
In this memoir Josiah explains he faced struggles in life that weren't easy. If it wasn't for Track he would've been in a different position yet he has accomplished to earn metals. This is coming from someone that was his Athletic trainer, made me feel so happy for him seeing him accomplish. Reading this tells me he has improved a lot and I know he will do big things in his life. Not just that but shows the dedication he put in for track in order for him to accomplish something for himself and lastly never gave up.
--Gabriela Caraballo