February 21, 2021
My Greatest Failure
I have been an athlete since as long as I can remember. I was always the fastest person in class, when it came to P.E. or intramural sports I was always one of the first couple of picks. I played football and basketball growing up, but I was good at anything required athletic ability. Football was my first love, I had dreams of being in the NFL, and I knew everything that had to deal with football. I wanted to get a full ride to a D-1, and play ball. I also played basketball and I was also good at that, but I never wanted to play in college or go pro. One thing about time is that, as it passes your dreams start to seem either realistic or unrealistic.
As high school started my dreams changed, being a professional football player was not as exciting to me, the more I went through high school. Being a collegiate athlete was something that was definitely realistic, and something that was very in reach. I do come from an athletic family, my mom was the top 400 meter dash runner in the state of Tennessee. She could have gone to any school she wanted to, and could have definitely went pro. She was the one who pushed me to run track in my sophomore year of high school. Her and the coach said I was too athletic to be sitting on the couch during the offseason, so I went out to the track for tryouts. I was a 6'2" 15 year old so I was eye candy to every coach that laid eyes on me.
I quickly discovered that this sport is for me, as I am a true and fierce competitor, and track is for true and fierce competitors. As sophomore year went on I put up great numbers for my first year running, and earned a spot on the 4x100 relay team. We fought for a spot in the state championship, at the regional meet. In my first year of running track I was headed to the state championships.
The day of the race started by me and my teammates waking up in our hotel room, and going down for breakfast. After breakfast we hopped in the van, and coach drove us to the arena. We got settled and we warmed up as a team, we did some relay exchanges, and went to go focus up before the race. It was the first weekend of June, the sun was beaming. We already had our uniforms on, so we were all set and ready to go. The announcer said, "First call for the 4x100 meter relay", it was time for us to go check in.
Mentally, I was pretty calm, but I was nervous at the same time. I had the lead off leg, that means I start the race off. The official sent us off to our zones, it was go time, the race was here. I looked up into the stands and there were so many people, I could see my mom in the crowd, and my teammates. Apparently there was a coach from the University of Tennessee who wanted to speak with me after the race. It was my turn to go in the blocks.
I did my block routine and loaded up in the blocks. The official said, "On your mark, set, POW POW", two shots means that there was an issue with the clock, gun, or someone false started. The team in the lane next to me false started, this kind of upped my nerves. We get back in the blocks. The official says, "On your mark, set, POW POW", someone else false starts. As we are all standing in the blocks the official walks up to me, and I get confused. He stands in my lane and holds up a red card, saying me and my team have been disqualified. I pleaded and said that it wasn't me, because I thought I caught the gun. He says to me, "step off the track son". I turn around and yell, "FUCK", I throw the baton and disappear into the crowd.
I go to the back of the arena where no one could see me and started crying. I was thinking about how me and my teammates worked so hard to get here, and I messed up. I thought about the senior on our team who was at states for the first time, and even skipped prom for it. I thought about how hard it was to get here and how good it felt, or if I could ever make it back here again. I was so ashamed, because it was my fault, that's the thing about track there is no one to pass blame on. My mom came and found me, and she comforted me, my teammate found me and cried with me.
This was my greatest failure because as soon as this was over, I made up in my mind that I will be back for states. I made up in my mind that I will make nationals. After this failure it became my mission to become the greatest track athlete that I could ever be. I wanted to be a champion, and I wanted to take my teammates with me. In the next year I decided that I wanted to run track in college.
In my junior year of high school I became a; District champion, All-district honors, All-region honors, and All-state honors, despite an injury riddled season. In my senior year I accomplished the same as my junior year, but added more accolades. I was a new balance national competitor, and I now hold a school record. The following fall I was at South Carolina State University apart of a division 1 track and field team. Every dream that I had was accomplished, and the driving force behind that was my greatest failure.
