How Cross Country Motivated Me to Make a Difference in my Community by Emma

How Cross Country Motivated Me to Make a Difference in my Community by Emma - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

In the fall of my senior year, I was chosen as captain for my school’s cross country team. To be considered for this role, I had to demonstrate leadership skills with my team of over thirty girls during our summer practices, three months before the season officially began. I was responsible for running practices both with and without a coach present. Every day, I lead the team on warm-ups and instructed them for daily workouts.. During the season, I organized the girls for meets. I made sure the girls were adequately prepared for their race, whether that meant warming up with them, braiding their hair, or giving them encouragement. Through my experiences in practices and meets, I learned how to efficiently manage sizable groups of individuals and encourage them to perform to the best of their abilities.
During the season, nothing made me prouder than seeing one of my teammates set a personal record. Watching them cross the finish line and smile exuberantly when they see their time is just as exciting as setting personal records for myself. One girl in particular, a freshman named Emma, came to me before a race and expressed her worry that she wouldn’t run well. I encouraged her to push her negative thoughts aside and just run the best she could that day, regardless if it was a personal record or not. She ended up beating her previous best time by almost a minute. After her race, she came and thanked me for helping her get past her mental block before the race. Through Emma’s experience, I learned the impact that encouragement can have on others. Because of my experiences at the races, I am motivated to support others in all parts of life so that they can achieve more than they are able to on their own.
Furthermore, I became aware of the impact my leadership had on others outside of the races, and it motivated me to want to “make a difference” in other aspects of life. Throughout the season, I was not only responsible for leading workouts, but also organizing bonding activities and events to help us connect as a team. We had many “slushie runs,” beach volleyball games, and movie nights both in the summer and in-season. No matter what we did, I made sure each girl felt included. Since some of the girls were very shy in school, it was important for them to be able to feel comfortable with the girls on our team. The night before the junior varsity’s final meet, another senior and I made good-luck signs for the girls’ lockers. As small as the gesture may have been, it meant wonders to the girls (nearly three months after their last race, none of them had taken down their signs). The signs made each girl feel recognized as an important member of our group. Regardless of their status at school, on the team, they were important, and I think every high schooler should feel like that, like they belong somewhere. Their reactions to the signs motivated me to make others feel loved.
One runner in particular made me realize my potential to positively impact others. Our final practice, after we had finished our workout, a sophomore approached me and said, “Thank you for being such a great a role model.” In that moment, I had never felt so appreciated. The thought that I had impacted these girls enough to be a role model made me want to work even harder to make others feel accepted. Maybe, if I can recognize others as important, it will motivate them to positively influence others in return.
Because of my leadership role as cross country captain, I earned the importance of encouraging others and making them feel like they belong. I hope to use the knowledge I have gained to further spread positivity in my community. I want to make those around me feel accepted in their community so that they can thrive and influence others to treat people with kindness. Thus, my experience as the captain of the cross country team motivated me to “make a difference” in my community by making my peers feel recognized and supported.