Running with Kindness by Kayden

Running with Kindness by Kayden - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

Imagine being lined up, shoulder to shoulder, with close to one thousand people on the starting line. You are hydrated and prepared to run, but are more nervous than ever before. You wait with your toe on the line for what seems like an eternity before, at last, the gun fires. Immediately, all of your nervous feelings melt away and you swiftly make your way through the crowd of runners. Your teammates, coaches, and family cheer you on from the sidelines as you pass the competitors. Once you finish the race, you are exhausted but proud to have made it through in record time. All of the people that were cheering for you run your way to shower you with congratulations. A sense of pride and accomplishment falls over you… this is how I feel at the end of every cross country meet. My cross country team, coaches, and family have made me a better runner through their encouragement and inspiration. I love running on a team and I am now able to pay forward their kindness into the younger runners.
I moved from Alabama to Arkansas at the beginning of my junior year and, unfortunately, at the beginning of the summer, I did not know anyone at my new school. However, I joined the cross country team and we had practice sessions throughout the summer months which allowed me to make connections. My teammates welcomed me into the fold and treated me as family. It was nice to walk in on the first day to a new school and see familiar faces in my classes. While I have a deep passion for running, I am not the best long-distance runner on the team; honestly, I am usually in the back half of the pack. However, no one ever makes fun of me or puts me down. Instead, the coaches and my teammates help and inspire me to become a better athlete. Even though I was unable to compete with the team during my junior year due to custody issues, the team ignited my passion and pushed me to run harder so I would be ready to compete this year. My teammates have become some of my greatest friends and have shown me that being part of a team is about more than winning; it is about encouraging others in their time of need.
Prior to moving to Arkansas, I ran with Young Runners, a local running club. While the club was full of enthusiastic and good-hearted people, they did not push me to become a better runner. I feel like this is because we were running for pleasure rather than competitive purposes. My current team has made me a better competitive runner and the lessons I have learned will carry through to my college team. Also, without their guidance and inspiring example, I would have never found my true athletic calling: track. At the end of the cross country season, I did not want to stop running because I loved my teammates and coaches and did not want to give them up until the next season. Therefore, I decided to join track in order to stay connected with the team and remain in shape for the next fall cross country season. I had only ever ran cross country so I assumed I would be best at running long distances. I trained all season for long-distance track but, late in the season, our coach had us run some sprints at practice. I performed as though I had been running short distances my whole life and my coach told me that I needed to be a sprinter if I enjoyed it because I have one of the fastest times in the state. This year, I plan to run short distance in the upcoming track season and believe I will be a worthy competitor as I have continued to improve my time. I never would have joined track if I did not have the amazing team in the cross country season and this is one effect of their compassion towards me.
As a seasoned runner, the less experienced runners on the team look to me for guidance and support. I pay my teammates’ actions towards me into the younger runners by showing them the same friendliness given to me over the past two years. I challenge them to be better competitive contenders, help them integrate into our team, and befriend the new kids. I love my team with all of my heart… they impact me and inspire the rest of the school every day through their understanding and generosity. I am thrilled that I get to pay their actions forward and hope to continue to mentor younger runners and keep the kindness flowing because, in the end, that is what life is all about.