When the Time is Right, Hard Work Will Pay Off by Laura

When the Time is Right, Hard Work Will Pay Off by Laura - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

The sun started to rise and the athletes lined up on the start line. All my nerves were reaching the maximum as the pressure rose in my chest. My first cross-country county championship race will always leave a lasting effect on me. I was a freshman and Fairhope High school’s number two runner for the team. Coach expected me to place for a medal among the older competitors- I did too. The expectations made me anxious. Suddenly, the race official announced “on your marks” and sounded the gun. Adrenaline shocked my legs to life knocking me out of my nervous haze and into the stampede. All of my thoughts vanished as my mind fixated on the spikes ahead of me.
I approached mile two- the utmost strenuous section in a five kilometer race. It is not only physically exhausting, but mentally challenging. Enduring the last mile takes a vast amount of effort but that is not what troubled me. The left side of my stomach struck me with an internal pain that I could not control. I tried walking it off while stretching out my side, but nothing worked. I went from twelfth place to eighty-fourth in a matter of five minutes. I approached the finish line where Coach was waiting for me with a disappointed expression on his face. He told me I could come out of the race, but I finished. After that race I became timid of my running ability. I had failed my team, Coach, and myself.
County championships was a learning experience. It taught me that you can lament over the past or you can get back to work and strive for better. The cross-country state championship was a month away. There was a lot of work to be done, and practice became more difficult. A faint voice in my head would antagonize me just as my side had, but I persevered. At the state meet, all of the pressure rose in my chest, just like before. I started to shake from the nerves as my team went to the start line. Coach always told us that “nerves are for the unprepared,” but I was prepared. Failure was not an option for me. “Bang!” The race began and we all dashed like horses. I fought through the race to the finish line; there it was, right in front of me with big, red numbers flashing twenty-two minutes. This was it. This was my comeback and it would soon help me overcome the academic, physical, and social struggles in my life. I was once ashamed of my county championship race freshman year, but now it remains a crucial aspect to my success.
The comeback I experienced freshman year reminds me to strive for nothing less than my best. As clique as that sounds it reigns true. I put all effort into my school work, my artwork, and leading my cross-country team as their senior captain. Presently, I have completed four years of varsity cross-country. In those four years I’ve had the opportunity and privilege to run for Fairhope High School’s fastest women’s cross-country team. We have broken school records and winning streaks of competitors. However I am most proud of ending McGill Toolen’s seven year section championship streak with my team. McGill Toolen reigned superior in our section up until my senior year when we earned the title. On November the third of 2016, we were able to obtain the 7a section 1 championship. This event will remain one of my favorite high school accomplishments because I got to experience this achievement with my friends. We spent three long years trying to beat McGill, race after race, practice after practice. All of the failure workouts and long runs finally paid off. We all broke into tears as we walked up to receive the award. Those were tears of joy. We had finally made coach proud and ourselves proud.