Narrative Essay On Cross Country Captain

I am a runner. I was selected to be a cross country captain for my senior year and I had set myself a realistic goal of being one of the top five finishers at the state meet in the fall. I never had the thought that I could not do it; I knew I was going to be up there with the best. When the state meet came and I traveled with the team as captain, that race became one of the most memorable of my cross country career but not for the reasons I expected.

Earlier in the spring I was playing a soccer game against the South Anchorage varsity soccer team. I was playing left midfield, taking the ball up the left side of the field when the other team’s right fullback stepped up to get the ball. I cut to the right and heard a loud snap that rung in my ears. I could not stand up. Every time I tried to move my leg, waves of pain pounded from my knee. I had to be carried off the pitch. I learned a few days later

that I had destroyed the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in my left knee.
Over the next few weeks I realized that I had a lot of time on my hands; I could either sulk about not being able to run or I could use the time to do something productive. As the school year was ending, elections for activities were approaching. The previous year, I had run for Junior Class Representative and was beat. I decided to run for student council again; only this time I was determined to win. I ran for Senior Class President and won the election over the incumbent who had been Class President for three years. The National Honors Society also had elections coming up and I decided to run for Parliamentarian because I knew the parliamentary skills would help in my service as Class President. It was a good use of the newfound time that I now had. I was elected to that as well.
When school came to an end in May I had my torn ACL replaced with part of my hamstring and watched as my friends were spending the gorgeous summer days on runs.

Luckily, I found other ways to make the most of not being able to go anywhere without crutches and a brace. I enrolled in two classes and spent the summer working on them, but I still felt like I could do more with my free time. I decided to co-coach two Parks and Recreation soccer teams with my father, one for my youngest brother and a second for my two other siblings. As the summer progressed my physical therapy allowed me to walk and bike so I started going to cross country preseason practices with my bike.

When the cross country season started in August I became a mentor for the new runners. I was still a runner but now I was doing my running through my peers. During each practice I would lead everyone in stretching and would follow with encouragement on my bike during runs. The freshman looked up to me as if I were an assistant coach and I knew I had done the right thing in being there every day for

them.
When the gun went off at the start of the state meet I saw all my efforts rewarded in the faces of my teammates. I never have felt so proud. I saw that through my failure of reaching my goal of being at the top in cross country, I gained something much more valuable than a medal. I discovered that if I can stay positive when confronted with a difficult situation, I can find ways to make valuable things happen for myself and others.