Running for a Purpose
Have you ever just looked at someone and assumed that they do a specific sport based on their body type? That the tall, muscular girls play intense sports like soccer or volleyball, and that the short, skinny girls do something easy like golf or bowling? My body type, which is short and skinny, allows people to think that I fall into that second category. Although it’s true that I am short and skinny, and that I am on the bowling team, I’m also on the Varsity cross country team, and here is my story on how I proved these stereotypes to be incomplete.
It was a hot, summer afternoon when I decided to join the high school cross country team. It was an abrupt decision, but I believed that this would be best for both my body and my mind. I thought it would be easy to run a couple of miles a
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day (which in reality it was, until we got to the second day). So, I looked up when and where to meet the team on the school website, and went to the track the very next day. It was nearly 90 degrees outside, and I was starting to have second thoughts on my decision. I wanted to run, but also didn’t want to endure any pain. “What if I can’t run far enough, or hard enough?” I asked myself, as my legs started to get numb. “What if this is all a big mistake?” I eventually pushed all my doubts aside, and the numbness went away. I kept walking. When I entered, there were girls all around me; on my right and on my left sides, girls were stretching and warming up, one group being more intense than the other. Right in front of me, there were girls talking, laughing, and lounging around . I wondered why they were separated, though I could tell that their intensity levels were very different . I wondered what the three groups represented. I wondered where my place on the team would be. I approached the coach to give her my name, and after she took one look at me, she pointed to a group of girls. Those were the girls I was supposed to stand with, run with, and belong with. I followed her finger to where she was pointing, and I saw that the group of girls she had placed me with was the group that was laughing and chatting when I came in. This seemed like the group that was not interested in getting better and improving. Suddenly, I felt a burst of anger building up inside up inside of me, rushing through my bloodstream. All this power went straight to my legs, which were more ready to run than ever before. After a few minutes, she announced that group that was stretching and warming up was Group 1, the Varsity group. She announced that the other group that was preparing for the run less intensely was Group 2, the Junior Varsity group, and lastly she announced that my group was Group 3, the slowest group. My assumptions were correct. She had automatically placed me in the slowest group without even asking me if I had any running experience. Again, my fury started to build up in my veins, but it was stronger this time. She had put me in the group solely based on what she thought my body type was; small, weak, and unable to run as much as anyone else. Once I came to this conclusion, I became determined to undermine her decision. I wanted to make her reconsider her hasty decision. I wanted to prove her wrong. That day, since it was the first day, we were supposed to do an easy run.
The Varsity group was supposed to run 5 miles, the Junior Varsity group was supposed to run 4 miles, and I, along with the rest of my group, was supposed to run a measly 2 miles. Because my group was so slow and inexperienced, everyone had to walk at least once during the run. I didn’t give up so easily. I ran at a relatively easy pace as I thought about how I could prove my coach wrong. As I ran, I felt the air blow against both my face and my body. I saw cars going back and forth on the road, and bikers pedaling along the path smoothly. I smelled the fresh air that was laced with the smell of my sweat, which had developed due to the heat. I heard my soft, even breaths and my pounding feet hitting the gravel path. Before I knew it, I was ahead of everyone else in my group. Then it hit me. “Maybe this is it,” I thought. “This is how I can make the coach reconsider her decision. I can run faster than everyone else, and then she’ll see that I’m not what she thought I was.” This simple verdict made me push my legs to run even faster, as I was elated to prove my coach wrong. I kept
running. When I got to the stoplight where we were supposed to turn around, I couldn’t see anyone who I was supposed to be running with. I felt a nervous tingle in my legs; Was I lost? No, I couldn’t have been. I had followed the directions exactly as she had told us. But the question still remained; Where was everyone else? I decided to turn around, and I started to run back. After a couple minutes, I could see a few of “my people” emerging into sight. I breathed a sigh of relief; I wasn’t lost. I kept going at my comfortable yet apparently fast pace. When I reached the school, I wasn’t tired. In fact, I felt ready to do more. But the coach didn’t seem surprised to see me there. I wondered why; was it because she thought I could do it? No, that wasn’t the reason. It couldn’t be. She looked at me and said, “Where did you turn around at? Did you run the whole thing?” I was surprised. I was shocked. Internally, I gasped and asked myself “How could she say such a thing? I had run faster than everyone else!” My bubbling veins were beginning to act up again, but then I realized something. She thought I didn’t run the whole thing because my face didn’t look flushed, nor did I look tired. I had a few beads of sweat dripping down my face due to the heat, but other than that, my face looked and felt refreshed. She had expected me to be out of breath and exhausted from the run. I had also come back much before anyone else had. I had proved her wrong. I wasn’t the weak little girl she thought I was. I turned to her and said, “No, I ran the whole way there and back.” This surprised her so much that she finally asked me if I had any running experience. I replied that I didn’t, and on the inside, I was beaming with pride. I had defied all the thoughts that my coach had of me because of my body type. Some of these girls had been running for much longer that I had, and I had just passed them on my very first day! As I sipped my water, my coach walked up to me and said, “Tomorrow, I want you to run with the JV group.” I was so happy to hear this that I let out a big smile. I was overly pleased with myself for accomplishing something that not many others could do. A few minutes later, my coach and I saw the Varsity group appear from the back of the track with the girls in Group 3 trudging behind them. I thought to myself, “Wow, the Varsity group ran more than double the amount that the girls in Group 3 did, and they’re coming back before them! I hope that one day, I can be that talented in running.” My coach saw and read the look on my face, and said, “Maybe you’ll get there someday.” I smiled and thought of this as the next challenge that I was to face. I had shown to my coach that I was much better than what she originally thought I was; that I was not the weak and vulnerable girl she saw when I stepped onto the track. If I could do it once, then I could surely do it again. Though I had never run a step in my life in a sport other than soccer, I had proven to her, and more importantly, to myself, that I can do whatever I am determined to do, even if it may seem overwhelming to me at first. As of now, in my Sophomore year, I am running with the Varsity group, and am satisfied with my position on the team. Though I may seem small and weak, I can do many physically difficult things that may seem impossible. Determination and perseverance are the two things that are needed for conquering stereotypes and being successful in what you want to be.
Ice hockey, a sport that has been in existence for over two hundred years, has become a fan favorite across the globe. From Canada to Sweden, you will be able to find some of the best ice hockey players in the world; both male and female. This pastime has instilled a unique tradition throughout the years of its practice by a combination of both physical skill and mental strength. Although it did not provide aid to globalization, it has created a worldwide culture that many people are proud to be a part of. Since its inception until now, there has been a great deal of gender stereotyping concerning the sport. Regardless, ice hockey will continue to be a lucrative market, as well as a cherished hobby for many years to come.
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