I devoted four years of my painfully awkward teenage years to this wonderful sport. I lived, breathed, and slept football. I dreamt of becoming the best, playing under the lights in front of the home crowd on a Friday night. I always wonder what playing in front of the home crowd would be like, hearing the jungle roar from inside of the stands, hearing the metallic stampede of parent’s feet as they help rally the Wolves. I’ll never know that feeling, suiting up on a Friday night and taking the field, but I played for it. I went out five days a week for four seasons hoping to be the guy that scored a game winning touchdown or being the guy that sealed the game with an interception. I never became him. I was too lazy. As much as I dreamt of being “the man” I didn't have the drive or the work ethic.
It started back in 7th grade, me, a heavier set boy who was in the middle of growing like a bean sprout, trotted onto the field on the first day of summer conditioning eager to start my career. Unimpressive is a word that comes to mind when I think about that first day. We started off the day running in a heat so intense it forced the sweat out of my pores. The coaches pushing me and yelling out encouragement, making me dig deeper into my uncoordinated figure. Teams were divided into the blue team and the gold team, I was placed on the blue team. From my perspective on that first day I thought the gold team was better, I believed that when it came time for the blue gold game they would steamroll right over us, leaving nothing behind but cleats and pads. Me and my team worked and worked and we were ready by the time the first game rolled around. I had miraculously managed to grab a hold of our fairly basic offense, consisting mostly of running plays because our arms were extremely underdeveloped, and became a starting right tackle (One of the big fat guys that blocks, for all of those that do not know about football and its positions). As I took the field shaking in anticipation and nervousness I glanced at the opposing Oxford team and immediately felt a lump form in my throat, “These guys are huge” I whispered to myself as I got ready for my very first taste of battle.
“RACK ‘EM” the center bellows in his underdeveloped voice, so we align in two orderly rows. The eleven starters are given the play; I run to the line, bend at the waist and drag my knuckles through the grass and dirt, getting familiar with this unfamiliar war zone. The pressure I put upon my right hand squeezes the blood out of my hand as it turns ghostly white. The next forty minutes is a blur of bodies, grass, and heaps of sweaty teens. The thought of me getting injured the whole game. “I know it’s going to happen i just know it”. The end result, defeat. I couldn't believe that my first game was a loss, all that work and there was no reward, I questioned what the point of hard work was if it didn't get you anywhere. Then the coaches spoke and something I never forgot, “Focus on that feeling that you have right now, the feeling of disappointment and anger, it’s fuel. You losing right now is the best thing that could have happened because you can only go up from here. Remember this loss, remember Oxford and tell yourselves that you will never feel this way again”.
The spark was back in me, I knew what hard work was for. Hard work is to prepare you for what’s ahead, it’s meant to make you into a fighter. It makes you into someone who doesn't give up just because something is too hard. I take this with me wherever I go, when I do anything I remember that. I took it with me when I continued to play football, I would not let my hard work and the hard work of my peers go unnoticed and unrewarded. After that first game I didn't lose again going perfect throughout the rest of my career.
I even took this lesson with me when I went to get a job. I went out and applied to 15 places within walking distance of my house willing to walk if that’s what it took to get to work. I interviewed at 4 different places, all saying they would get back to me. The first place that responded, asked me if I could come in for a second interview. I walked into the manager’s office radiating confidence. I had the same fire and desire to get this job as I did to win a football game. In many ways getting a job was a win, it led to me getting a car and my license, it led to me having freedom, it led to me growing up and it leads me into adulthood preparing me for the hours of work that I will need to do.
Hard work pays off in many ways, some you can’t see like the freedoms that come along with a car or the work ethic that gets established into you by working. There are also the things you can see as a result of your hard work, such as, a wallet full of money, or a win in football. Hard work is not just something that comes easily, it’s something that you have to find inside of yourself.