My freshman year of high school was full of new experiences. The experience that was most influential for me was joining the cross country team. I believe that being a part of the cross country team was what made my freshman year so enjoyable.
Being one of five freshmen on a team of twenty I was able to get to know the upperclassman. The team was mostly juniors and a few seniors, one of which was my older sister Lindsay. The friends I made during cross country helped me out my whole freshman year and the years to come. The team was very close knit and the group of juniors became like older sisters to me. The advice and knowledge I have gained from them is irreplaceable. I have learned everything from school tips to life lessons from the team, and the memories we created are unforgettable. Having friends guide me through the rocky beginning of freshman year made the others challenges of high school easy to tackle.

Cross country racing itself was full of firsts. It was the first time I believe I truly gave a sport my all physically. I had never been able to push myself like I did during cross country. I was in a running club in seventh grade and it was a terrible experience. I walked during the races, complained and did not have the mental state of mind for running. When I got to high school cross country, everything changed. I saw how passionate and hard working the girls around me were and I wanted to emulate their efforts. I watched my sister grit her face with determination and force herself through the finish line, and I realized I wanted to do that. I wanted to feel my heart pounding through my chest, my lungs gasping for air, sweat running down my face and the throbbing of my legs so full of lactic acid I could hardly make it to the finish line. I wanted to feel success, and in running I could only achieve success after enduring the great amount of pain it took to get me there. With everything else in my life I strive for greatness because it matters to others. I work hard for good grades because it matters to my parents, I try to be kind and courteous to please those around me, but for running I was not running for anyone else but myself. Of course my teammates, coaches and family wanted me to run well, however I felt true triumph when I achieved my goals. Overall it has improved my work ethic and drive for excellence in every area of my life.

Cross country freshman year was very emotionally challenging as well. I did not have much self confidence when it came to running, and self confidence is necessary. I was always just a runner on the team; I never scored or contributed to victories and I did not have any faith in myself. As time went on I began to see that I could achieve whatever possibilities I set my mind to; I just had to focus. I began to improve my mental attitude while I was running; convincing myself that breaking a certain time was possible and that beating the competitor in front of me was possible. One race in particular I was having a tough time. We were running on a hilly terrain I had never seen before, and in the first 800 meters of the 3.1 mile race I lost one of my racing shoes because it got stuck in the mud. I have foot problems to begin with, so losing a shoe in the mud was not ideal and extremely painful. As I passed my coach I motioned that I lost my shoe and he told me to take the other shoe off. I stopped to throw him my shoe and ran the next two and a half miles without shoes. Even though blood was oozing through my socks from the jagged rocks, my feet were pulsing and I was constantly slowing down after slipping on the mud I knew I could finish the race. My coach enforced my feelings when he excitedly told me that I beating some of the varsity girls’ times and was headed for the next varsity spot. As I was running I repeated in my head a saying that our coach often told us, “The body achieves what the mind believes.” I knew I just had to tell myself that I was going to make it through the race and I did. That race was the first time I actually believed in myself and in my abilities. It showed me that I could do anything if I put in the effort. Cross country made me much tougher emotionally.

I believe that cross country my freshman year has molded me into the person I am today. It has made me hard working, driven and passionate about everything I do.