I was a senior in high school. A fairly active kid, I had tried track before. Running was not my 'thing'. They wanted me to throw shot put. I was a powerlifter, they wanted my strength. I wanted to run.
My coaches wanted my sole focus to be throwing. Beyond a one lap warm up they wanted me to save my efforts for 'the toss'. I liked throwing. But I envied the runners. I would run on my own after practice. As much as I hated the process, I loved the satisfaction that followed.
My coaches took notice but still did not want to put me in. Finally one day they gave me a shot. The meet was already won. They put me in as the final leg in the 4x400 race. One lap. It was my big shot.
With little time until the race we practiced our hand offs. I was taking the my friends place. She was the 2nd fastest 400 runner in our league. I would be running against the fastest but she had a weak group to follow. My team was strong. Our team was reigning league champs.
As I watched the first two girls run the pressure mounted this was my big chance to show my coaches I could do more than throw. The butterflies in my stomach were increasing by the second. As the third girl received the baton, I took my place on the track.
She was inching closer and closer. Her last 100 seemed to take a year. She had a strong lead. I could finish. I could win. I held out my arm- began to run. Tink, tink.... I dropped the baton. All hope was gone.
Afterwards my coach giggled, "just stick to throwing".
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Both of your stories are very vivid, which makes it hard to tell fact from fiction. However, this entry feels more like a memory to me, whereas the ghost entry feels more like a story one might tell during a sleepover. So. My best guess is on this one. (Unless you're one of those tricky people who weaves very mundane lies to catch us unsuspecting.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Weishan - tell us which one is the real deal!
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