It was the summer after sixth grade and I was excited about football signups. I woke up at about 8 am just to run to my parents’ room to tell them that we were going to be late for the sign-up. I kept pulling on their blankets and jumping on the bed so they would wake up but nothing seemed to work. After a couple of minutes of trying to wake them up, my dad finally woke up and broke the news to me. He told me that I would not be playing football this year. At first, I thought he was just joking because that is the type of person that my dad is. But, once I heard him say it again I knew this was not a joke. He had this specific tone in his voice that I only hear when he is serious. When I heard that voice I knew that there was nothing that could be done. I did not even bother to argue and left the room. I lay on my bed with the thought that everything I worked for was for nothing. All those times when I forced myself to get out of bed to go for a run. All those times when I forced myself to do at least five more reps. All for nothing. I had been playing football ever since I could remember. I grew up playing football on my front lawn with my neighbors. Every once in a while my brothers and those same neighbors would come together to play football again.

I was stuck in this frustration for a couple of days until I eventually just stopped caring. I felt this way for about a week. Then I realized that every minute I spent complaining and wishing that I could play football could be another minute spent working for next year. As the days went by, I slowly regained back my motivation. I was finally starting to realize the opportunity that I had. I had the chance to work hard for next year. I thought of it as taking one step back to take two steps forward. This experience is something that I will never forget and will always remember as a valuable lesson. I am nearing the end of my eighth-grade year and I am working just as hard to get ready for my freshman year. I want to make sure that when I step on the field, I am ready for any challenge that can occur.

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