Final Draft

Chelsea Howard2/13/08English CompReflect

Set Your Mind, Achieve All
Walking through the halls nervously during the spring of my freshman year in high school I had one thing on my mind—Varsity Softball. Every girl in the ninth grade wanted to be on Green Mountain Union High School’s Lady Chieftains. This was not the best team in the state, however, being a part of the team came with close friendships with the upper classmen. There was a meeting being held for all girls that were interested in playing softball. People were rushing through the auditorium doors to find a chair like a herd of animals, and people were talking anxiously to one another. As the coach and assistant coach entered the room the chattering stopped, and everyone swarmed around the coaches like bees searching for honey. The coaches explained to us how the tryout process was going to work, much like an American Idol show. The meeting came to an end and my mind raced with the thought of running around the bases in front of the bleachers that are crowded like a Rolling Stones concert. It was as if my head lit up like a light bulb, I was going to make this team. After that meeting I was going to push myself beyond every personal limit to become a part of the Varsity softball team.
The first day of tryouts was being held the next day after the long tiring day of pointless classes and drama filled talks with my friends, near our green pea colored lockers. I went home that night and went to bed early so I would not be tired for my first day of tryouts. I woke up early the next morning, packed my sports bag that smelled like old feet and must. My mother cooked french toast and sausage the next morning so I did not have to force down the fake eggs and hash browns the school pretended was food. I was feeling great, the classes went by relatively quickly and it was time to run quickly down to the gym for tryouts.
As I entered the gymnasium I was blinded by the bright yellow color of the gym and the florescent lights that shined vibrantly off the floor. Everyone was partnered up to throw the softball around, I had butterflies in my stomach whether I would have a partner or not. I walked slowly up to a girl and just before I opened my mouth to speak I heard my name being called in a high pitched voice, it was the captain of the team and she wanted to be my partner. The coach came in a few minutes past 2:30 and that is when hell froze over in Chester, Vermont.
Every practice became more difficult, the amount of running, pushups and sit ups doubled with each day of practice. With each day came the frequent thought that I would not make it to the next practice, the amount of dedication and exercise was bringing doubt about whether or not I really wanted to be on this team. Then I remembered the friendships I have made and the laughs that were shared after every practice, even the car rides to the softball field with the upper classmen made me want to continue.
The last practice of the tryout period came and I was more than nervous, throughout the day I was shaking with anticipation. The final day came with much more work and the key factor to get through this last hump was the ability to push myself further than I have before. The next two hours was going to be very difficult but I knew I could do it; I wanted to be on this team more than anything. The team ran a mile and a half together, my legs felt as if they were on fire and I could feel the blisters forming on the back of my heals. My sweat left small marks on my shirt and my sneakers were constantly coming untied. As we were running I felt like I was never going to be finished, it was the Boston Marathon in little Vermont. The pushups were causing my arms to weaken and I felt them turn into rubber, but was relieved when I was finally done. When the exercising was over the room was overcome by a sigh of relief and everyone was feeling exhausted and miserable. The pain did not end there, my partner dropped the ball while passing back to one another and we were both sent away to run more laps. I reached the point where I did not think my legs were going to move anymore and were being held down by cinder block, but I was hit with the thought of the team I was soon going to be on.
The moment came at the end of practice, the moment of truth, the moment that would determine the rest of my freshman year, if I was going to get one of the team jackets and be part of an actual team. My hands were sweating profusely and I could hear my heart beating like a drum jumping out of my chest. We all gathered around the coach, he congratulated all of us that have completed the tryouts and he told us he was proud of each one of us. Then the moment came, he began to read off all the girls that made the team. He started with the 12th graders moving down to the 11th graders and so on. The hesitation built gradually as he continued calling each name. Then the coach stopped at the freshman, his blank stare lowered down to gaze at a paper that contained all of the Varsity players and he looked back up with an awkwardly sideways smirk on his face and said, “There are only two freshmen that I can bring on to this team and feel comfortable about playing.” That was it, my eyes began to water up as if a dam had just been let down, I was not making the team. My head fell and my name was called. I did not know what was going on, he called my name, my name. I was so excited that I was one of the two freshmen picked. I quickly wiped my tears away and jumped up, screaming words that would only make sense to a caveman. I ran over to sit with the team that I would now be committing my life to, the girls that were chosen to play Varsity softball, and I was one of those girls. The girls envied by all the girls walking away, upset and questioning what they could have done differently to make this team.