Sunday, November 25, 2012

Victory is the Ultimate Reward


Michelle Long

19 November 2012

Ms. Harmon

Pre AP English 10

Victory is the Ultimate Reward

Sweat is dripping down my face like a never ending waterfall. You can perceive the intensity in the air. I have to find the strength to finish the last rep. My brain says yes, but my body says no. As I push myself I know that it will be worth it in the end, it always is.

 

“Congratulations guys, I am extremely proud of y’all”, Coach Horton says during our speech after the game. The whole team starts screaming and going berserk as if we just won a gold medal. Two of the seniors are running to get the water to throw on coach. We have finally reached our goal. We just won the 6A east conference title. After all of our hard work we our rewarded. All of this hullabaloo cannot be described. I look around and I see that the parents have tears of joy flowing from their eyes. My team and I are all running around the field like wild monkeys. From the outside we look like a circus, but from the inside were just one diverse family.

 

I grasp the wave from the ocean with my hands. It hits me like a velvet blanket cascading through my fingers. I can feel the rays of the sun beaming down on my face. If this isn’t paradise I do not know what is. After a long hard battle to victory relaxation is what I need. Playing in a World Series tournament is extremely stressful, and the beach makes all my stress vanish like a balloon drifting away into the atmosphere. After our third victory in the tournament we decided to celebrate by admiring the beaches beauty. Victory to a group of twelve year old girls is the only option. We do not think about losing until it actually happens. Then our little hearts are crushed.  While I am standing there admiring the beautiful scenery all kinds of thoughts run through my head. I am incredibly thankful to be able to do what I love, play softball. As I walk back to our condo I realize how blessed I am to have a team that loves softball as much as I do.

 

The director of the tournament is handing our first place trophy to me, my emotions are going insane. I can barely hold my composure long enough for him to place it safely in my arms. Once I have the trophy my team goes ballistic around me. I am surrounded by the people that matter to me the most. We embrace each other like we are at a loved one’s funeral. We have just won our first tournament as a traveling softball team. For ten year olds that is an accomplishment that you strive for, it is like our noble peace prize. Our parents have a smile plastered across their face. They have no choice but to be excited for us. You can see the pride they have for us. Without them we would have never made it this far.

 

The sun is at an extreme high today. All of us are about to pass out from what we think is a heat stroke. As an eight year old you do not tolerate much heat. My team and I are fighting hard to win this game. We are trying to keep each other motivated, and are trying to keep pushing.  We are down to the last inning with two outs. The batter hits it to me. I throw her out at first. My whole team comes and dog piles me. That was the first time I ever had tears of joy. We have just won our first game playing together as a team.

 

You hear all the parents screaming encouraging words at you.

“Come on Michelle, you got it,” “Let’s go guys”!
I am five years old so I do not know much about what is going on. All I know is I have to get the ball to first base before the batter gets there. Once the ball was hit I realized it was coming straight to me. I successfully threw the batter out at first. My mother and I were the two most excited people on the planet! I just got my first out, and little did we know at the time that it would lead to many many more.

 

Softball has made me who I am. Softball has become a part of me. It is the reason why I am so physically and mentally strong. Some people need love, food, shopping, etc. to make them feel whole, I just need softball. Without softball, my life would not be complete. Softball makes me push myself to points that I did not even know were possible. While I am digging deep inside of me to find enough strength to do the last rep all of the thoughts and memories overflow my head. Finally, I finish it. Victory is mine. Hopefully this feeling will continue as the year goes on. Winning a state championship would be the ultimate victory. Who doesn’t want a flashy ring to show off?