To My Favorite Sport,

Geez, am I glad that I met you! Before you, I NEVER thought of myself as an athlete. I never knew what it was like to truly be passionate about a sport until you came around.

Track, you came into my life like Serendipity. I wasn't looking for you- you just came my way out of no where, and you changed my life for the better. I decided to give you a try at the very last second- the day Winter practice started at my school. I never actually wanted to do you, you know. The thought of running made me want to throw up, quit, and run away- not even run away, actually. At that time in my life, I would rather have walked! But- once I fully integrated myself into you, however, quitting simply wasn't an option. There was no going back. Once I joined, I was hooked, even on the days I was getting lapped multiple times or coming in last every single race or repetition. Every day, I thank the Lord that I found you.

I truly wouldn't be as happy without you, and I wouldn't be the person that I am today. You, my favorite sport, have become a part of my identity. You don't require a bat, a ball, or a helmet. Not even some goggles or a stick. You are, essentially, an abstract figure of my imagination. You are totally not tangible. I cannot touch you, see you, or taste you. However, sure can feel you. Sometimes, you really hurt! However, I would never choose another sport over you. When I run track, I feel confident, determined, focused, and successful. I give you every single piece of energy that I have, and I let go of all of my anxieties once my feet touch the clay red oval of passion and hard work.

People ask me why I love you so much. Like a girl insulting someone's crush because they just don't think he's cute, people wonder why I love to run so much. To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea. I'm just crazy, I guess. There's something about racing that I just love. I think it's the energy about it- the competitiveness aspect. The fierceness, and the independence- what you put in is what you get. It's so hard. Some days I don't think that I will make it through practice. How many laps? How many reps? Like in all of life's challenges, these are the times where I just take it one step at a time. I always do get through it, though, you know. My success rate of getting through tough situations in my life remains at one hundred percent. I'm pretty darn proud of that.

I wish I had found you earlier. Like the love of my life, I wish I had known you earlier in life so that I could always have been this happy and had this much to look forward to! But, at the end of the day, I'm just happy that I did in fact find you. What must it be like to have no passion? Nothing to look forward to every single day? I can't imagine. I'm just so happy to be in this place where I am today, participating in you every day, my favorite sport.

Every time I hit the track, I feel like myself again. I'm happiest doing what I love, and my pure joy and excitement at meets shines through my smile, giving me confidence and hope that I can be successful in the sport that I love. When I hear the gun go off in a race, I think about all of the hard work, effort, and passion that I have put in to perfecting my craft. I can not wait to see where I go next in track.

To my favorite sport, I seriously love you. Thank you for making me the athlete and person that I am today.

Love Always,

Your Favorite Athlete