After dance team ended in February of senior year, I was at a loss for what to do. I had been so active dancing every week for four years that doing absolutely nothing from March to May seemed outlandish to me. I knew I wanted to join a sport, and the only one that didn't have cuts and that I could remotely pick up was spring track and field.

I convinced my best friend to come to practices with me and see what happens. We ended up paying dues and were formally inducted as members of the team! Being a dancer, my new track coaches knew I could jump and had built up a high stamina, so they trained me in hurdles and the high jump.

Let me tell you, leaps and jumps in dance are very different from jumps in track. I guess practice everyday after school, and my strange, high level of competitiveness paid off because I ran and placed in a few varsity hurdle races!

One of my most memorable hurdle races was at a meet in Dayton, Ohio. A group of four hurdlers, including myself, ran in a race called the Shuttle Hurdle. It is when four girls run 100 meters with 10 hurdles total. As your teammate passes you coming from one end of the track, that is when you begin going down the other side of the track. We were going against some very good, well known teams and entered the arena feeling nervous, but confident in our skills. We ran the race with zero flaws and were all very happy with ourselves regardless of our time compared to the other hurdlers.

By the grace of God, we placed fourth out of twelve teams and beat our school record by three whole seconds! We were absolutely elated and so unbelievably proud of ourselves. I will never forget that feeling of accomplishment and pride as long as I live.

Remember, it is never too late in life to begin something new. There will always be people better than you, but as long as you go in with confidence, cheer on your teammates, and do what you love, you will always be a winner.