Dear Track and Field,
NARP, also known as, “non-athletic regular person.” Yes, that’s me! Never in my life have I ever been athletically inclined. Of course, I attempted to play quite a few different sports, and the truth be told, I wasn’t half bad at a couple of them, but the one I was the worst at was track and field.
I went to a small middle school in the center of Manhattan, Kansas. In total, there were about 36 people in my 8th grade graduating class, so I suppose you could say we were a tight-knit group of youngsters. At my school, we had football, volleyball, basketball, and track and field. Due to the fact that our enrollment rate wasn’t very high, everybody played every sport. There were no tryouts; Everyone who showed up to practice got to be on the team. Since all of my friends played, I participated as well. I started in both volleyball and basketball, but once track and field season came around, I should’ve just been the manager. I was horrible. I did hurdles, ran the two-mile, and did triple jump {it’s okay to laugh}. Needless to say, I hardly ever received any medals and it wasn’t a secret that I was there for the social interactions that came along with being on the team versus the joy of competing.
Throughout my three long, long years on the team, there was nothing I used to dread more than track practice. I hated running and all I could ever think about was the finish line. After all of the sweat and loses I acquired, it was official, I hated track and field.
Fast-forward a few years to my freshman year of college. That year, I met one of the most incredible human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of deeming my best friend. He’s intelligent, brave, zealous, and overall lovely. He’s passionate, witty, dedicated, and totally delightful. He’s someone that everybody wants to be friends with and he’s madly intoxicating. Along with all of those traits and many more, he’s also an extremely talented athlete.
My best friend is the star of the track team. He’s the fastest sprinter I’ve ever met and he makes me proud on a daily basis. He works harder than anyone I’ve ever known and there’s nobody more deserving than him. His motivation and dedication to achieve his goals are both admirable traits that I can’t help but adore. He doesn’t let anybody or anything step in his way from getting what he wants and that is something that is hard to find. He rocks my world and I’m so blessed to have met him in the first place.
Growing up, my best friend wasn’t given the greatest life. His story is incredible and the struggles that he was forced to face to get where he is today would shock anybody who has the chance to learn where he came from. To say the least, his story was pretty much written for him at a very young age, and it wasn’t a good one. Track erased that story and handed him a pen. He was given a gift that changed his life for the better. Track is what got him through school and kept him out of trouble. It has always been his escape from reality. It was there for him when nobody else was. Track is the one thing that has stuck with him through all of these years and never thought about leaving his side. It gave him a ticket to college, an All-American title, school records, and a family. Track saved him from a life he didn’t want to live.
Now that he is a huge part of my life, I love everything that’s important to him and I’ll support him no matter what. Nowadays, I love track. I love going to all of his meets and I love watching him improve. I love sitting in the stands waiting for his heat to take off and I have no problem driving for hours just to see him run for less than 60 seconds. I love watching him do what he does best. I love watching his passion shine through the look in his eyes when he’s about to take off. I love witnessing the hard work he has put in all these years exit through his feet as he rounds every curve. I love seeing him happy. It takes a lot for me to have to miss a meet and I nearly cry every time I have to. On meet days, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. The middle school me hated this sport, but the college me can’t get enough of it.
Without track, he wouldn’t be the man he is today. He might’ve made it to college somewhere, but definitely not at Emporia State University. Without track, I would have never met him. Without track, I’d be nothing but a best friend-less gal sitting in her room writing about how I wish I had someone like him. The day he walked into my life is a day I’ll never forget, and I have nothing but track to thank for that. So thank you, track and field, for giving me my best friend. Thank you for saving him.
Sincerely,
NARP
