GirouxGoHardOrGoHome

Giroux Writing

Amanda Giroux 6-3-10 Block 8  __Go Hard or Go Home __    It was the day of the big meet, the ECCs. Whoever won this meet would be the champions of the Medium Division Conference for Track and Field. Montville High School’s girl team was the returning champs of 2 years and we were going to make it three years today. We were going to be competing against Bacon Academy, the only other undefeated team in our league. The pressure was high, especially on me. I was expected to run the 4 by 4 relay, 100 meter high hurdles, and high jump, and place at least top 2 in each event. I wasn’t as nervous as I would usually have been; in fact I was somewhat arrogant that day. I had been getting #1 in every event since the first track meet and I wasn’t as careful as I should have been.  Before the meet, we had a pep talk in the wrestling room. Our coaches told us to go out there and do our best, to finish every race, and to have fun and just be proud of ourselves for making it this far. We sat there and listened respectfully, but we all knew what everyone else was thinking. We didn’t just want to “try” our best, we wanted to kick some major butt and show the other team why //we// were the returning champs. The team trouped outside onto the track to do our warm-up. We stared down the opposing team with such fierceness they didn’t dare come next to any member of our team without a friend with them for protection. It was rather amusing, and I was enjoying myself greatly.  The meet started with the 4 by 8 relay, then the 4 by 1 relay, and then the 100 meter high hurdles would be next. High jump was right after the hurdles and the 4 by 4 was the last event in the meet. I warmed up with the other 2 girls who would also be competing in the hurdles on my team. This is when I started to get a little nervous. My hurdle coach was making me change my steps in between the hurdles to 3 large steps instead of 4 steps. I could do it, but it was the first time I was going to do it during an actual meet, which was a tad frightening.  I started to loosen up again as they set up the hurdles when the last relay was done. I was jumping up and down, doing leg swings against the fence, and stretching my hamstrings when my friends came over to wished me luck.  “Don’t kill yourself please Amanda!” Jess said laughing. The big joke at track is that I could hurt myself just by standing still.  “I’ll try not to Jess. But you gotta go big or go home right?” I said also laughing. They left me to finish my stretches.  I was in the second heat with one other girl from Bacon, so when it was my turn I stepped up to the start line, ready to dominate this race. I knew I was a better hurdler than this girl; she had about 5 steps in between each hurdle, which slows you down a great deal, while I was getting 3. It was going to be an easy race, or so I thought.  The race started out perfect for me, I came off the first hurdle perfectly with exactly 3 steps in between each while the other girl was struggling and hitting almost each hurdle; I was in the lead by a lot. I could have walked the last 2 hurdles and still have won, but then It happened. The thing that all hurdlers go through…I hit the hurdle…and went down…hard. It was my first time ever touching a hurdle while in a race, never mind falling but there It was. I was down on the ground and in a lot of pain. All I could hear was the crowd gasp in unison and then my coach going “FINISH THE RACE, FINISH IT!” I tried to get up, but my ankle felt like it was hit with a truck and then stabbed with a hot iron. I just sat there in the fetal position and cried.  All I could think about was how I wasn’t going to be able to finish my races. My whole team was depending on me to win the other events I was entered into today to win the ECC Champion title. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> When I fell, almost the whole team came running over to me. I got hugged and kissed too many times to count. My friends held me while I cried and they walked me off of the track. I sat on the infield wait for the trainer to show up and give his verdict on what I had done to my ankle. When he finally showed up I was in so much pain I wouldn’t let him touch my ankle, which made him think that I broke it in several places. He needed to take me into his office so he could put a brace on it before I went to the ER. I couldn’t walk and everyone was too short to help me hobble along so my coaches had to carry me, which just added to my embarrassment. No other feeling added up to my guilt, however. I was leaving my team, and that just wasn’t right. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> While I was waiting the 3 hours in the ER my team called me to let me know the results of the meet. I picked up the phone ready to cry of disappointment, but instead I got screams and cheers. One of the captains of the teams came on and said this to me: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Amanda, we just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to feel guilty. What happened wasn’t your fault, and even if you weren’t here today, you still contributed to so much to help us get this title again. So congratulations on being an ECC Medium Divisions Champion and we all love you!” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> I was so happy, I cried harder than I did when I fell. I finally realized what she said was true and I don’t feel guilty anymore. One thing that bothers me still is the irony of my words just before my race, “Go hard or go home.” Well, I went hard, then I went to the ER, and then I went home!