Lost In Beauty-
Sunday, June 17, 2007
i'm a high school player. I play with my friends and with some of my enemies, but i respect everyone when i comes to my sport. I know i'm not going to get a multi-million dollar contract to play professionally. I know I may not ever get my name in the paper. I play for love of the game. For the pride and honour, for the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make the team, to earn the spot, to win the game. I play because I can. I play because I know that my life would be empty without the sport I play. I would have a lack of everything my sport gives me...integrity, courage, talent, fearlessness, pride, strength, stamina, will, and the heart of a champion. If I didn't play, I would lose a part of me.
I am an athlete. I'm a girl. I'm a champion, not because our team always wins, but because when we don't, we learn from our mistakes. We try to fix them, and most of all, we have fun. I have built lifelong friendships and memories because of my being an athlete. I leave everything on the field or court and continue to push myself. I am never happy with second place, but I have learnt to accept it. I have learned to get over and through my anger and be the athlete and player I have always dreamt of being. I don't play for my parents, for my family, for my friends; I don't play for my coach or my teachers or my school. I play for myself but when I am playing, I represent them. It isn't about winning or losing, but I hate to lose.
I won't settle for a tie, and I am not satisfied with 100%. To play, you have to sacrifice everything, your body, your time, your sweat, blood and tears...everything. For the team, I am a player, athlete and champion, not because i know what it is like to win, but because I know what it's like to lose. I know what it's like to feel the anger and pain that comes along with "second best". I have been that girl with tears in her eyes, walking out to receive the second place trophy and clapping as the other team, my opponents, receive the first place one. I know what it's like to lose, what it's like to win, to want to quit, to want to cry, to not want to get up. I know what it's like to hear the cheers and yells for you. I know what it's like to feel the pressure of everyone on your shoulders, and I know what it's like to choke under that pressure. I know what it means to be an athlete, a true player, and that is why i play.
I AM AN ATHLETE, A CHAMPION, A TRUE PLAYER - An Athlete's Pride.
the beauty exposed ;