Sprints. I loved them. I liked the speed, the adrenaline rush, and the cheers that greeted me at the finish line. Way back in junior high when i was an athlete, inter-school athletic competitions were my favorite events of the school therm. During one of these such competitions, l learned a lesson i would never forget.
It was a clear Wednesday morning with the kind of sky that invariably lifts a person's spirits up. We drove to the El-wak sports stadium singing inspirational songs popularly called "jama". The stadium was filled with color: red, green, blue, yellow, white and many others. Every school had its trademark color. At about ten, the games started. The 100m sprints were up first, followed by the hurdles, the 200m race and the 800m race in that order. The 100m relay, my event, was the last for the day. As it approached, our coach gathered us together and said in his stern voice, "Do not drop the baton! I repeat do no drop the baton or else you'll be disqualified. Understand!" "Yes coach", we replied. Our event was announced and we started jogging and stretching. We were then arranged in the track. I was the second person in the relay. Po! went the pistol. The starter, Loretta, was running towards me, baton in hand.
Thud! thud! I could hear my heart drumming in my ears.My palms were sweaty.My entire body was tensed and drenched in sweat. My stomach was tied in knots; the butterflies were flapping beyond control. I stretched out my hand,ready to receive the baton.WHAT! I had dropped the baton.Oh no! I'd done the very thing I'd so desperately tried to avoid.The other competitors took off.I stood there staring after them. It was too late for me.The rest of the event was a blur. On the ride back to school, i sat down quietly unable to look my teammates in the eye.
Later that day at school, our coach told us that he had told us we would be disqualified if we dropped the baton only to ensure that we were extra not to do so and that we would in fact not have been disqualified. My shame knew no bounds at that point. Not only had i dropped the baton but i had also given too easily. Many motivational speakers talk about never giving up and persisting in the face of discouragement.Even the Bible extensively talks on this. I used to consider them as cliches. I realized, the hard way of course,that its their accuracy that renders them cliches.I never quite took these things seriously until experience knocked at my door.
On the walk home that day, i wondered why i had dropped the baton.As i pondered on it, i realized it was because i was extra nervous that day. My nerves were at a personal record breaking high. All that pressure and high expectation had weighed heavily on me, affecting my performance. I realized that i performed better when i was calmer.Because I'm a usually antsy person, it's taking me quite some time to learn to remain calm in any situation.
Although i no longer sprint and would not become the female Usain Bolt i envisioned at the time, i carry these lessons with me now.And even on occasions when i forget, there is always some random event to remind me. An example is the 2013 world cup semi-final match between Korea and Iraq where a korean player scored the equalizing goal eighteen seconds to the end of extra time, an instance in which most players would have given up.
It was a clear Wednesday morning with the kind of sky that invariably lifts a person's spirits up. We drove to the El-wak sports stadium singing inspirational songs popularly called "jama". The stadium was filled with color: red, green, blue, yellow, white and many others. Every school had its trademark color. At about ten, the games started. The 100m sprints were up first, followed by the hurdles, the 200m race and the 800m race in that order. The 100m relay, my event, was the last for the day. As it approached, our coach gathered us together and said in his stern voice, "Do not drop the baton! I repeat do no drop the baton or else you'll be disqualified. Understand!" "Yes coach", we replied. Our event was announced and we started jogging and stretching. We were then arranged in the track. I was the second person in the relay. Po! went the pistol. The starter, Loretta, was running towards me, baton in hand.
Thud! thud! I could hear my heart drumming in my ears.My palms were sweaty.My entire body was tensed and drenched in sweat. My stomach was tied in knots; the butterflies were flapping beyond control. I stretched out my hand,ready to receive the baton.WHAT! I had dropped the baton.Oh no! I'd done the very thing I'd so desperately tried to avoid.The other competitors took off.I stood there staring after them. It was too late for me.The rest of the event was a blur. On the ride back to school, i sat down quietly unable to look my teammates in the eye.
Later that day at school, our coach told us that he had told us we would be disqualified if we dropped the baton only to ensure that we were extra not to do so and that we would in fact not have been disqualified. My shame knew no bounds at that point. Not only had i dropped the baton but i had also given too easily. Many motivational speakers talk about never giving up and persisting in the face of discouragement.Even the Bible extensively talks on this. I used to consider them as cliches. I realized, the hard way of course,that its their accuracy that renders them cliches.I never quite took these things seriously until experience knocked at my door.
On the walk home that day, i wondered why i had dropped the baton.As i pondered on it, i realized it was because i was extra nervous that day. My nerves were at a personal record breaking high. All that pressure and high expectation had weighed heavily on me, affecting my performance. I realized that i performed better when i was calmer.Because I'm a usually antsy person, it's taking me quite some time to learn to remain calm in any situation.
Although i no longer sprint and would not become the female Usain Bolt i envisioned at the time, i carry these lessons with me now.And even on occasions when i forget, there is always some random event to remind me. An example is the 2013 world cup semi-final match between Korea and Iraq where a korean player scored the equalizing goal eighteen seconds to the end of extra time, an instance in which most players would have given up.
