You Only Get What You Give
By Mike Ellis
Track is the perfect sport for the hard-working athlete. As a three-time sectional champ and class MVP in one season, I can attest to that. Unlike sports that can go either way depending on a buzzer-beater, off day, bad ref, field goal, or penalty kick, the winners on the track win because they work hard for it. By running track, all-star athletes are no longer held back by teammates who don’t want to practice and get better. Moreover, the relationships made with teammates who share that same desire run deep and can last a lifetime.
Joining the indoor track team my junior year in high school, was the beginning of a huge chapter in my life. That first year, I was the underdog. I was a great addition the 4X400 and 4X200 relays, I ran the hurdles, and even helped to push our fastest runner in the 300. So, other than finishing second in the 4X200 in sectionals, we didn’t make too much noise. However, my time dropped from a 44.4 to a 39.7 in the 300 and I gained muscle from lifting weights and working out nonstop.
Off the track, I formed bonds with my relay teammates and met my girlfriend on the team. While working so hard with each other every day, we all earned and gave mutual respect. Stretch times are good for small conversations, but the best team bonding experiences were outside of school. Captains held small dinner and movie parties at their houses on weekends. We went bowling and became a close group of good friends. Being so close makes practice much more enjoyable especially knowing that others respect you and your hard work.
As my senior year of indoor approached, anticipation grew as the majority of the team was returning seniors. Three guys from our 4X200 relay team would be running it again with one goal on our minds, that sectional patch that was stolen the previous year. That was the driving force in my workouts that year. I could taste the sectional title, and wouldn’t lose it again. We stayed after practice and trained harder than ever. I worked on hurdles and took tips where I could to improve my form. Where I lacked in skill, I made up for not being afraid to take out a hurdle. After the first meet, I became the fastest 300 runner on the team and now had to keep that title. A new teammate joined the team, who would beat me in the 300, challenge me in hurdles, and further strengthen our 4X200 and 4X400 relays.
Having him right behind me all year helped to make me work harder and focus on my goals. My girlfriend helped me calm down and keep my head straight. The respect and experience built my junior year between myself and another teammate was only strengthened by our running together in the 4X200 and 300. We now had 3 top runners in the 300 and a 4X200 team to be reckoned with. I was consistently placing upon the top in the 55 hurdles and occasionally running the 4X400. We worked on everything we could. We ate well and trained hard, and then sectionals came.
Riding on the bus next to my girlfriend, I knew how important this day would be to me for the rest of my life. We talked like usual and I knew she would be in my corner win or lose. My first priority was the 4x200 relay, we had to win or all was lost. Then I’d try to take the 300 if I could. One teammate was hurt, the other was seated second, and I was seated first. There was one more runner I was concerned about, he was seated third, 3 tenths behind me, but he had consistently beaten me over my two years running without fail. Tension and excitement were building. Our relay stayed together with our matching custom Nike shoes. We were like a machine, and we knew the other teams were looking at us and worrying.
The semifinals for the hurdles came and went with me taking second, and going to finals. I hurt my ankle on one hurdle but didn’t let it get to my head. The 300 was a much anticipated event, second only to our 4X200. I lined up in the middle lane, with my teammate one lane outside me and my other rival on the inside. I started in a crouch for the first time ever to get a quicker jump off the line, which worked well. I caught my teammate and used him as a benchmark to cruise and wait for the guy inside to catch up. I knew I only had to beat them so I went into cruise mode saving my energy and waiting for the last straightaway. He passed me on the inside rounding the turn, then I put it into overhaul, breathing deep, pumping my arms, and increasing my overturn. I blew by both of them, with nothing left for the last 10-20 meters, when I let my momentum carry me. I took first with a 37.3and my teammate took a well earned second. We congratulated each other at the finish line. First and second place, we talked about it, hoped it would happen, and it did. What a great feeling. That is a team.
The finals for the 55 hurdles came next. I lined up in my blocks, my girlfriend and support standing on them. I was in lane 5, my competition in eight. As I crouched, waiting for the gun, my muscles were tensing and flexing till that moment to let it all out. I took off like a rocket aimed at that first hurdle. I played it safe but jumped too high, and I felt him pull away from me. The next hurdle I stretched and pulled like I’d been practicing so hard to do. Perfect. We were just about even. The next, I hit my ankle on hard but didn’t wince a bit. I plowed through the final hurdles, sprinting my hardest and scraping my hamstring right over the top. The finish was nothing short of a perfect photo finish. No one knew who won. Even my girlfriend looked worried. The ref pulled up the picture and his head beat me across. But my chest crossed the line first! I won with a 7.8! I didn’t expect to win the hurdles, but I hoped to. Now for the race that meant the most to me.
We warmed up for the relay of our lives like any other relay. We stretched, jogged, and worked on handoffs. Our matching warm-ups and shoes made us that much closer. Our first leg managed to fall back into fifth place when he handed it off to our second leg. Just outside of the handoff zone there was a pile where other teams fell. Our guy leapt over and around people to stay safe in what looked like a miracle to our fourth leg and me. He overtook to guys, just as I hoped he would. I was third leg, and turned facing my great friend and teammate giving 100% of everything he had, coming toward me. I took the baton and ripped off after the two teams ahead of me. I expected one to be there, they beat us last year. I passed him around the first turn. Then, where did this team come from? I got by him on the last turn and gave it my all to get to out last leg. My junior year we were in first and lost on our last leg. I knew it wouldn’t happen again. He wouldn’t let it happen. I handed off in first place knowing it was in the bag, no one will catch him. Watching him come down the last straightaway was in slow motion. Two guys were gaining, but so was the finish line. The whole team was at the finish line when he crossed…as sectional champions. Nothing beats the feeling that every weight I lifted and every day I stayed after practice was all worth it.
The girl’s 4X200 relay team also won sectionals. My girlfriend was part of that team. That is a great achievement to share with someone so special.
I had just taken home tree sectional titles, and now I have something that no one can ever take from me. But, we still have to train for super sectionals. We decided to run the 4X400 instead of the 4X200 for supers. We wore the old school jerseys and went to have a good time. We didn’t expect to win, u wanted to do well. We ran great and took fourth. The best part was the picture that was in the newspaper. The same teammate that took second in the 300 and dodged fallen people in the 4X200 handed off to me. There was a great picture of our perfect handoff in the newspaper, and I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the season.
A better ending however, wanted to come. I was named MVP for section V, class C boy’s indoor track. The ride back to school was wonderful, sitting and talking with my girlfriend. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my indoor track career. I won great awards that most people only dream about and I made bonds that are still strong and will never fade. The respect, friendships, and experiences are things I can look back on and remember forever.
The sport of indoor track gives back what the athlete puts into it. Just like any sport, the coach and captains are still important parts the team and its unity. People who don’t work hard can’t be carried by those that do, and lazy teammates are less likely to hold back true athletes. Hard work and discipline won’t guarantee success, but without it, success will be little. There is more to team unity than practice. Time spent together outside of school and practice is valuable and forms stronger bonds. Track increases self-esteem and lets the stars shine for all their work. This is the perfect sport for the hard working athlete who wants to get anything he/she can out of sports.