When I was a freshman in high school I played football, and one day during the morning workouts I was confronted by three larger guys. All three were shirtless and all three had on the tinniest little shorts, something that I up in till then had thought to be a crime to wear in public. They were sweaty and nasty; the hard work was glossed over them like a film of oil across a neighborhood pool. It was almost unnoticeable until they moved one way or the other and the light hit it just right. The larger boy proceeded to pick me and throw me over his shoulder, the whole time telling me that I should run cross country. I did not listen, that was until my sophomore year. I realized after a long hard year on the freezing cold bench that football was not for me. I gave up the dream I once had and decided that maybe I could to cross country, or at least give it a shot. A Senior named Clayton Sippy was very welcoming and it was because of him that I decided to fully enlist as a member of the team. A lot of athletes who train hard will hate me for this, but I instantly was successful. As a sophomore I was the sixth man on a team of seven that was one of the best in the state. I went on to recieve All-District honors twice in cross and twice in track; I also recieved All-Sectional honors twice in cross country. It took no time at all to develop a love for running. People will always laugh and make jokes at us. They say, "How could you run for fun?" At this point though the mockery is like a ceiling fan at night, all you do is smile and let it happen because in the end, it really is not a big deal. To me running is a brotherhood, the people I run with are close to my heart and I would take a bullet for almost all of them. Some of my closest friends and greatest challenges have come from running. When I look back on the decisions I have made, there is one that I will never regret, becoming a runner.
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