Prove Them Wrong: part one

Prove Them Wrong: part two

I stared at her helplessly. “Not even close,” I giggled. She gave me a huge hug, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Cara, you can do this.” And even if I didn’t believe her, I couldn’t help but smile. She was the one person who could get me through anything; always had my back.

The first day was awful. I was not even close to as flexible as the other girls and couldn’t keep up with anyone of them in the sprints warm up. I was so far behind, and every minute my face was turning redder and I was panting louder.

“Okay, girls, good job! We’re going to take a short break and then you all can go do a quick mile run.” Couch Riley announced happily. “But, Cara, why don’t you stay and talk with me for a bit, alright?” She patted me on the back, clearly feeling terribly bad for me. I didn’t like that kind of sympathy. In fact, I was sick of it. I was sick of the sympathy that came from a lack of ability or talent. It was so embarrassing.

“Cara, why don’t you stay and talk with me for a bit alright?” Amelia imitated her couch, patting one of her friends on the back gently as if she were a baby. Her friends burst into giggles as they began to jog away.

I sighed, putting my head into my hands. “You don’t even have to say anything,” I mumbled. “I get it, okay I’ve heard it all before. When I tried out for swimming it was, ‘Sorry Cara, you aren’t quite on this level yet. I recommend you try a nutritious diet first.’ And when I tried out for soccer, ‘This really isn’t your thing, honey.’ I don’t need to hear it anymore.”

“Cara, that’s not what I was going to say,” Coach Riley encouraged. “I was going to say that I admire your strength and your motivation to get out here and do what’s hard for you. Not a lot of girls your age are like that. That should be your reward in itself, that you take a challenge and you go for your dreams anyway. You take that challenge and crumble into pieces. You are one of the strongest person I’ve seen in awhile...and I mean that wholeheartedly. Sports aren‘t just about skill and ability. There‘s so much more to it than that, and motivation and drive is a huge part of it.”

I looked up at her, tears in my eyes. I’d been put down all my life. People always told me I’d never be good enough, that I just wasn’t able to do certain things because of my weight. But, that day, Coach Riley gave me a little piece of what I call hope. Hope is something that can get you very far. When all seems lost, it shows up glimmering in the most unexpected places, like one drop of rain in a desert. Hope was going to be my best friend throughout this track season. But, there was one thing that still bothered me. “But still, Coach Riley, that doesn’t mean I’ll ever be good.”

“Nonsense. You’ll always be good at going for your goals, for never giving up. That’s what you’ll always be good at and that says a lot, okay? People are going to try to bring you down everyday. It’s a part of life. And you know the one person that has the ability to bring you down the most?”

“Amelia Armstrong?” I sighed.

“Yourself…Amelia can’t change what you believe. Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

“Eleanor Roosevelt,” I smiled. “Wise lady.”

Throughout that sophomore year of track, I suffered a lot. I lost almost every race I entered, coming in way behind all the other girls. I was hit with sarcastic and rude comments every single day. I was ridiculed and hurt and made fun of. Nobody on that team believed in me. They saw me as a failure, and there were days when I would cry myself to sleep, asking myself why I ever got myself into such a mess. I embarrassed myself everyday. And more and more people came to the meets just to see me fail. They’d yell “Way to go” and “Great job, Cara!” and “Look at that speedy bullet go!” at me, thinking I wasn’t bright enough to read the sarcasm written all over their lips. It was a struggle for me. But, Abigail and Coach Riley kept encouraging me everyday. They told me I was the strongest, most hardworking sophomore girl they’d ever met. I started to believe in myself more and more each day. I’d practice jogging every weekend we didn’t have practice, blaring “Stronger” By Kanye West on my IPOD. I had faith in God and faith in myself. And as my jogs turned into strides and my strides into sprints, the words blared louder to me, over all the ridicule, all I could hear was “Now, that don’t kill me, can only make me stronger.” I kept thinking of the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” And ringing louder was the line I heard once from a movie called “A Cinderella Story”, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

I never stopped hoping. Hope was still my best friend. And with every harsh word and giggle in my face, I grew more and more proud of myself for sticking with it. I told myself that I would never, ever back down. They could call me anything they wanted. They couldn’t change what I believed.

By the end of the season, I had improved, not greatly, but I had improved. My skills were a little better, but still I was slow as anything. I was not born to be athletic. But, I was born to overcome my challenges. I still came in last in most of the races. But, I did it with a smile. I never gave up through all of it. I was so proud. And when Coach Riley named me the team’s MVP at the track award ceremony, none of the other girls said a thing. They were speechless. They never thought I’d endure the whole rigorous season with my body shape and my sorrowful past with athletics. But, I did. I proved them all wrong. “Track is mostly a mental sport,” Coach Riley explained to all my teammates. “And I think you call all learn from Cara that if you put your mind to something, you can do it. You can overcome anything with hope, and if you believe in yourself. There’s always going to be people who say you can’t do this or you can’t do that. They’re there to test you, to see if you will rise above and Cara has. A great part of sports is coming together as a team, accepting each other’s weaknesses and admiring each other’s strengths. It’s about bravery, friendship, determination, and love. It’s been a great season girls.”

Coach Riley gave me a huge hug. I was on top of the world. Just then Amelia came towards me, followed by her friends. “Listen, I’m sorry-,” She began.

“Don’t even worry about it,” I smiled. And as she was about to walk away, I added. “You’ve helped me without realizing it. Every time you pushed me down, I got back up feeling even better, more determined. Your harsh words only made me stronger, and I want to thank you.” I had never been more sincere.