. I am not one to watch sports, but I was in sports, ironically. During middle school we could join them. For trial week, I had noticed that I was not the fastest, the strongest, the tallest, yet I somehow made it. I can clearly remember the speech he gave the following week on a Friday after the game. "You have speed!" he said to one as he pointed at them, and coach seemed so proud. "You have strength!" he pointed at another one. "You can catch!... and you! You can throw!" he pointed at two guys at the end of the group. Then. Then, he looked at me and he said, "and You! You... you have potential!" and we all laughed, and I followed with them. I had no idea how much he meant it. I had started on A team, and I was always defense but the coach said it was the best offense he'll ever get. I could not catch or throw footballs, so linebacker, quarter guard, and receiver were out for me. This was on a humid, hot, Monday. There was this guy in the offensive team of my school who kept targeting me and at some point, I started running away from him. The coach pulled me off the field and told asked me, "What happened?" and I responded, I got scared. He was shocked. He walked a circle and then said, "look, go back there and get him back." I shocked my drenched head. "Look, either you go get him or you go get the ground." and I responded in fear, "I'll rather hit the ground than hitting him." and I did. For the following 3 days, after warming up he will pull me out of Schirmachers and make me hit the ground like no tomorrow. Every hit lifted dirt that would get into my eyes, mouth, and nose. I would thirst and be mocked by my peers, yet I did not complain. On the 3rd day on that week, he looked so distressed, and I did not wish to give in as I believe I was prioritizing my safety. "Do want to continue or are you going to go in there and take him on?" I did not respond. He took a deep breath and told me "Look, son... I know you're scared, and you don't want to do it but in life you will sometimes have to take them head on and if you don't take them head on then life will make you hit the ground and bury you alive. I know you are smart. You've proven it in the games. How you go in and intersect the ball despite you can't catch it. How you take down an unaware player, so they don't become a threat to our runners. How you have been trying and I want you to keep doing it because you have the potential." he stood there quiet for a couple of seconds and I my eyes were watching, not allowing myself to blink. My eyes were teary because no one had ever told me that and weather he could see it below my helmet or not did not mattered to me. I shocked off my tears and cleared my eyes. He asked me again with a tone that said that he was going to give up on me, "Do you want to continue with this...?" he pointed at the ground. "... or are you going to go in there and take him head on?" he pointed at Fear. I took a deep breath, looked at him in the eyes, and said with fear in my voice, "I want to take him on." He turned to the field and called him. He told us this would be a 1v1.
"READY! SET! HUT" Fear ran me over.
"READY! SET! HUT!" he ran me over again.
"READY! SET! HUT!" My legs, stuck on the ground. My mind, blank. Strength, zero. I went flying upon impact.
I stood up got in position again. I had always had bad luck but I had never givn up. Coach did not took me in for being a coward. He did not took me to see me fail. I took a deep breath. "READY!". "SET!" I exhaled my lungs out. "HUT!" I looked forward, holding my greeted teeth with my tongue, and rushed forward with Fear rushing furiously toward me. My helmet broke, I flew across the air, and got my 1st and only concussion. Fear stood next to my laying body on the ground and extended his hand. He was picking me up. He laughed as he picked me up and patted the dirt off my back. My peers laughed and I followed. I never knew why he was targeting me and never managed to thank my coach for helping me push through hell instead of allowing me to run away. Now, even if I'm unsure. I will keep pushing through because that is what I was taught. I'm doing it because that is what I wish to teach my children and that's how I want to help the world. Even if I fall, with Fear, I'll stand up.
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