Friday, April 24, 2009
yesterday was the official end of the track and field season. after the entire event ended, we went for a team dinner where i snacked on a burger and fries. it felt like liberation after all those months of abstinence.
but that's besides the point. what i want to say is a little "thank you" to track for turning my fortunes around. having not made it into the tkd competition team twice last year, it was with a little sadness that i left the sport that was my life for 8 years and set out on an unknown journey into a sport that i had absolutely no prior experience in.
the initial trainings were, as expected, hard. at times i actually asked myself why was i doing all this. but i guess the dream of finally wearing the school jersey was the driving force. and not all. i used to think that i was still too young to try external sports like NVM but there were plenty of people with a common passion for such stuff in track and i feel happy that i have conquered 60 storeys and will be going for higher at the end of this year.
then there was the intra-school competitions where i won trophies. credit must be given for the training regime in track. and i never thought that i'd actually run steeplechase ever.
then the big one. nationals. still remembered the night before my 5000m race, i was pinning up my jersey and looking at it wondering how i once thought that i would never wear the track jersey of any school in my entire life, and here i was looking at the reward for a short but fruitful 8 months of training.
then of course the race came and went when i clocked a PB. naturally i felt that had it been my second nationals, i could have done a better PB.
and i still wonder how is it ironic that had i continued in tkd, i would have won inter-school golds and silvers, but all the thrill of running in NVM and nationals and knowing a lot more people than before would not have been possible had i not joined track. and i have to say this: i feel honoured to wear the track jersey.
but that's besides the point. what i want to say is a little "thank you" to track for turning my fortunes around. having not made it into the tkd competition team twice last year, it was with a little sadness that i left the sport that was my life for 8 years and set out on an unknown journey into a sport that i had absolutely no prior experience in.
the initial trainings were, as expected, hard. at times i actually asked myself why was i doing all this. but i guess the dream of finally wearing the school jersey was the driving force. and not all. i used to think that i was still too young to try external sports like NVM but there were plenty of people with a common passion for such stuff in track and i feel happy that i have conquered 60 storeys and will be going for higher at the end of this year.
then there was the intra-school competitions where i won trophies. credit must be given for the training regime in track. and i never thought that i'd actually run steeplechase ever.
then the big one. nationals. still remembered the night before my 5000m race, i was pinning up my jersey and looking at it wondering how i once thought that i would never wear the track jersey of any school in my entire life, and here i was looking at the reward for a short but fruitful 8 months of training.
then of course the race came and went when i clocked a PB. naturally i felt that had it been my second nationals, i could have done a better PB.
and i still wonder how is it ironic that had i continued in tkd, i would have won inter-school golds and silvers, but all the thrill of running in NVM and nationals and knowing a lot more people than before would not have been possible had i not joined track. and i have to say this: i feel honoured to wear the track jersey.
