Team-Personal Narrative

Today was the day that I had been waiting for, for the entire year. It was something that made me practice and play almost every day just preparing for this, and I knew that victory was within my reach. Quickly changing into my ironed clothes, and eating a soggy bowl of cereal, I raced out into the cold, desolate driveway, waiting for my ride as snowflakes flew around me. Breathing in the cold air nervously, I made sure to have everything on me, as to not forget a thing. Pulling the items out of my backpack, I discovered my small gadget phone, a hearty oatmeal bar, a frozen bottle of water, and a vast amount of quarters that I would use to purchase meatball Subs in between the rounds of play. Finally, spotting my coach’s car with my friend …show more content…
I was currently signed up for the Seventh Grade section with my friend, who I was on a team with. Our goal was simple: Take first place overall in team standings, which meant that we both had to succeed individually. Little did we realize that our division was populated with eager competition waiting to surround us and lead us to our eventual …show more content…
When I found my opponent, who was waiting for me by our board, I immediately began to shrink in size. Whatever confidence and encouragement that I had gotten from others and myself, that was all gone now. My pupils dilated, while my legs were vibrating and my arms were shaking, these were things that I did not notice, for I was buried under a mountain of anxiety and fear of losing. When the match started, I started to rebuild my confidence, playing with what I knew and making sure not to give up many pieces. Chess is a game where you can either come up with a plan of attack, or strategize based on what your opponent is doing. I was doing a little bit of both, playing aggressive enough to scare my opponent’s pieces to the back yet still fortifying my position. The game was going well, until I played a move that would instantly ruin any chance of winning, allowing my opponent to seize the victory quickly. I instantly fell apart, betrayed by my very own mind, and knew that the rest of the matches were for nothing. I broke, and fell deep into a pit of pain, suffering, and defeat. By the time the tournament ended, I was drowning in total destruction, and both my friend and coach could see this. Although I didn’t cry for pity’s sake, they could clearly see that my face was clouded in disgrace. Driving me home, my coach told me