Back when I was a little kid, I have loved to run. I love how free it makes me feel. I love my hair flying back behind me, the sound of my feet pounding on the cement or crumbling dirt, the rhythm of by fast breathing, the exhilarating feeling of winning a race. When I was eight years old I was the closest to beating the fastest boy in the neighborhood, which was quite an achievement. I could always avoid being tagged during Ghost in the Graveyard, Freeze Tag, Refrigerator Tag, and all our other games due to my speed. No one ever doubted that I could run; I got used to that way of living.
One Saturday afternoon when I was twelve years old, I went to a youth activity my church puts on every year. There were about 100 other boys and girls there, ages 12 to 18. I was excited; we were going to play capture the flag, the game for which I became the most enthusiastic. My brain was wired for competitive games and I was determined to win.
I came ready to run. I relished every chance I got to fill up our team’s jail. My excitement mounted as one of the leaders counted off teams and we all lined up on the enormous grassy field.
Right before we started, I heard two boys conversing animatedly in roaring, rambunctious voices a few feet away from me and what they …show more content…
We started to march over to the two boys and give them the facts, but the game had started and they had walked away. I was angry and unsatisfied with what had just happened, but I could not let this stop me from winning the game. I focused in on the people with red armbands; those were my opponents. I saw one of them on our side and chased after him. I ran slowly at first because he didn’t spot me coming. When I got closer he turned around. Then he began to jog at a slow pace, thinking I couldn’t catch him. I got annoyed. Was this ridiculous assumption that girls couldn’t run a common misconception? I ran faster and faster until I was sprinting and running right behind the boy, but I could not quite reach
One Saturday afternoon when I was twelve years old, I went to a youth activity my church puts on every year. There were about 100 other boys and girls there, ages 12 to 18. I was excited; we were going to play capture the flag, the game for which I became the most enthusiastic. My brain was wired for competitive games and I was determined to win.
I came ready to run. I relished every chance I got to fill up our team’s jail. My excitement mounted as one of the leaders counted off teams and we all lined up on the enormous grassy field.
Right before we started, I heard two boys conversing animatedly in roaring, rambunctious voices a few feet away from me and what they …show more content…
We started to march over to the two boys and give them the facts, but the game had started and they had walked away. I was angry and unsatisfied with what had just happened, but I could not let this stop me from winning the game. I focused in on the people with red armbands; those were my opponents. I saw one of them on our side and chased after him. I ran slowly at first because he didn’t spot me coming. When I got closer he turned around. Then he began to jog at a slow pace, thinking I couldn’t catch him. I got annoyed. Was this ridiculous assumption that girls couldn’t run a common misconception? I ran faster and faster until I was sprinting and running right behind the boy, but I could not quite reach