The Last Game: A Personal Narrative Of My Life

For three months in the spring, my life revolves around one thing, lacrosse. I spent the cold morning before class and the hot afternoons after, on the field, I always met the expectations for someone on the team. I ran until I could no longer run, I played in the drills, and I showed up to every game. However, I never played in the games, and that was because I only ever reached the expectations, never raising them. I remember at the end of my freshman year, my coach sat me and a group similar in my abilities down during the last practice. He told us that we could be one of two people in life: "JAG's" and the rest. I was a “JAG”, just another guy. He then told us that we could no longer coast through life just getting by. After that day, I felt helpless and like there was nothing I could do to improve. In my mind, I had done all I could do. For the summer after that season, his words haunted me. The next season came by, and I knew I had not changed. Once again, he took a group like the one in the previous year, and it brought me on the verge of tears because I knew exactly what he was going to say. Hearing that same speech for the second time made me feel hopeless and like I was wasting everyone's time by being on the …show more content…
We began having weight room three days a week, and the rest we would have conditioning and stick skills. I made it a point to show up every day, even though it was not required. After every session, my coach would tell us about the value of hard work, and how we had to get better every day. The words that once preoccupied my mind served as my drive. I determined myself to no longer be just another guy. I soon began to see the results of my dedication; I was developing more muscle, running faster, and passing more accurately. The older players that I once revered I could not compete