A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away ... by Erin

A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away ... by Erin - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

My biggest accomplishment is one that I still reflect on to this day and am most proud of. Thinking back, it feels like ages ago, but the tears swelling in my eyes currently say otherwise. It is still present for me at this very moment. It was in my sophomore year and it seems as though I’ve been to the moon and back, and no time has passed but its been almost two whole years.
I had a friend. We were unlikely friends, as she was a senior at the time, while I was just starting out as a high school freshman. There are "rules" as to who you can and can’t be friends with these days. I met her during indoor track season, as if I needed one more thing to do between dance and school. I seemingly had no extra room on my plate but somehow I joined track anyway. I discovered (well coaches in middle school discovered) that I had a natural talent and ability to do well in track, which was a pretty cool feeling. Having people tell you you’re good at something, yet you can’t fully see it in yourself but Susie saw it too, apparently. She pushed and fought for me to be the best I could be. I think we brought it out in each other. Granted, she had her own life and friends, but when she spoke to me, it was like she cared, and wanted to see me challenge myself. I eventually took an interest in the triple jump, maybe because she did it too. So when the varsity coach gave me the OK to try it out, I was all in. I felt Susie's support even more then because she was an expert in this event in my eyes. She had been the State Triple Jump Champion for two consecutive years, and was going for her third title in the spring.
Then I decided track was no longer for me. Although my coaches and teammates attempted to rope me back in, I decided otherwise. I loved jumping, but running competitively was not something I wanted to continue. So while I did not continue my track journey into the Spring season with Susie, she won the State Championship, and I could not have been happier.
When she graduated and went off to college, we still talked but it had been a while since we spoke. Still, I will never forget the night my life changed forever.
There had been a horrible car accident and Susie was killed. When I heard, I felt dizzy and thought, this can’t be right, this can’t be right, this can’t be right. One of the most influential people in my life had been taken from me, and to this day I just don’t understand. I had not planned on returning to track, not at all, until this point. I was good at it, the only problem had been my lack of interest. Maybe I should say extreme lack of interest. But when Spring finally rolled around again, I felt as if it was my duty to go out and continue the legacy she had left behind. I felt like she would have wanted it that way. As teammates and friends, she never pushed me to do anything I didn’t want to, but this was different because now, I wanted that title so bad in her honor. With a flood of emotion after her death, the coach allowed me to return to the varsity outdoor track team. The season was a success.
Then the day finally came. After countless weeks of training, the State Championship had arrived. I was anxious as usual, but this time around, I was so ready. Susie always had so much confidence in me, and for the first time, I could finally see it for myself. I blazed through every competition undefeated to get this far, and at this point, I was just a hop, skip and a jump away from claiming the State Triple Jump title.
As the day came to a close, so many thoughts and feelings swarmed inside of me. As I waited for every jumper to finish and all the scores to come in, it was announced. I did it! I worked and pushed and fought, and cried and I did it! For a while, it hadn't quite sunk in but Susie made me strong that day, and because of that I am forever grateful. She never truly left me. I know she was looking down and dancing with me at the finish. She believed in my abilities since the day we met. I can only hope she is as proud of me as I am myself. While I give so much credit to my coaches, Susie taught me so much more. When I look at my metal, I think of her and see hard work, determination and success that I carry with me every day.