After High School

I am not far removed from high school. Yet while it has been only a few months, I feel that I am on a good track. Currently I attend a good college and I am on a good track team. Unfortunately, I have recently learned that a few friends from high school are already off track. For example I competed for a track club in my area and all four of the athletes on our relay team received track scholarships. One signed with Buffalo, one signed with Wagner, one signed with Mississippi State, and I signed with Northeastern. It seemed we were destined to compete against each other at the highest collegiate level. Yet I learned some surprising news when my coach called to check in on me yesterday. The athlete that signed with Buffalo, Repeat, will not be attending the University. He discovered his girlfriend was pregnant and decided he had to stay with her. Now he attended a community college that does not even have a track team. I was shocked to hear about this and my coach seemed extremely disappointed. It is such a shame, for Repeat was one of the top jumpers and sprinters in New York. It just amazed me at how fast a person's situation can change. When I last spoke to Repeat he was buying books and sheets for school. That was in July. He must have kept this a secret because I have talked to the rest of the team as recently as last week and heard nothing about it. The situation really got me thinking how lucky I am. I was brought up in a culture where everyone who works hard was rewarded with a free pass to college under the title of a track scholarship. To see how fast it can all be taken away was a real wake up call. I need to be thankful for the opportunity I have and take full advantage of it. It is important that I take care to protect this opportunity, for I could just as easily be back at home stuck in neutral.