Sylvester Johnson

Miss Austin

English Compostion

Aug 19, 2022

An 800m qualifiers

As we pulled up to the Missouri S&T track the hosting place of the AAU junior olympics

qualifiers I am awoken by my sister shaking me by my left shoulder “ Sylvester wake up your

going to miss your event”. I had slept through the two hour drive to rolla and an extra one hour

and thirty minute stop due to my dads eight year old truck breaking down and this left me with

little time to prepare for my upcoming race.

When I hopped out of the truck the two and a half hour nap still had me dazed so I had

not comprehended how close I was to missing my race. When I had heard that the qualifiers

would be held at Missouri S&T I hadnt realized that this was the same college I was had spent a

whole week at the summer before for a college tour so when I made this recollection I could not

help but take a minute to reminisce but im interrupted by i am awanked by the sound of my

coaches voice and realise that my mom is on the phone with him, and he doesnt sound happy.

“Ay Where's sly at they start rolling in ten minutes the girls 800m already started” hearing my

irate coaches rant snapped out of my daze and I finally got me on track. Not knowing where the

bathroom was I changed into my tight dark blue speed suit in the parking lot and just hoped that

no one were watching. As I left the parking lot I had not even made it to the entrance gate and I

could already hear my coach yelling at me. “Lets go Wake up the pace Sly, you can hed on over

to our tent and start stretching and make sure you drink some water while your over there its hot

today.

At the tent coach BJ was waiting on me since there were only three other people running

the 800 today and coach already got them stretched. Coach BJ told me to do some static stretches
Sylvester Johnson

Miss Austin

English Compostion

Aug 19, 2022

for fifteen seconds each so I started of with some calve stretches and counted to fifteen then after

I went to my thighs then hamstrings then shoulders. After static stretching I routinely startedto do

dynamic stretches which is supposed to get your blood pumping before you run but these got ciut

short by coach BJ “Sly you dont have time for that get your spikes on then get som so I did ae

fifty meter sprints in” so I got on the eigth lane of the track, I rn one fifty and jogged back I ran a

second fifty and jogged back and then it was time. “Fourteen and Fifteen year old 800-meter

runners on the track” said the announcer on the intercom, so I went up. Usually im not very

nervous before I run because i have never really cared about winning afterall I joined track to

stay in shape not to get approval, but this time was different, my sister had joined mty shot

putters on and the thought that my sister could get a track and field scholarship before me made

me scared to lose. Me and twelve other boys lined up on the track two people per lane to have as

many people run and almost immediately as after we lined up the gunf fired and I took off. The

first lap felt almost surreal because I was so focused on running that I didn’t feel anything like I

went to sleep and woke up on the second lap, but when I woke up was all down hill because

everything hit me at once, my thighs were burning, my calves were throbbing, my right knee was

aching, but the absolute worst part was I realized something, I was in first place. Not knowing

where my opponents were made me so nervous that I looked back could see two runners right

behind me. “STOP LOOKING back SLY YOU GOT TWO HUNDRED METERS LEFT” yelled

coach BJ. As I passed the one hundred meter mark it felt like there was no more oxygen in my

body so as I ran the final stretch I switched my focus from controlling my breathing to just

finishing the race.

Sylvester Johnson

Miss Austin

English Compostion

Aug 19, 2022

I crossed the finish line in first place and an electronic board next to the track displayed

my time “Sylvetser Johnson 2.02” which was my personal best, but my first thought was not to

celebrate, it was to see how my sister placed in shotput since she was really the person I was

competing against. Not even two minutes after the race I left to see my sister throw but when I

got there she had already finished and the distraught look on her face let me know that it did not

go well