Knight 1

Sarah Knight

Mrs. Katie Hawley

Senior Project

14 September 2023

Five-Five-Five, I Feel Alive

The mental battle of dread and anxiety begins the moment I step up to the line. Five

minutes and 55 seconds, 19 up and backs of agony await. “I’ve run these before,” I tell myself.

“It’s no big deal, I can do it again.” Yet, despite my attempts to coax and convince myself that I

was capable of this feat, angst was my companion. We all shout, “Five-five-five I feel alive,”,

and begin the painful race to success on the court. Set one: 5:55-4:44 five up-backs, set two:

4:44-3:33 four up-backs, set three: 3:33-2:22 three up-backs, set four: 2:22-1:11 two up-backs,

and set five: 1:11-0:00 five up-backs.

All 19 girls on the team start off strong, pushing 94 feet to the other side of the court

where we will abruptly change course back 94 feet to the baseline. The first two aren’t incredibly

difficult, but once the third up and back arrives, that is when the going gets tough. Looking

around, my teammates and I begin to have varied paces and leads. Despite the pain and mental

battle I endure, I am determined to make this 5:55. There are five girls, counting me, leading the

pack all with the same motive, to finish. Time is running down to 4:44, I still have one more

up-back to make the timeline. I am becoming fixed in my head at this point, “It is too hard, my

legs are burning, I can’t make it.” I pushed myself harder to cross that line at 4:45.

Breathing heavily, I start my second. Looking around I see a large gap emerge between

those in the front and those in back. Distracted only for a moment by the gap, I press on.
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Completing sets two through four within the time constraint, only set five awaits looming in the

distance. Coach counts down, “1:15, 1:14, 1:13, 1:12, 1:11, GO!” This is without a doubt the

hardest set of all. I am already exhausted, but must continue on to achieve my goal of completing

the 5:55.

Up-back one, done. Two. Three done. I cannot feel my legs, and if I did, they would feel

as if they were falling off. My mind is running rampant saying, “I can’t do this, there isn’t

enough time, I am not fast enough.” Two up-backs remain, my legs are screaming at me, I am

dripping enough sweat to fill a pool, and the mental wall continues to build. I am reaching the

opposite baseline of where we start and finish, I have one and a half up-backs remaining with 17

seconds on the clock. At this point, two options come to my mind, I can say it is too complicated

and don’t try to finish in 17 seconds, or I can give it every ounce of anything I have left to

complete this drill. I decided to go for it. Sprinting, I reach the baseline with 11 seconds and one

up-back remaining. Planting my foot as if to break right through the baseline, I turn and race off

to achieve my goal.

Turning at the other end, I glanced over at the clock, six seconds remaining. Pouring out

everything I have left, it is a mad dash to that dreaded line. Approaching the ten-foot line, Coach

begins the final countdown, “Three, two, one!” Ecstatic, I crossed the line right as Coach

announced one! “I can’t believe it!” I shouted with joy. It has been a season and a half of

basketball with no success. Finally, I succeeded and beat my enemy, the 5:55. I felt like nothing

could stop me now, I could make any drill, and push myself to accomplish anything, but, I soon

realized that the biggest enemy to me is myself. Once I overcame that mental barrier of stopping

or pressing on, with hope I was able to achieve something I only wished for. There are many
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battles, barriers, and difficulties in life, but with hope making that first choice to start, and

persevering, anything is possible.