MIAA Essay

The whistle that signaled the end of the match had long since past its due date. Not only did we only have a minute or seconds even left to play, but we were still battling the other team for every ball. Suddenly, my midfielder sent a ball over the top of their defense and I was off. As I was chasing it down, I noticed the same defender that had been hacking and fouling me since the first minute of the match. As we were running, side by side, I noticed that this was actually not the same defenseman. Unlike all others on his team, he was playing cleanly. I noticed that he wasn't stomping on me or grabbing my arm. This was a kid who played with dignity. As the ball drew ever closer to us, I noticed a slight discomfort in my hamstring. The continuous 30 yard sprints were starting to get to me. Had it not been the closing minutes of the game, I may have let up a little bit, but there was no way I could let this ball get away from me. I used my final reserves of energy to make a push past the defender but a second later the back of my right leg was on fire. I crumpled to the ground grabbing my hamstring and it was one of the worst moments pf pain I had ever experienced. I was on my back, eyes shut, and before the whistle had even blown someone was next to me, stretching out my hamstring. I looked up and saw the defender I had just been battling with over me and making the pain subside just a little. As soon as he saw me pull my hamstring and fall over in pain he forgot about the game. He forgot we were supposed to be rivals. He just saw another human in pain and he immediately came to my aid. Not only was this act of sportsmanship one of the most memorable moments of my athletic career, but my life as well. I will never forget the kindness this random child showed me when I was in need.