Making Progress

I cleared my first hurdle the other day and had my sister film it. It was an exciting experience, but also a scary one. It's a bit terrifying running up to something you have no idea if you can jump over, and have to jump over it. My mom and I borrowed a hurdle from the high school and brought it back to our house, setting it up in the driveway. My sister pulled out her phone and began filming me and my mom just said, "go." Surprisingly enough, I listened and trotted up to the hurdle before clearing it without struggle.

(This video is actually really embarrassing, so)

Of course, there are still some things that I have to work on. My arms make me look like a helicopter trying to fly away from the struggle that is hurdling. I've tried tucking my arms in, but it just makes me feel like I'm going to fall over when I land, which my mom said was reasonable for my first time.

This experience has made me proud in more than one way. Of course, I'm really proud I was able to actually jump over a hurdle on my first try. And I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but my mother told me that I was 'promising.' She's my mother, so she's supposed to say these things, but on top of that, she's the track coach and has seen other girls compete in this event, and knows where I stand when compared to them.

On the other hand, I can't help but marvel at my confidence. Of course, I was just with my mom and sister (I actually requested to bring the hurdle home so I didn't have to try in public), which definitely boosted my confidence. I'm sure I'll be much shyer when I practice with other boys and girls and a coach that's not my own mom. However, the fact that I was able to put my dignity on the line and just go for it actually amazes me.

I hope to try lining up more than one hurdle and try going through all of them at once. The idea kind of stresses me out, but I'm also really excited to see how I'll do.