Families logo

Mom's support.

Aliyah Campbell

By Ali CampbellPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
4
My life put into one moment, put into one time, put onto one track.

If my mom wasn't a big part of my support system up to this day, I don't think I would be able to stay on track. Literally.

I looked her in the eyes with fear. Who knew this could be so nerve-racking. A girl in fourth grade, running on a track for the first time. This is me. I couldn't let go of her hand when she brought me to the line where all the other grade four girls were standing. It went from the highest grade, grade 8, to the lowest, grade 4. Thank god I was in grade 4 at the time, because I didn't want to go first.

What made me more nervous to run the 100m dash was the fact that everyone was watching, and that included my mom. The worst possible thing that could happen was looking bad in front of everyone, and her. But she told me I could do it, that I could do well. And I guess, that's what pushed me to try.

Soon after when the grade 5's had already ran and were now existing the track, it was my turn to run. I look to my left and then to my right. There were a total of eight lanes, and I was in the sixth one. My height was very different from the other girls, but I still felt like a fish out of water. A fish against hungry and vicious sharks. A rusty bike against shiny and amazing sports cars.

I was getting nervous again. I could feel butterflies in my stomach. At this point, I was having second thoughts about running this race. But I glanced at the crowd of people watching us. I couldn't see my mom, she probably was near the end of the track. Even though I couldn't see her, I pretended like I did. I knew she was cheering me on, wherever she was. So right now, all I had to do was do my best.

The official with the starter pistol told us to get ready. I put one foot in front of the other and bent my knees a little. This was the moment. He said into his mic, "set..." I could feel my muscles getting ready to run. This was the moment. I looked forward at my target, the white line across on the other side of the track.

This was the moment. Seconds later, he shot the gun and I flew down the track with the other girls behind me. My mind was blank. Except one thing still lingered in it.

I stopped running when I crossed the line. I was out of breath, and I felt like falling over. When I leaned back up to see where the other girls were, all of them had finished after me. They all came running across the line, they were also out of breath.

But what shocked me the most was the fact that it was only me who crossed the line when I finished. It took them a second to cross the line after, but it was after I had. Which meant that I...

"I... I came... first..." I mumble to myself. I tilted my head to the side. I could finally see my mom. She looked so happy for me. She was even clapping as well.

When we all got off the track, my mom congratulated me, and so did the rest of my school. It was hard to believe, but this really was happening. I had won the race.

"See? If you never tried and never had faith in yourself, you never would've gotten that," she pointed to my ribbon that was just handing to me. "I'm proud of you."

I smiled and hugged my mom.

The reason this moment in my life is so important to me is because without my mom, I wouldn't have known how good I was at track. She's been a huge part of my support system this whole time. I love track, so she will always come to all of my track meets and cheer me on. She even signed me up for a track team, and now running has become my career. I also love to write, so any opportunity that comes along for me to show my skills, she'll tell me about it.

She's always trying to help me improve my talents so I can put them to good use in the future. I'm glad my mom supports me in my dreams and my goals. Which is why I can't waste these talents. She's helped me so much. Leaving my talents behind would be a big waste of her support. She wants me to fulfill my dreams, and I'm fine with her helping me.

That truth is, I'm only succeeding this much because my mom is always within 100m of me. She's always there when I need her. I don't need to run the full 100m to get her support.

fact or fiction
4

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.