Always Take Advice from Your Coach

         

Afshar 5

Josey Afshar

Mr. Vickman

English 9

15 October 2013

Always
Take Advice from your Coach

When I was
little I used to ask my coaches, "Why do we have to stretch?" And
complain to them by saying, "It is pointless to stretch let's
just start the practice!" However, no matter how much complaining I
did the coach would just smile and shake their head as if thinking
how stupid that would be. Little did I know that stretching was
actually important and not stretching would be a foolish mistake I
would make one day.

"Come on," my friend Emma begged, "stretching is not that
important, besides I never stretch."

"I do not know Emma, the coaches say it will help us improve," I
argued.

"Please? It is not like you have ever thought of it as useful
either," she pointed out.

"Fine," I agreed. "It really cannot be that important."

"Yes! I knew you would agree! Now, come with me to get something
from the concession stands, I am starving," she announced.

Emma and I then ran over to the concession stands ignoring the most
important thing about running, which is warming up and stretching
beforehand.

"Did you stretch?" One of our coaches questioned me a couple of
minutes later, while I sat and watched kids from other schools
warming up.

"Yep," I lied.

"Are you sure? Because, I do not think I saw you out there
stretching with the rest of the team," she replied.

"Positive, besides it is not like stretching is a big deal," I
shrugged.

My coach laughed, "Oh yes it is! In fact you can get seriously hurt
if you do not stretch," she warned with a serious tone.

"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled.

Then,
I muttered something about going to go line up for my heat. I ran off
to the track hoping she did not notice the guilty look plastered on
my face. As I started to line up for my race I looked around
and I saw something surprising. A coach from another school
came up to a girl on my left and pulled her out of the race.

As they
walked away I heard the coach ask, "I did not see you stretch, did
you?"

"Uh, no I
did not have time. I was late, I just got here," complained the
girl.

"You know
you cannot run the race unless you stretch, especially after what
happened last time," warned her coach as they walked away.

"Wimp,"
I muttered under my breath. "What is the big deal if she did not
stretch? It is only one race."

I did not
have any more time to think about it, just then a referee walked up
to the starting line and warned us we only had about thirty seconds.

"Take your marks," warned the ref, "get set, go," he yelled!

Everyone
then leapt off their starting blocks and started to run. Sprint,
jump, sprint, jump, sprint, jump, and crack my knee went!

"Ouch," I cried, as I stumbled over the finish line with an
enormously huge pain in my leg. My leg was on fire, maybe not
stretching was not my brightest idea and maybe it is important to
stretch. Thoughts like these raced through my head as I limped over
to my mom.

"What happened?" She cried, "What did you do?"

"I have no idea," I admitted, "I was jumping a hurdle when I
heard a loud crack in my leg!"

"Let's get you home and if it still hurts tomorrow we will go see
the doctor," she replied.

When I got
home I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and hobbled upstairs to
my bed to sleep. I woke up the next morning to a huge pain in my
right leg. As I limped downstairs my mom saw me.

"That is it, we are taking you to the doctor today," my mom
decided.

"It cannot be that bad, probably just a pulled muscle," I quickly
said.

"No, a pulled muscle would not be giving you this much trouble,"
she said. "I am going to go call the doctor now."

"Fine," I said as I pulled out some cereal for breakfast.

A few hours
later I was being hustled into the car by my mom.

"Go figure," I said to myself. "Just my luck, I do not stretch
once and I go to the doctors."

As we
waited in the packed waiting room I started to worry. What if it
really was serious? Or what if I could not finish the track season?
Or maybe I would need my leg cut off!

However, my thoughts were soon cut short by a young nurse telling me
that the doctor was ready for me. The nurse first took me to an x-ray
room, telling me from what my mom told the doctor I should get
x-rays. She had me put my leg in different angles and
uncomfortable positions. Later, she showed me to the doctor's
office where the doctor was waiting for me.

"Hi, my name is Doctor Obama," he said as he introduced himself.

I smirked at the name, "Like the president," I questioned.

He smiled and just asked, "So what happened?"

"Well, I had a track meet yesterday and during my race-"

"What event were you racing in?" he asked.

"Hurdles," I simply stated. "While I was running I heard the
loud crack in my knee, which was then followed by a huge amount of
pain in my knee," I finished my story.

"Could I ask you one more question?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Did you stretch?" he asked.

I looked ashamed down at my feet and responded with a shake of my
head.

"Ah, I thought so," he replied. "From what you told me and from
your x-rays I believe you fractured your knee."

"What?" I almost yelled. "How long will I be out? Will I need a
brace or a cast? Will I have time to finish the season?" I nagged
him.

"From the x-rays I saw, you could be out from three to four
months." He sighed.

"I cannot believe it," is all I said.

"Well, this could have been easily prevented if you had stretched."
He replied, "maybe next you will listen to your coaches and be able
to complete your season."

Now, that I look back on all of those days I complained to my coaches
about stretching, I realize that they were only looking out for the
best of me. Every time I run now, I make sure to stretch. Even if I
am running late for a practice or just do not want to I remember what
happened last time and what could happen again if I do not.