Why Long Jump?
I am a long jumper. I have been doing Track and Field for over a decade, starting from 2012. However, Why Long Jump? In the beginning, I did not have a choice. I was not fast enough to be a sprinter. I placed last in my first 1500m race and switched to hurdle. Then the coach found a more talented teammate in hurdling. Finally, I landed in the Long Jump to fill the vacancy. I worked my ass off to place 13th among 32 competitors and helped the school to get 1 precious point. This sense of accomplishment was like drugs. I was addicted and continued consuming it. However, my dedication to track and field was not justified in most people's eyes. Commitment from a 5’6” Asian who only scored 1 point for the school and did not even get into the college team? Why Long Jumping is still a big question in my life. Life threw me numerous incidents to force me to rethink this critical question.
“Why Long Jump?” 2018 after graduating from high school, I was not good enough to get into the college team, although I still trained 5 days a week. I got accused of wasting too much time on sports instead of getting a part-time job. My parents could not understand what I was trying to achieve. “Why Long Jump?” They asked. I was annoyed. As a student, my mission is to get myself educated. Isn’t sports training a form of education? As a loser in sports, what I have learned was beyond medals and trophies. Self-discipline, perseverance, optimism, diligence, dedication, and all those life lessons that shaped my personality. “Your son is well-educated through the Long Jump,” I said. I then gave them evidences. They agreed and never interfered with my decision again. Because they knew their son clearly understood what he is doing and why he is doing it.
“Why Long Jump?” I thought this question would have long gone. Until last year, I moved to the US with my family and stayed in my uncle's house temporarily. He found me a full-time job, which I was not ready to commit to. I was trying to leave time for training before the sunset (Sunset was at 5pm in the winter of NJ…). He was pissed off after knowing my plan, like very pissed off. “I got a job for you and you are rejecting it? You are just a short Asian. You will never be as explosive as the black. You are not going to have a bright future by doing this. Tell me, Why Long Jump?” I did not respond. His words were knives penetrated me. My heart was bleeding. A tear dropped. I kept silent. In my mind, I do not want to have an ordinary (maybe somehow rich) life like him. I could stop doing what I like and work 9-5, enjoy my salary after work. But if life is a terrain, I would rather my life be full of valleys and gullies than living in a boring plain. The meaning of life is adventuring. A life without ups and downs is monotonous. While I am just walking my journey. I am the one to judge the rights and wrongs. No matter what, he is my uncle, I respect him. I worked full-time and never gave up my training, waking up 7 am to the gym before work, finishing work ahead of time to sprint before sunset. (videos on how I did my workout, please visit HERE) Although it was challenging to manage my time, I did it, and I did it well enough to shut his mouth.
“Why long jump?” Now, If you ask me, it is the best tool I could assess to live my life to the fullest. I am going to write an extraordinary story with my body and soul, not in a way that being the best in the world or being a record holder. From the bottom of my heart, I understand that not everyone has the talent to be the protagonist and showered by the spotlight. How about being a respectable supporting character, competing against the best, and carrying out how good they are? Instead of being the best of the best, my dream is insignificant. But to me, it is a metamorphosis of a boy who placed last, and spent more than a decade relentlessly pursuing to catch up. It is all about proving to myself and the world that Jason has an iron will. With the iron discipline, I am going to climb the castle in the air. No one knows where the story will end. What I can guarantee is that this is going to be inspiring. Let the spirit carry on!
(Modified from my project one of the course 2023FA - EAP II 01:356:156:10)
Project grade: A
