Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight

Climbing onto the ski lift, I began to shiver. The temperature below zero degrees, I couldn’t contain my nervousness. Approaching the top of the hill, I grabbed my friend’s hand and slid off the ski lift. Seeing the massive hill before my eyes, I blinked in disbelief. “What did I join ski team”? I asked myself this over and over. But still couldn’t come up with a logic answer.

The Black Diamond hill. “Ready?” my friend asked. Without waiting for an answer, she went down the hill easily. I stood staring at the hill below me, not knowing what to do. So I waited for my friend to come back.

“Going to stand up here all night?” she joked as she came back. Then, she gave me a push and I was on my way. I kept my balance in the beginning while my mind was racing, trying to think about my form, balance, and anything that would keep me from falling.

But I was going so fast. The second I started to tilt my skis against the snow, I tumbled. It was all a blur of snow and skis in the air. Finally I came to a halt with a gust of misty snow, and a lost ski yards behind me. I looked up to the sky and laughed at myself. My friend came around and asked me if I was okay, trying to contain her own laughter. I hobbled up the hill to grab my other ski, and slid slowly back down.

As my friend and I arrived at the top of the hill again, my nerves built. Not only did I have to face the threat of the Black Diamond again, but I had to ski a solemn race for the time trial. The order went varsity boys, varsity girls, junior varsity boys, junior varsity girls and then me. I studied each person as they went down the hill.

It was my turn to go. I grabbed the bars and thrust myself forward. The trail was as slippery as ice. I faced both of my skis in a snow plow position to stop me from falling. But there was no way to slow down. I saw the last flag and flew past it. My skis went out of control and again, I fell. This time, not only did my friend see, but every parent spectator, and every other skier there, saw me fall.
Face beating red from the snow and embarrassment, I skied down the rest of the hill slowly. Hearing laughs and whispers, I knew they were all about me. Little did they know, this was the first time I had ever skied in my life.

As time went on, practices and races went as usual: wait until everyone went so I could ski on the icy path and fall in front of everyone. It became such an occurrence that I wasn’t embarrassed or nervous anymore. The skiers and parents expected me to fall. I became agitated when I couldn’t stay up, but it only made me try harder each time.

At the end of the ski season, I built stamina and endurance and I knew it was time for me to make it down the hill without falling. The coaches had also told me I could race for the junior varsity girls instead of my own, uncounted team. I now had a purpose, and I had to prove to every skier and parent there that I improved.

I stared at the hill. This is it, I told myself. With a small tug on the bars, I slid down the hill, carefully concentrating, and not letting the nervousness take over my head. As I passed the last flag, a smile began to form on my face. I made it.
I heard the crowd clapping and cheering for me as I swiftly braked my skis and came around the end zone. Even though I had gotten the slowest time out of all the racers, I was happy to make it down the hill without falling and to have at least received one counted time.
Looking back to that freshmen winter, the falls I had pushed me further. Continuing with the same mindset in academics, sports, and work, whenever I fall, I bring myself up and try again.