As I lunged to the left and fell awkwardly to the ground with my knee cap rotating out of the socket, the severe pain told me immediately that my chances of trying out for the varsity field hockey goalie in one month looked impossible. One week after the injury, the orthopedic surgeon gave me the exact news I had feared, the ligament was torn and it would be six weeks of physical therapy to allow my knee to heal. I only had three weeks until tryouts. Failure flooded my mind as my injury stole my dream of being the varsity goalie.

During my first physical therapy appointment, the therapist could see my glum, depressed state of mind from my injury and not being able to try out for fall sports. The therapist told me to smile and have hope. If I had the determination to succeed and was willing to work hard, he could help me be ready for tryouts. For two and a half weeks I iced my knee three times a day, completed my knee stability exercises morning, noon and night each day, attended my physical therapy sessions, wore my knee brace and prayed continuously for the swelling to go down quickly. Although my body and mind were tired of the repetitious schedule and constantly tempted me to quit my difficult workout schedule, I was determined to be physically and mentally ready for tryouts.

Watching the U.S. Olympic field hockey team play during the Olympics gave me the extra drive I needed to endure and work hard every day. I saw other athletes who were dealing with painful injuries but were determined to compete and fulfill their Olympic dreams. I considered this once more as my heart was beating rapidly while the therapist ran me through the rigorous stability exercise tests which I had to pass in order for him to sign off on my tryout papers. I passed the evaluations, reached my dream of trying out for varsity goalie and my team went to the playoffs that season.

This experience taught me that hope, hard work and determination can change initial failure into success. I learned the power the mind has over the body. An individual can often achieve great success by pushing herself a little bit farther each day until her goal is achieved. The body can endure great pain when the mind knows it will help the body become stronger in the end. Friends and family play a very important role in helping us believe in ourselves and helping us make our daily goals.   Being optimistic in discouraging circumstances can give your body and mind power to move forward. I will now use hope, determination and endurance in my future experiences to turn initial failures into long-term successes.