Potential by Skye

Potential by Skye - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

I had never done sports as a kid, but I was always athletic. I begged my mom about joining my middle school Cross Country team for so long, and I almost had her convinced. But then Covid happened and there was no hope for me. Then I began high school, she was sitting next to me as I was picking out my classes and I got to the sports section. She said yes. I was so excited. There was one problem though; I still hadn’t ever done any sports and I was definitely not the best runner out there. I told myself I would run and train up a bit before school actually started but I really only got out there like twice. I still had just the same amount of excitement though.
The first day of practice came and I truly was humbled. My coach talked to me a few days in asking if I had any previous experience with school sports before and of course I had to tell her no. She then asked me my shoe size and clothing size and I didn’t think anything of it, just assuming it was for uniforms. Then the next day I was called into her office after practice. I walked in so scared but immediately she told me, “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.” then pulled a chair closer to her and asked me to sit. After some talking she pulled a small box out from under her desk and handed it to me. There were brand new running shoes, shorts, and shirts inside. She smiled at me and told me she saw potential, she said even though there is a clear struggle for me that she wouldn’t give up, so I shouldn’t either.
Everything was just uphill from there. Having that honesty from a coach about how I wasn't where I needed to be seemed to make everything click and I just kept on improving. My coach kept teaching and checking in. I kept running and getting faster. Just my freshman year I went from a mile time of 8 minutes and 12 seconds to 6 minutes and 15 seconds. I was still on the slower end for competitive running, but getting almost 2 minutes faster after 9 months is not the usual outcome. Having my coach’s honesty and belief made me believe in myself. I learned to work with my potential instead of just expecting me to be at the finish line right when I start.