Never give up

• Maddison Hogan, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2005

I’m no good at sport. Everybody agrees. Everybody teases me. Madeline’s always telling me to ignore it but I can’t stand it especially when Kara the class bully laughs at me. You’d think I lead a boring life, wouldn’t you? Here’s what happened with me and sport.

I was at school camp playing cards. I won. Kara walked through the door and challenged me to another game. The looser had to do what ever the winner said for two weeks. Unfortunately, I lost. Kara made me jump into a lake. I challenged her to a running race. I don’t know what I was thinking!

BEEP! The siren went. I ran as fast as I could, but I could see that I was loosing. Kara was ahead by 10 metres. It was an 800 metre race and I went too hard at the start, I had to pull out halfway through because my stomach was aching. I went home sulking. I walked through my front door and slammed it. I went into the kitchen where I found mum. She asked me what was wrong but I took no notice. I went upstairs to my room with a cool glass of water.

That night, mum came into my room and asked me what was wrong. I couldn’t see any way out of it so I told her the whole story. She told me not to take it to heart and suggested I try a sport that I had ever done perhaps gymnastics. At my first lesson the gymnastics teacher [Melissa] asked me if I could do a bend-back. I shook my head.

Things didn’t improve for quiet some time, During my 3rd lesson when doing a cartwheel, at least I could get my feet off the ground. The 5th and 6th lessons I missed because I caught hay fever off all the spring flowers. At the final 8th lesson [after weeks of practice] Melissa asked me to do a bend-back. It was perfect. I do a split and cartwheel. Melissa called for the bar. I was thinking what is the bar. Melissa said I could do a cartwheel on it. I do very bad on my first and second time, the third one was perfect. I go home grinning from ear to ear. I now had the courage to challenge Kara, in a gymnastics competition.

It is the day of the competition and we must do a bend-back. I do a perfect one, Kara wobbles. I do a perfect split, Kara is way off. Now for the beam. I asked if I could borrow the beam. I do a sensational cartwheel, Kara falls off. By now an audience had gathered. For my new move. I turn around so I’m facing away from the bar. I back flip and then do a spin of it. Kara runs away with a look of fury in her eyes. But not only had I beaten Kara, but I had also realised some thing…
Never give up!