I grew up always playing sports and being called one of the guys. The only girl in my 7th grade class who enjoyed participating in the gym class games. All the girls loved to wear their uniform dresses as high up as they could witout being handed a uniform violation or a detention slip. I always wore my dress to cover up or I wore pants every chance I had so I could play with the boys and practice for softball.

During recess on game days I would practice pitching with some boys in the school yard. During basketball season I had twisted my knee so I already felt a dull pain in my leg. On this day a friend thougth it would be funny to trip me infront of everyone while I went to get the ball. I fell and felt sharp pain in my knee and every time I tried to get up I could feel the blood draining from my face. My stomach was doing flips while a group of girls were laughing at me and I was trying to pretend  was okay. I forced myself to get up and walk away so I could pitch for the first game my grandpa would go watch. Once I finally got up on my feet I twisted my leg to the right and it felt like a balloon popping insinde my leg. I kept a straight face and walked inside the building to get ready for the game.

After the game I went home and put some ice on my knee. I told my parents it was hurting but I didn’t tell them how it happened. They thought I was just sore from pitching 5 innings. The next few days I did not go to practices or games. The next week my knee felt how it usually did after a long practice. I started playing in the games again without going to a doctor but I thought evrything was fine because if I did feel it pop I could easily pop it back in where it felt comfortable. I finished the season as the top payer on the team. So the next year I was team captain. All year I had the same feeling but eventually I got used to the slight pain constantly in my knee. I finished middle school as the MVP for girls softball team and went into high school excited for softball season.

Freshman year softball tryouts were first thing in the mornig the beginning of december. I went to all 3 tryouts but because I have always been so small I was put on the junior varsity team. The first day of the official practice we all had to run around the buiding from the basement to the 4th floor. I was so excited to be on the team that I forgot my knee was not perfect and not healthy enough for tis amount of running. After the first lap around the buiding  my chest felt heavy but I knew I could keep going and catch up to the rest of the girls.  I was more than halfway through my second lap when my knee finally gave out and popped. This time it felt like no pain I had ever felt. My knee was locked into a place it was not supposed to be in. Since it was after school hours and I was far behind the group, I had to sit and wait for someone to pass me to help me up. A senior tried to help me but we both knee this was not somethig I could keep up and keep running with so I had to wait for the coaches to call a nurse and check my knee. The nurse finally arrived and had to call home so I could get picked up. The team helped me get on public transportation because my parents were not answering my calls. The bus ride felt like the longest ride I had ever taken. Finally I got home and they took me to the hospital to get and X-Ray. Luckily nothing was broken so I was scheduled for and MRI. The doctor told me that instead of my knee cap coming out of place, it looke dlike my knee cap was pushed back into place while I was running. I knee finally I could treat my knee properly knowing what had happened and I was releived that I could get my strenght back.

I had to stop playing on sports teams but it will always be what I love the most. I would always give my best effort in gym class and my knee felt perfect. The boys and girrls loved to pick me for teams because I tried my best. Finally in high school I felt like I belonged and there was no judment for not being girly.