On the Track

by Deirdre Abrahamsson

Turning points can come in many forms: an unexpected event or occurrence, a decision made, a change in plans. One of the biggest turning points in my life came with a simple sign posted on the wall outside the cafeteria in my high school that said: "Girls' Indoor Track Team meeting next Tuesday."

I was twelve years old and a freshman at St. Francis Prep High School in Queens, NY. From my little Catholic grammar school where there were 60 people in my graduating class, I was now attending school clear across the city where I was one of 700 freshmen. There were almost 3,000 people in the whole school. I knew only a few of them from my grammar school, and I was shy about making friends. I skirted around on the fringes of groups. When others reached out to befriend me, I held back.

I made it through the first two months of school set to continue on this path, but then in late October everything changed. I don't know what inside of me responded to that sign. I hadn't done any organized sports in grammar school although I always liked to play running games on my block. I didn't know much about Track and Field besides what I saw on TV from the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. I knew who Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith Joyner were, but watching them didn't make me want to be a runner the way the movie "Nadia" made me want to be a gymnast or the movie "Flashdance" a dancer. I just decided on a whim that I would go to the meeting and see what it was all about.

I don't remember much about the meeting. I wrote my name and homeroom number on a sheet of looseleaf that was passed around and was told that practices would start in a few weeks, as cross-country season was already underway. I am so glad that I missed that or I may have been so turned off by long-distance running that I wouldn't have stuck with it!

A few weeks later I got a note in homeroom saying that practices were starting. Before I knew it I was doing things I never imagined: running relays, hurdling, long jumping, throwing the shot put. My coaches said that I was good at the high jump, and that quickly became one of my main events.

My life soon became a whirlwind of practices and track meets. I always liked school, but now I loved it. I loved being a part of the team, and I loved being an athlete, and that made it easier to get through the school day.

I entered high school as an anonymous face in a sea of students. I left as a school record-holder in several events. I competed in the New York State Championships, I was a New York City Champion, and I was recruited by several colleges as a student-athlete. I went to the University of Pennsylvania, where I continued to compete in Track for all four years.

Responding to that sign for the St. Francis Prep Track team was an easy and gentle turning point for me, compared to some of the other things that came my way during the next decade. The experiences I had as an athlete and a member of a team set a firm foundation that gave me confidence, a strong work ethic, and a sense of who I was and what I was capable of. When challenges came, I had a confidence, way deep down, that kept me from giving up. My teammates, who became friends during long bus trips and even longer track meets, were there to support me and help me get through many tough times.

It has been 12 years now since I hung up my spikes, but I will always be a Track athlete at heart. When 3 p.m. rolls around during the week days, I still feel like I should be heading out to the track to be with my teammates, my friends. To run repeat 400's, to fly over hurdles, to see how high I can jump. I may be sitting at my desk at work, but a part of me will always be out on the track.

The Author

Deirdre Abrahamsson is a New Yorker living in Gothenburg, Sweden. She received a BA in English and an MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. By day she writes operational plans and reports for the 2006 European Athletics Championships and by night, poems and short stories. She is currently working on a novel about love, sobriety, and New York City.