Athletic Mind Over Matter

Okay, peeps.

This post goes out to my Chica.

My beautiful and dedicated eldest, who's nearing the very end of her middle school athletic endeavors, and--wow--is it sobering to blink and see how fast it's all come and gone!

Now. To rewind a bit...

In the kiddos' middle school, each child has the option of enrolling in general Physical Education or Pre-Athletics, which is basically the difference between doing the basic course versus committing to a more rigorous path that eventually involves organized sports of some kind.

If you sign up for the Pre-Athletics path as a 6th grader, the class period is more physically intense, under the guise of prepping you for the sports that are to come.

Then, the summer between 6th and 7th grade, you're expected to participate in Conditioning Camp, which is one hour, four mornings a week, for about 7-8 weeks of the Summer. It's hot, it's early, but it helps the kiddos maintain some of the stamina they've gained over the course of their 6th grade year so they can hit the ground running when 7th grade starts--along with alllllll the sporting options in the world.

Pre-Athletics was Chica's chosen path, and holy moly, did she manage to make it through the rigor of several years of intense athletics--with a smile on her face (most of the time), no less!

In 7th grade, she participated in Cross Country, Tennis and Track.

In 8th grade, she participated in Cross Country and Track.

And, now, as of yesterday afternoon, she has officially wrapped her Track season and completed all her middle school athletic commitments--beyond the standard class period when she still has Pre-Athletics.

I mean...wow. 

How are we done?!! (And by we I mean she--unless you count the oodles and gobs of driving to and fro, which I totally do!).

If you're interested in taking a trip down memory lane, here are a couple of posts that cover Chica's Cross Country experience--which was, by far, her favorite of all her athletic pursuits:

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/search?q=cross+country

https://delappenings.blogspot.com/2025/10/fall-breakish-family-in-town-style.html

Honestly, if you ever would have asked me if one of my kiddos would find some kind of personal satisfaction in long distance running, I would have told you that you were crazy.

That said, it also makes total and complete sense for my Chica, for many reasons--most notably, because she has a dedicated athletic mentality, but is not the most athletic of all the girls competing in middle school sports, and Cross Country, at its core, is about competition with oneself!

I adore, adore how hard my girl has worked, waking up before the crack of dawn, day after day, month after month, to participate in these pursuits, despite knowing she'll never have the fastest running time and might not be placed in any events in an upcoming meet.

It's the drive and the pride in a tough thing accomplished that is her true victory, and it has been a joy to watch that mentality grow and flourish in my beloved eldest child.

In fact, on the night of her very last Track meet, a couple of weeks ago, I looked at the screen saver on her phone and felt the biggest swell of pride over the words:

In running, victories aren't only medals and records--they're the quiet moments when you realize you didn't quit.

And that, my dear peeps, is the whole point of the whole dang thing. :)

How glorious that my girl is only 13-years-old and already aware of this beautiful nugget of truth?

Yes, Chica has honed her body over the past few years, setting the stage for a lifetime of healthy physical habits, but...more importantly, she honed her mind.

She learned that she can do hard things, no matter how athletically inclined she may or may not be--and that is priceless.

 

Chica's athletic days are still far from over, though.

For High School, she's required to have one year of Physical Education, and she's chosen to knock it out as a Freshman (smart, since she's already in the groove of things).

She's signed up for Cross Country, and I know it will be a whole different thing on a High School level, but I have high hopes she'll be able to handle it with the same grace and realistic attitude--to only best her own personal achievements, and not others'.

I have no doubt, she'll do her level best!

So, here's to a lighter final nine weeks of the school year, and then some heinously-hot conditioning over the Summer as she heads into her final year of academically-centered athletics before she blows this popsicle stand!

Go, Chica, Go!

Over and out.