Tatiana Gutierrez
Editor-in-Chief
Dusty storage bins hidden in the back of my bedroom closet contain tiny, light pink leotards with matching pink tutus and dance shoes from 14 years of tap and jazz classes — which were an escape from the drudgery of study, my rowdy younger siblings and household chores.
Doctors were hesitant to diagnose my injury last year, making me wait months for an MRI of my knee that diagnosed a torn meniscus and deterioration of cartilage.
When I started dance again in August, the pain worsened and became chronic. Devastated, I realized that my dance career had come to an end.
Concerned I had further injured my knee, I visited doctors who realized they had misdiagnosed my injury — which was actually a severe hamstring strain.
Initially, I was frustrated that I spent a year doing nothing when I could have been working to heal my hamstring. After months of physical therapy I could potentially return to dance, but I would be restricted from partaking challenging routines.
Completing 15 years of dance had been a long term goal of mine, and now being forced to rethink my goals is an unfamiliar territory encompassing responsibility, fear and excitement.
My parents encouraged me to start a new physical activity to not only stay in shape, but to fuel my competitive spirit. My dad suggested I start racing cars, one of his hobbies.
The thought of beginning a new activity in my junior year of high school is particularly daunting because failure is more likely to happen than succeeding.
After my first time on the track, I spun almost every lap. After when the group went back into the classroom to receive tips from the coaches, I was too embarrassed to walk into the room.
Failing is embarrassing especially when I want to prove to my competitors that I am committed to doing well.
My dad told me before I got onto the track for my second round of laps that I needed to forget all the mistakes I made and realize every turn is a new one.
I used my failure as motivation for improvement. I wasn’t successful at correcting every mistake that I had made, but by the end of the day I had improved significantly by going faster and spinning less.
Failure is something I will have to face for the rest of my life and this experience will ultimately help me when I face situations like not getting into my top college or getting my first job.
Although accepting failure and making the best of it is an important skill to hone, especially early on, it still is something I would rather live without.