As a collegian, nothing quite lived up to the feeling of my first ACC title. Crossing that finish line first not only validated all the hard work I'd put in- it raised the bar for the rest of my career. It made me truly believe that I was one of the best. It felt amazing. To make it even better, I won that race on my home track in front of our awesome fans at Virginia Tech's Rector Fieldhouse. My friends and teammates lined the outside of the track urging me on. My mom, though she nearly fainted, got to see my special moment up close.
Two months later at the Virginia Tech Sports Banquet, a highlight video closed the ceremony. Included was a clip showing the last 50 meters of my ACC Mile title and my celebration with my coach afterward. I sat in a room with my fellow student-athletes, coaches, and faculty members watching the biggest win of my career on a giant projector screen. To say I was elated would be a strong understatement. It was truly an incredible moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.
That moment, along with several other facets of collegiate athletics, made my decision to pursue professional track and field difficult. The thought of possibly never experiencing such jubilation made me view post-collegiate competition with less excitement than I had hoped.
This past weekend, Furman President Dr. Carl Kohrt hosted Furman Elite, the Furman men's and women's cross country teams, and several contributors to the programs for dinner and a short presentation. At the conclusion of this wonderful evening, a video chronicling Furman Elite's journey to the U.S. Championships this summer played on the projector. As I watched my teammates have their hard work and accomplishments displayed for the audience, my thoughts drifted back to my time at Tech. I began to wonder if perhaps my doubt in post-collegiate athletics was misplaced- maybe that same excitement can be recreated, even one-upped. Perhaps this special environment here at Furman can produce that cohesiveness that filled college running with such wonder. And with that, I leaned back in my chair and smiled, content with where I was and ecstatic about the things to come.
In the end, I know that this is insignificant. We're aiming for big things down here at Furman Elite. Certainly much bigger things than seeing ourselves on a big screen. But that night showed me that I'm in a truly special place. One where my accomplishments won't go unnoticed. Where I can step on the starting line and know I have a whole community urging me on. Where my efforts will be multiplied by my teammates to form a whole greater than the sum of its parts. And that's all pretty damn good.
-Michael
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