Becoming a Leader During My High School Athletics Career

Becoming a Leader During My High School Athletics Career

Arriving back at Shawnee, I felt an immense sense of pride in my game.  I held my own against the best players in the country that summer, so playing against the weaker competition in Medford was going to be a breeze.  I was an All-American, and that’s the confidence I felt going into the season.   

Before the start of every season, the team had optional preseason workouts on the track after school.  We’d do agility workouts, sprints, and even run a few miles.  In past years, nobody really took them seriously, but I was in charge of them this year.  I was going to make sure I’d finish my high school career on top and these workouts were an integral part.  I knew success and wins didn’t just happen, they were the reward from months of training.   

On the track one day, a moment proved that our team was going to be ready for the season.  We all lined up, ready to start our sprints.  The football team was practicing on the field right next to us and our whole team took off in a sprint at the same time.   
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On the field, I heard a football player sarcastically yell out, “Yea! Shawnee basketball! Woo!” 
He was trying to make fun of us, but I wasn’t having it.  After everything I’d been through up to that point, I wasn’t going to let a sarcastic comment from a random football player slow us down.  I was Tyson, the All-American basketball player who had a Division 1 scholarship, and I was taking this team to the Promised Land whether they liked it or not.  

This was how I started becoming a leader during my high school athletics career.