Proving It by Grace Forbes
11/2/2020 11:55:00 AM | Blog, Tomorrow's Leaders
A tribute to the incredible support at Rice
I came to Rice broken. Less than a week before my arrival to campus as an incoming freshman, I injured my hip from an overuse injury. Initially I was unbothered, thinking the pain would go away in a week's time. But it didn't go away; it only got worse. For a month I was in constant pain, limping and unable to train. Not only was I physically injured, I really struggled emotionally. Before school even started, I felt like I didn't deserve to be at Rice. I was not smart or special enough to be here. I didn't belong here. As the pain intensified, I slowly started to believe that I would never compete like my high school self. I was a burnout and a failure.
I remember my first visit to Rice's track. The team had a workout while I sat on the sidelines, watching in envy. I looked at the wall filled with school records and immediately thought that I had no chance to beat any of them. With my personal bests more than a minute slower than their times, there was no possible way I could put my name on that wall.
I don't think I could have possibly come out of this mindset without the help and support of so many incredible people at Rice. To say I'm lucky is an understatement, and I would like to personally thank a few people who have shaped me to become the person I am today.
I'd first like to thank my friends. My suitemates never failed to put a smile on my face in even the darkest of days. They pushed me out of my comfort zone socially and enabled me to grow and develop as a person and as a friend. Without them, the clouds of negative thoughts would have shadowed the joys and happiness that college aims to offer.
To my biggest fans at home, Uncle Steve, Uncle Jimmy, and Coren, thanks for your never-ending support, even throughout injury. Thanks for always believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Knowing that there was always someone invested in me not only held me accountable but made me feel loved. Your support is so important to me, and I strive to make your proud of every run, workout and race.
To my teammates, thank you for making every practice, race day, and every day full of happiness and laughs. Thank you for always cheering me on through each lap, interval and workout. Your support continues to motivate me and helps build a sense of togetherness that is so crucial to the health and wellbeing of the team as a whole. Thanks for the countless warmups and cooldowns where I could release my stress and sadness. Thank you to Khayla Patel for consistently being a role model to me and showing through example how a positive attitude can truly shape one's performance on the track.
To my tutors, professors, trainers and the countless number of Rice's resources that I so frequently utilize, thank your for always being there to help me, guide me, and support me. I truly would not be here today without your support.
To the Rice alumni, more specifically Lennie Waite and Becky Wade, thank you for forever inspiring me to push myself to a higher level. Thank you for showing that it is possible to exceed expectations both academically and athletically. Thank you for always lending a helping hand and answering my constant, innumerable questions.
To my parents who, despite being more than a thousand miles away, invariably felt like they were here, next to me, supporting me. Words cannot describe my love for you, and I am so grateful that I have you both not just as parents but as friends and role models. Thanks for always listening and caring. You constantly inspire me to continue to work towards joining the medical field so I can help people like you so often do. I hope to one day be half the person you are. Your support means more than anything to me, and everything I have in life is truly due to you. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am today, and thanks for never giving up on me -- even when I gave up on myself.
To my sister, Maddie. You may not realize this, but you are my rock. You are my shoulder to cry on. You are my everything. You constantly keep me grounded and remind me to relax; every little thing in life should not be stressed, and life is more than a GPA. Your willingness to drop everything and support me is something I will never take for granted. You are the type of person I strive to be.
And lastly, to my coach, Jim Bevan. Your support means the world to me. Every workout, every interval, every long run, you were there. Thank you for knowing exactly how I'm feeling with just a simple glance. Thank you for knowing when to push me and when to let me rest. Your constant wisdom, your encouragement, your forever care is something that I will always cherish. Thank you for teaching me that one bad split, one bad run, or one bad week will not make me a slow runner; training is the culmination of weeks and months of hard work and takes patience; one cannot get faster overnight. Thank you for providing me with a new insight to the complicated world of running. I am so lucky to have someone like you as my coach.
This is in no way a comprehensive list, as so many people have supported me into becoming the person I am today, but those mentioned above have made a substantial impact in my journey to overcome my mental and physical struggles possible. Through the weeks of endless rehabilitation, countless doctor visits, innumerable phone calls to home, and the immense support of the Rice community, I slowly started to feel like myself again. With each painless run came a greater sense of confidence in myself. With each race came a new found feeling of motivation to keep trying, keep working, keep struggling to show that I deserved to be at Rice, that I was strong enough, and that I was special enough.
It wasn't until I finally believed in myself that I was able to change as a person. This took months and the support of so many, but I can definitely say that I am so much stronger, both mentally and physically, than my freshman year self. Now I am training harder than ever, faster than ever and happier than ever.
As I look at the wall of school records, seeing my name there, I am in no way complacent. I will continue to train harder and smarter than ever to make my mark at Rice University. I aim to leave Rice a better place than where it started. I aim to make a difference. Although this pandemic has changed my plans for the forseeable future, I have my sights set on success, and I will continue to stay ready and confident, waiting for the chance to show how hard I've worked over the past year; waiting for the chance to prove that I belong here.
I remember my first visit to Rice's track. The team had a workout while I sat on the sidelines, watching in envy. I looked at the wall filled with school records and immediately thought that I had no chance to beat any of them. With my personal bests more than a minute slower than their times, there was no possible way I could put my name on that wall.
I don't think I could have possibly come out of this mindset without the help and support of so many incredible people at Rice. To say I'm lucky is an understatement, and I would like to personally thank a few people who have shaped me to become the person I am today.
I'd first like to thank my friends. My suitemates never failed to put a smile on my face in even the darkest of days. They pushed me out of my comfort zone socially and enabled me to grow and develop as a person and as a friend. Without them, the clouds of negative thoughts would have shadowed the joys and happiness that college aims to offer.
To my biggest fans at home, Uncle Steve, Uncle Jimmy, and Coren, thanks for your never-ending support, even throughout injury. Thanks for always believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Knowing that there was always someone invested in me not only held me accountable but made me feel loved. Your support is so important to me, and I strive to make your proud of every run, workout and race.
To my teammates, thank you for making every practice, race day, and every day full of happiness and laughs. Thank you for always cheering me on through each lap, interval and workout. Your support continues to motivate me and helps build a sense of togetherness that is so crucial to the health and wellbeing of the team as a whole. Thanks for the countless warmups and cooldowns where I could release my stress and sadness. Thank you to Khayla Patel for consistently being a role model to me and showing through example how a positive attitude can truly shape one's performance on the track.
To my tutors, professors, trainers and the countless number of Rice's resources that I so frequently utilize, thank your for always being there to help me, guide me, and support me. I truly would not be here today without your support.
To the Rice alumni, more specifically Lennie Waite and Becky Wade, thank you for forever inspiring me to push myself to a higher level. Thank you for showing that it is possible to exceed expectations both academically and athletically. Thank you for always lending a helping hand and answering my constant, innumerable questions.
To my parents who, despite being more than a thousand miles away, invariably felt like they were here, next to me, supporting me. Words cannot describe my love for you, and I am so grateful that I have you both not just as parents but as friends and role models. Thanks for always listening and caring. You constantly inspire me to continue to work towards joining the medical field so I can help people like you so often do. I hope to one day be half the person you are. Your support means more than anything to me, and everything I have in life is truly due to you. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am today, and thanks for never giving up on me -- even when I gave up on myself.
To my sister, Maddie. You may not realize this, but you are my rock. You are my shoulder to cry on. You are my everything. You constantly keep me grounded and remind me to relax; every little thing in life should not be stressed, and life is more than a GPA. Your willingness to drop everything and support me is something I will never take for granted. You are the type of person I strive to be.
And lastly, to my coach, Jim Bevan. Your support means the world to me. Every workout, every interval, every long run, you were there. Thank you for knowing exactly how I'm feeling with just a simple glance. Thank you for knowing when to push me and when to let me rest. Your constant wisdom, your encouragement, your forever care is something that I will always cherish. Thank you for teaching me that one bad split, one bad run, or one bad week will not make me a slow runner; training is the culmination of weeks and months of hard work and takes patience; one cannot get faster overnight. Thank you for providing me with a new insight to the complicated world of running. I am so lucky to have someone like you as my coach.
This is in no way a comprehensive list, as so many people have supported me into becoming the person I am today, but those mentioned above have made a substantial impact in my journey to overcome my mental and physical struggles possible. Through the weeks of endless rehabilitation, countless doctor visits, innumerable phone calls to home, and the immense support of the Rice community, I slowly started to feel like myself again. With each painless run came a greater sense of confidence in myself. With each race came a new found feeling of motivation to keep trying, keep working, keep struggling to show that I deserved to be at Rice, that I was strong enough, and that I was special enough.
It wasn't until I finally believed in myself that I was able to change as a person. This took months and the support of so many, but I can definitely say that I am so much stronger, both mentally and physically, than my freshman year self. Now I am training harder than ever, faster than ever and happier than ever.
As I look at the wall of school records, seeing my name there, I am in no way complacent. I will continue to train harder and smarter than ever to make my mark at Rice University. I aim to leave Rice a better place than where it started. I aim to make a difference. Although this pandemic has changed my plans for the forseeable future, I have my sights set on success, and I will continue to stay ready and confident, waiting for the chance to show how hard I've worked over the past year; waiting for the chance to prove that I belong here.
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