Personal Narrative-Lace Room

Walking down the gym hallway, I could hear the clanking of metal plates emanating from the weight room. It was just past 6:30 in the morning, on a Monday in December. I had made this walk many times previously, heading to my gym classes, but this time was different. I was still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes when I reached the locker room. Tentatively throwing my stuff into my locker, I wasn’t prepared for the world I was about to step into. The light shined bright into my eyes as for the first time in my life I stepped into the weight room. Right away I was immersed into the smell of the weight room. The acrid smell of rust developing on the steel plates combined with stale body odor makes for a stench you never forget. Now that I was in the weight room, I could hear the music playing from the speakers, as well as the grunting of exertion. I was taken aback by the sight of the strange metal equipment, knowing nothing about what I was supposed to do. The first person I saw was my friend who had
Walking into that room on the first day, I was a timid freshman. I was facing a daunting class schedule, and also the stigma of being the lowest grade on the school ladder. Through lifting, I have been transformed into a confident senior, ready to take on the world after high school. Not only did I become a more confident person, I learned many life skills through my time in the weight room. The concept of hard work, putting everything into a specific event is an essential lesson I’ve learned through lifting. In a few weeks, I will experience my last workout in the weight room at Sartell. That day will be cherished, thankful for everything that the weight room has given me. As the second hand ticks closer to 7:30 on that last day, my past memories will resurface creating nostalgia for my time in that white walled