Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hi, I am Sam

Football, basketball, wrestling, swimming, cross country, track, soccer, cycling… Hi, my name is Sam Barnes, and I am a first class participant. I have enjoyed almost every minute of life, and every sport to which I have been exposed. Because my dad was a collegiate swimmer, and always my biggest role model, my first sport was swimming. I swam for several years on a club team before moving into other sports, including basketball, soccer, cross country, and wrestling. From there, I made my way into junior tackle football. “Banging heads” was a highlight for almost every 6th Grade boy. Our team, the Coeur d’ Alene Steelers, had a final record after three years of 21-1 (Not too shabby right?). The next big move was to high school. Girls, new friends, and cars, how could life get any better? In high school, I played football, wrestled, ran track, and swam on the swim team (my dad is the coach). This year, I played soccer on the varsity soccer team, and even scored! But today it is a rainy Wednesday afternoon in scenic North Idaho, and I am reflecting on all the wonderful opportunities that God has laid out for me. Playing sports was fun but it was part of a bigger picture that I want to share with you. You just heard me go off about myself as if I was a super-stud athlete. I am here, right now, to tell you the truth. I definitely consider myself an athlete, but one thing I did not mention was that I was never the star. I have succeeded in sports and life because of my compassion for others and the hard work and determination I put into everything I do. My drive to participate in sports wentfar beyond just playing. I played because I wanted to stay active and make new friends. After six years, I am still good friends with almost every one of those guys on my junior tackle football team. I loved competing, but I loved the camaraderie and being part of a team even more. The reason I continued to play sport after sport was because I became the one guy that everyone (sorry if i sound conceited) wanted on their team. It was not because I was the best athlete; it was because I was the most enthusiastic, and uplifting person that they knew. All of my friends knew what I brought to the team. They wanted the enthusiasm and charisma that Sam Barnes would bring to the table. People have been drawn to me my entire life because they realize that there is something special about me.
My best friend is a hugely-talented athlete. When he was three years old, he was riding a bike and I was riding my push-scooter trying to keep up with him. When we were six years old, he was playing with the U-10 competitive soccer team…I was playing with my action figures. Fortunately, having grown up together, I was always on his team. He was the star and the playmaker. I made assists for him, warmed the bench, and tried my hardest. He has truly amazed me, and still does today. The difference between us is that he has the talent to excel at any sport, and I was just an average athlete on the team. I had to work twice as hard and struggled to try and match his natural abilities. In spite of that, I still enjoyed playing sports and being on the team.
I am happy to say that things are still the same, today. I remain active as an athlete, a student, but most importantly as a Christian. I have been fortunate to live in an active community, and over the summer, I got involved with triathlons. Triathlons are popular in Coeur d’ Alene, and I participated in three races and an open water swim in Sandpoint, Idaho. This summer, I plan to complete the Coeur d’ Alene Ironman. It is going to be a testimony to what can be accomplished with hard work and commitment. It's going to be a long road to the finish, but I'm always up for a challenge. Myself, my best friend, Robby, his dad, Randy, and his brother, Brandon are all doing Ironman together. We've been training for almost 7 weeks now, we're all probably in the best shape of our lives. Our first test will be in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 18, 2009. We all signed up for a half-Ironman in Vegas, and it's going to be a blast. That's all I have for now. I keep you updated!

2 comments:

  1. You forgot to mention the fact that the tides have turned now and you are the one that is the stud and I am the one just trying to stay close enough to see you smoke me! And Im diggin the pic of us by the way. ha ha ha

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  2. That picture is amazing. Love the blog!!! And like Robby said...you're the stud now and you're also the reason why we have to sign up for races that have large out and back stretches so that we can see you head in while we head out.

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Me and Rob (our first triathlon)

Me and Rob (our first triathlon)