I know Javelin throwing isn’t the most common sport in the world. I didn’t care that it wasn’t popular, I was good at it and I enjoyed the sport. I was completely in love with my new found favourite activity and no one could tell me otherwise. My parents had tried to convince me to choose a different sport, maybe something a little more mainstream, like netball. No matter how hard they tried to persuade me, I was still convinced that javelin was for me. I was practising my throwing each and every night after school, determined to be the best. I wanted to be known for my talent, for my accuracy and my sporting achievements. Although the night was creeping across the sky, slowly stealing away my daylight I was out there. I told myself that after another ten minutes of throwing practise, I’d pack up my equipment and head inside. It wasn’t wise to throw javelins in the dark.
With all my focus on my throwing, my arm position and force, I started running, one foot behind the other and put my entire body into it. The twist of my torso and the spring of my back allowed me to do one of the most powerful throws I’d ever done. When I realised that the javelin had speared the frame of the upstairs window I stood silently in shock. I wasn’t sure what to do, whether to try and grab it without my mother noticing or just fess up right away. I knew my parents were going to be angry. We had just gotten the timber windows replaced in Melbourne a few weeks earlier because of a storm. Just as I was about to pull the javelin out my father walked out to look at the window. He’d heard it stab into the frame and told me not to worry, that he’d call the window replacements people tomorrow. He told me how proud he was of my efforts and offered to support me in any way he could. I was moved to tears, my father truly believed in me. My father hugged me and walked back inside to find the number for local sash window repairs. I’m going to train harder than ever before, I’m determined to make the school team. I will make my entire family proud of me.