A Beginning-narrative essay

 Today is the Open of Surfing in Australia, Queensland. It's the day where most teens come to have fun in the beach while watching professional surfers their age compete against one another for the surfing championship. I am one if the surfers.  It is held every year in February, lasting up to 9 days.The first day of the competition went great. I got a new rash-guard with my name on it from my sponsors. To move to the next round you had be one of the 10 surfers who moved on out of 20. Which I was. I came in 7th place. That is pretty good for the first round. I got a total score of 8.4 out of 10 and $5,000. The score counts on how big your wave is and how you handle it. The money is what motivated you. Most girls competed and fought for a wave. But I, I waited for the right one. After the first round we would get three days to prepare for the next round. Same place, less competitors but stronger currents. I trained hard. Specially on my weaknesses. And I was sure I was going to bring home another trophy. But a little too sure. 

 Then on the second round, that is where  I got full of myself. A huge, wave that was still building up was headed our way. No dared to go for it. But I thought getting this wave will make me a legend. Bigger than winning the championship. So I went for it. I headed towards the still building up wave. I could hear the cheers and motivation coming from the crowd. When I got close to the wave I turned my board around and stood up on it. I had made it that far. The wave made a cave around me and it was the most amazing feeling. Then I heard more cheering. I wanted to wave at them but I knew I would lose my balance. But I did anyway. I put one hand up in the air waving, and just when I was about to come out of the water cave, I fell against the crashing wave. 

  I felt my self floating in the water. I could hear the faint distance of the announcers saying "Bethany Tonkin has just taken a nasty wipeout!" Then I blacked out. I woke up with the sunlight on my face. I realized it was morning. Hoping the wipeout was a dream I went outside. Then a bunch of reporters rushed towards me asking me a bunch if questions. Cameras flashed and I just stood there like an idiot until my brothers and my dad came out and kicked them out, threatening to call the police. 

 My Mom reassured me saying "You can't give up yet, you can still do this". But I knew I didn't want to face them again. I could still had time to choose. Either give up, or face my biggest fear : Being jugded and looked down on. I'm not scared easily, but what I'm really afraid of is what other people think of me. People say you shouldn't care. But I do no matter what. When people think of me, I want them to think something good about me not something bad. So to choose what to do I went out from my backyard to the beach, full of people who saw me wipeout. As soon I reached the beach, a bunch of teens wearing rash-guards that looked liked mine came up to me with surfboards asking me to sign their boards. I was ecstatic. So I smiled and signed their boards and they said "We thought you were so brave going after the wave."

"But I failed". I said. "Really bad".

"So? At least you tried. And you've got enough points to compete at the last match" One of the girls said. 

"Yeah. Isn't that enough?" Another one asked. Then I thanked girls and left for home. As I was walking home I realized, I had people who looked up to me. All the things I thought would happened didn't even exist. I had just made it up in my head.  Even after my failure my fans didn't want me to give up. 

"So I won't" I thought to myself. "I can't disappoint them. No I won't disappoint them" I still had three days to win this champion ship. When I got home I told my parents I would compete. And they helped me train throughout the days.

 The the day of the championship arrived. I had a good feeling about today. Reporters surrounded me. And I talked this time. They asked me if I could win this championship. I said "I'll sure try". I got in the water and I looked at the horizon. Today didn't matter if I won or not. At least not to me. What mattered was trying my best and not worrying about anything. Just going with the flow. Literally. I heard the sound of the horn. And it was a sound of a new beginning of the end.