Cydnee Bush '16 Recruiting Profile

I run track to better myself and to motivate others to be better. My peers see that I am a great athlete and they want to be like me. I'm not just a fast kid, I'm a complete, well-rounded athlete. I am coachable and want to learn but at the same time I am a leader a want to share my knowledge with my teammates.  I was approached by a fellow athlete this summer, in Florida at the AAU Club Champions, while we were getting our medals. She told me that she wanted to be like me because I won a gold medal. This made me want to be the best both on and off the track because I knew that people were watching me. I have been dedicated to working out and learning the sport because while I feel I am a great asset to any team, I also understand that I've only been running track for 3 years. There are things that I do not know but am not afraid to learn. I have spent my high school years developing relationships in a variety of environments. I was Vice President of youth council at The Veterans Memorial Community Center my freshman and sophomore years. While I was there I helped organize charity events for my community. At that time I was primarily focused on cheer and dance, so I volunteered to coach the elementary aged members of the youth cheer squad. I had no previous track and field training so I wasn't prepared to become the athlete I currently am. When I realized, along with my natural talent, that I had untapped potential, I quit focusing on cheer/dance and directed all my attention to learning a sport I had come to love. My passion for running goes beyond staying healthy or winning a race. I was a victim of adolescent bullying. My counterparts judged me based on what I had or didn't have. I admit that my self-esteem and confidence was shaken at a very young age. And unfortunately being a good student didn't help me. I wanted to do something great. I wanted to change the way I was seen by my peers. My mom had been telling me from a very young age that I was fast so, I decided my freshman year, to tryout for my high school track team. I went on to regional finals my ninth grade year for long jump and was named best newcomer in both sprints and jumps. My sophomore year I made it to regional finals for long jump and state competition with my 4x4 relay team. I was honored as the MVP of jumps. During the summer, between my sophomore and junior year, I joined a track club under the leadership of Coach Randall Cunningham.  I extended my training from the high school track season only, to 9 months a year. The evidence of my hard work came my junior year when I advanced to the state competition for my long jump and with my 4x4 relay team. I was acknowledged as a double MVP for sprinting and jumps, both for which I had broken school records. The days of being bullied are far behind me. I have proven, not only to my family and peers, but also to my critics; that I'm much more than what I was labeled me. I have taken on tasks, in my short track career, that most athletes never achieve. I took the taunting and turned it into positive energy. And now I have made a place for myself in the history of Palo Verde High School.  When people say my name, there's a different stigma attached to it. I'm no longer the misplaced awkward child of my past, I am a champion. Some people grow up to find their actual voice and go on to speak their dreams into reality. I found my figurative voice. My dreams start and stop with what I 'say' on the field. In some aspect, I see my future in the world of track and field. When people hear my story, I hope they continue to aspire to be like me, Not only for being talented; But also being determined enough to find my confidence and literally, run with it. It is with absolution that I can say after my own career is complete, I will go on to coach, teach & support the future of this sport.