Sports: Adam runs Cross Country

Adam Runs Cross Country or (Adam learns about playing fair Idioms related to the inside of your body

Adam was really into playing all sorts of sports, baseball, hockey, soccer he loved them all. He decided that it was time to try running Cross Country. Where sports were concerned he was no lazy bones. Cross Country would be a change for him, the other sports that he played all involved playing on a team. Team work and cooperation were very important. Even though the school would have a "team " the truth was that each runner just ran the best that they could and it was the "team " score came from each individual performance. This would give him a chance to see how he could do by himself. He knew that as a new Cross Country runner the rest of the team would see him as new blood . He thought that it was a fat chance that he would place in the top of the field, but he had guts and that he would not run half-heartedly. When he went to his first meet, players on the other teams saw that he was new and smelled blood. As they started the run, there was one player from one of the other teams who ran so close behind him that Adam couldn't help himself from taking quick glances over his shoulder. It really made running very different and he felt that this player was a thorn in his side. He felt that this player was cruisin (g) for a bruisin(g), because if Adam slowed down even a little bit that they would have a collision. He knew enough about running Cross Country that it wasn't written in blood as to how much space there should be between runners, but he found it really scary. After five minutes of this the player behind him shouted out, "Yellow Belly." Adam realized that this player was trying to intimidate him. Adam knew that he couldn't be frightened and that he was not Yellow and trying to scare him would be like trying to get blood from a stone. He decided to circle around behind this other runner and run very closely behind him. He would give him a taste of his own medicine and become a thorn in his side! The other runner couldn't stand this and tried to pull away from Adam but Adam kept up the pace until the other runner had to drop back. Adam didn't understand why another player would try to win by intimidation rather than by skill or ability. Adam knew that in sports sometimes people were paid to do things that were unfair to get ahead of the game. Adam couldn't understand why anyone would take blood money. To Adam, the only way to play any sport was to play fair and win by ability.

Idioms in the story:

playing fair lazy bones new blood fat chance had guts half-heartedly smelled blood a thorn in his side cruisin (g) for a bruisin(g) written in blood Yellow Belly Yellow get blood from a stone taste of his own medicine a thorn in his side drop back to get ahead of the game blood money