Michael Aho '25 Recruiting Profile

Like so many boys in junior high,I dreamed of playing football with all my friends. The problem was that I was 5 '2 and 110 lbs, but I tired out and made the team anyway. I loved playing football and playing with all my friends and I'm proud that I gave it my all. But at the end of the season, my football coach suggested I consider cc. I was disappointed but I was also fast.

Throughout High school, people saw potential in me. Through changing sports, taking a step up in education, and taking risks, I am putting myself in the uncomfortable position of being helped to grow. 

    At the start of high school, my first year, I was a 5'2 ft hundred and ten-pound kid on a small-cut varsity football team. I wasn't the best player on the team, but I was loved by everyone there. There was a time when I was scared of getting hit by a grown man who was double my weight. The coach knew it wasn't my sport, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever playing varsity football as a freshman. Once the season was over, the assistant coach told me I should join the track team, knowing I had potential as a runner. Something told me that I could prove him right. That spring, I ended up joining the track team. I was the first person at practice and the last to leave, having given it my all. Initially, I was placed 2nd or 3rd in Junior Varsity and met, which frustrated me. I cannot describe my feeling when I achieved my first-place finish. I knew I wanted to keep everyone chasing for the next four years.

    My sophomore football coach told me I should quit the football team, pursue my running aspirations, and join cross country.  At first, I was hurt because I enjoyed playing with all my friends, but at the same time, I also wanted to chase the place of being in the top one percent. Not 100% convinced by my coach, I decided to stick out the rest of that football season with my friends. Fall came and went while spring was around the corner. I started the track season at the junior varsity level. However, I was motivated to convince my coach I could do more. The team needed a 4th leg in the 800-meter relay, and I threw my hat in the ring. After my first relay, I realized I had much work to do. My team set a goal for me to drop 10 seconds off my split time. As soon as I felt the baton in my hand, I knew I had to fight through the pain and push myself and my team to the best possible position. My coach could not believe I had put it all on the line, leading to my team qualifying for state.

    The state came and went, and that summer, I had to decide whether or not I would return to football or join a cross country that fell. The decision was tough, but I did it because I knew I would see the benefit on my behalf. So I joined Cross-Country only knowing that was the best decision for me. 

    The learning that I found helped me out as a person. Although it was my first year, I was competitive and wanted to beat and better my peers. I had to learn new skills at a fast pace. The seniors on the team helped me learn how to think of moving fast in a different mindset by slowly picking off my competition and going fast at a slower pace. This helped me out a lot; when we got near the end, it was quite a squeezing game of who wanted it more. And Kaleb would keep pushing himself every day. I woke up at 5 am to work out, then went to practice to see who wanted more. 

As I walked into my junior year of track and field, knowing that I found joy in the sport, I knew at the start that the chance of going down to state was there, but if I didn't believe the people who I would be going with. The coach moved me to the 400's, making me focus on the 400 dash only. We knew that we could become talented in that event. My senior friend Kaleb and I would always be put together. Me and I were neck to neck every time. He would always give me advice and small actions that I should tweak. The season was coming to an end. We knew that we could go down to state. And I got some other seniors who could help us make a team to run down at state. Which we were able to accomplish. The joy of seeing my teammates happy made me feel glad about myself.

    When the track season came to an end, my senior year was about to start. The cross-country season just started, and I was the only upper-class man. Knowing the ins and outs of the sport, I was able to help my teams out. I gave them advice on how to become better runners while also making them think differently.