Bullied girl shares her war stories

Sara Cwirka tells Paula Zahn how she handled a bully.

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(CNN) -- Proof they need our help: 16-year-old Sara Cwirka knows what it is like to be bullied. The soon-to-be high school senior joined CNN's American Morning with Paula Zahn to talk about her experience, and how she has managed to cope.

PAULA ZAHN, ANCHOR: Good to see you, welcome.

SARA CWIRKA, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Thank you.

ZAHN: How bad did the bullying get for you?

CWIRKA: It wasn't so much direct words that the girl who I had problems with used with me, it was more of a sly sort of bullying that she used against me. It was more with her actions and her body language, the way she used herself to exclude me from the group that really made the impact on me more than using verbal insults.

ZAHN: Because you were on the same athletic team, and what -- she used every way possible, to let you know what she thought of you, which wasn't a lot. She didn't like you.

CWIRKA: No. I could tell. I mean, it is probably hard to imagine, but just by the way she looked at me, I could really tell I was not welcome at all, like wherever she was.

ZAHN: How uncomfortable did it make you feel?

CWIRKA: During school and during practice, or what not, I would be doing fine. I was doing great in school, but I was just a wreck on the inside. I was questioning myself every time I went to make a play. I would wonder if I was doing the right thing, constantly questioning my position on the team, and any decisions I would make.

ZAHN: Did you ever think about confronting her, and just say, you know, Lay off me, leave me alone?

CWIRKA: Right.

ZAHN: You are always fearful of doing that because you don't want them to say, Oh, we have a mushy target here, hit her again because she's vulnerable.

CWIRKA: Absolutely. Absolutely. I actually did try to contact her and say, Listen, I think it's a personal problem, but I think we're both too mature to continue with this. And that didn't really work out as well as I had hoped. It seemed like she really almost wanted to keep the tension that was between us. It was -- I really don't know (ph).

ZAHN: Sometimes it is hard for adults to know what is going on inside of you because sometimes you don't tell us a whole lot. I know that from personal experience. But you talked about -- it is driving you nuts inside and on your mind, did it effect the way you slept, did it ultimately affect your school work? Because you were tortured by this.

CWIRKA: Right. Actually, I was fortunate I had such a good relationship with my mother and with my younger sister, so I was able to confide in them. And it was hard for my mother, because there was nothing that she could do for me. She couldn't, you know, go talk to the coach or go talk to teachers or what not because it was a difficult situation. So it was difficult for her to try to soothe me, but not be able to do anything, really.

ZAHN: Well, you don't have to deal with it this year because she has moved on ...

CWIRKA: Yes.

ZAHN: ... but you care enough about this issue to have joined a peer group that confronts this, because there are thousands of kids that deal with this on a daily basis at school.

CWIRKA: Right.

ZAHN: What is the one thing you have learned that might help them?

CWIRKA: I think just saying it out loud, saying I have a problem with this and I refuse to accept that this the way that I should be treated. And just to be able to know, your life is valuable. There is no one who can tell you, you are not worthy enough for their time or for their respect.

ZAHN: Guess what? We could all learn from that lesson. Sara Cwirka. Sorry you had to learn it the hard way. Good luck to you, and I hope you are able to keep kids better educated about how they can defend themselves.

CWIRKA: Thank you very much for having me.

ZAHN: Have a good school year, and win lots of games too.

CWIRKA: Thank you.

ZAHN: Field hockey player extraordinaire. Go, Sara, go.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Tough sport. Thanks for talking to us.

CWIRKA: Thank you very much.