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For nearly my entire life I have been active in both sports and music. From a young age I began playing soccer, football, basketball, baseball, and even competed in track and field. One of my other activities, however, was singing. The problem with this was that in the choir room athletes get very little respect, and on the field singers receive even less respect. My entire life I have faced ridicule and derision in each of these places. No one, whether it be a teammate, a coach, a director, or even my best friends truly understand how difficult it is to traverse through these very different worlds. One of the toughest challenges I’ve had was my freshman year when I participated in our high school’s musical, Children of Eden, and at the same time was a vital member of the freshman basketball team. I only ended up missing two or three basketball practices, but nonetheless, I was put at the end of the bench for the next week all because I chose to sing. During that same week some of my teammates were …show more content…
The week before the show I had a basketball ball game and I knew it would conflict with a dress rehearsal. Once I had mustered up enough courage I went to inform my director that I would be missing the next rehearsal. This didn’t sit too well with him. He pulled me aside and for about ten minutes angrily lectured to me the importance of being at rehearsal and continuously mentioned how stupid it was of me to choose basketball over his musical. I had never been so scared in my entire life, and when I returned to rehearsal the day after my game I was not received too pleasantly by my peers in the show. Being one of five freshman in our fifty person cast was already lonely enough but it only got worse until the show ended. It took until my Junior year to gain respect back from some of those people when I was awarded the lead role of The Beast in Beauty and the
There were make-up stains on the countertops along with trash on the floor. Quite often expensive costumes and personal belongings were strewn about. A few others would stay after the show with me to help clean up. The abundance of lost items in the dressing rooms sparked my interest to create a “Lost and Found” area. The director told me she appreciated my dedication to keeping things neat and organized. When our Sunday show awards ceremony rolled around, I watched the same people accept awards again, thinking I would not receive one. To my surprise, I received a ribbon and an invitation to be a Student Director for the remainder of high school. For the rest of ‘The Great Gatsby’ and throughout our spring show ‘Legally Blonde’, I worked hand in hand with our director and choreographer. I was with my fellow actors from 3:30pm to sometimes as late as 10pm. We would eat dinner together, talk with each other and do our homework. The experience of working as a team (similar to being in a close-knit family) gave me a sense of belonging and acceptance while striving to put on a spectacular production. I finally found my niche. The drama department was a place where I could be myself without feeling judged by others. For ‘Legally Blonde’ they used my design on the billboards, t-shirts and programs. I was so proud of myself that my hobby, graphic design, became something useful. This helped further boost my self-esteem and
When my mom asked if I wanted to see this year’s Lakeside musical, I honestly was a bit unwilling. It’s not that I didn’t want to support my two or three friends up on stage and in the crew; I just don’t have a very good track record with high school performances. I’m a critic: I have always been very critical of myself, and very critical of others. I unwittingly judge the actors onstage, and end up feeling guilty because I probably could have done no better. On top of this warped superiority/inferiority was the nature of the musical they were performing; all throughout third grade I had been obsessed with the movie-musical Hairspray. I knew all the songs, most of the lines, and wasn’t sure if anyone could top Queen Latifah. But I was mistaken.
We went and shopped around Portland to pass time for the next day to come faster. I played at 3:00 PM. I woke up that next morning and got dressed into my performing clothes. That consisted of black slacks, black button up shirt, and a black tie. I arrived at Lewis and Clark College and found where I was going to be performing. I was performing in Miller Hall Rm. 201. I arrived about three hours early too see where I was suppose to be and get used to the feeling of the building. When it was time to get ready and performed I walked into the auditorium and handed the judges my three original copies. I walked up on stage and waited for the announcer to say my contestant number and say when to go. At state you only have ten minutes to perform your solo, otherwise they cut you off and let you go. I started performing and I got this weird feeling I wasn't nervous or anything. I was just content and ready to own the performance. After I finished performing I walked off stage and collected the copies and walked out of the room. At this point I was nervous and wanting to know how I placed. My family and I met up with some friends that were performing at state also and we walked around and waited some more until five 'O clock for
I had made it through all the rounds. Now “move ins” were upon us. After school let out for summer break in May, I moved into the campus where we would spend a couple of weeks really working out the 13 minute show we would compete with. Never in my life did I think music, the thing that I loved most, would also be the thing I sometimes abhored. Move ins carried on at a grueling pace. 7 a.m. came, and we were on the field practicing until 9 and sometimes 10 o'clock at night. The only breaks we got were for water, and our three meals; though honestly I can say I never wanted to quit. There were over two hundred other people going through the same things I was, and they weren’t giving up. We were constantly picking each other up, pushing ourselves to the next level, and getting up and doing it all again the next day. I wouldn’t give up now, not after everything it took to get
At Evans Elemntary School District, we were about to perform an outstanding play. Our whole 4th grade class participating in this play, however some individuals had more important parts. This play was going to take place at the last week of school and we started to prepare for this in December. The play was about a 4th grade class that learn by singing. The teacher tought the classs all of the subjects by singing. The class was the main parts in the play and I was unfortunitly, not apart of the main cast. My role and many other students role was that we were the chorus for the class and sang along. We practiced many times and the play quickly approached us. Our music teacher directed the play and one of the teachers played the piano. The night
I encountered a “bump in the road” at a young age. I began playing softball at age six when Kylie, my elementary school friend, came to show and tell with her first place T-ball trophy. At the time, I had only played soccer, but the thought of swinging a bat as hard as I could and having people in the stands cheer for me, inspired me to ask my mother to register me for the local recreational league. Before I knew it, I was lacing up last year’s soccer cleats and stepping up to bat in my first coach-pitch softball game. My father, being the coach, stood on the mound and lobbed in the fattest meatball every hitter dreams of. With the ding of my second-hand garage sale bat, the ball sailed over the shortstop. Some may have called it beginner's luck, but I called it a sign.
This past fall I tried out for the varsity basketball team at my high school. I had played both on the freshman team and then last year on the junior varsity team. Playing on the varsity team is all I’ve wanted to do. I’d practiced all summer and in September and October to get ready for the try-outs at the beginning of November. Unfortunately I did not make the team. It was a huge blow for me because I had worked really hard and had expected to make it. Thankfully my moms and my friends were there to remind me that there were other paths to pursue my dreams. I could have easily been bitter and decided to stop caring, but they wouldn’t let me. I was humbled by this experience and decided to turn it into a positive. I’ve since decided to join the Wilson Live club at school. It’s a group that films and commentates sports events at school. This connects to a possible major that I’m interested in when I go to college--communications or sports
Sports play a very important role in my life ever since I could walk. My interests in playing sports began at the age of three as my parents signed me up for soccer, flag football, basketball, and lacrosse. First grade started my competitive edge as I began to play for travel teams in various sport tournaments. This competitive edge transferred from the sports field to the classroom having teachers and coaches helping me be the best I can be. Sports have continually well-shaped and defined my character by teaching me how to accept a win from working hard, also how a loss is an opportunity to learn and fix mistakes.
Anyways, as I was standing on stage, with the bright lights shining upon me, I panicked. Since it was a last-minute casting call, I had to read the lines from a prop – a newspaper - that was clandestinely hidden away from the audience. It was all quite surreal, but I believe that I totally bombed the performance with my monotone voice, lack of eye contact and unenthusiastic tone – which was a common coping mechanism of mine during stressful situations. When my scene was over, I went about picking up the props from the stage, all the while kicking myself for my
Don’t let your nerves get to you. It was a Friday afternoon in the hot, muggy, and humid auditorium. It was the opening of our new musical, Little Shop of Horrors. All I could see when I looked through the blue curtains of the stage were all the people talking and carrying on about their children. Of course people are going to brag about their kids, it’s acting. Some kids are good, some, not so much. I’m freaking out because this is the first time I’ve been on stage to act in a musical since I was in elementary. I was all nerved up and persistently telling myself, what are these people going to do if I mess up? What if I look funny? I was getting overwhelmed and agitated.
Athletics has made a difference in my life through its redefining of the word “success.” Before I got involved with track and cross country, success was measured by goals I set and achieved for myself that made me happy. Since then, I have realized that success is much more gratifying when it is dependent on making those around me proud. In track, success is when I have trained hard enough so that I am able to help my relay team win a race or break the school record. In cross country, success is when I have built up enough endurance to contribute to the team score and help my team move on to the state meet. This mentality has translated to my daily life, as I am constantly working hard to please those around me. At school, I always do my homework and get good grades so that my teachers do not have to focus extra energy on getting me to do my work. At work, I strive to go above and beyond my typical duties so that I can lessen the responsibilities of my co-workers. At home, I help out with chores without being asked so that my parents can have one less thing
In the beginning of my Sophomore year, I had no idea how much my musical life was going to change. Since middle school I've always worked hard by practicing music and memorizing scripts. But in sixth and seventh grade I was met with the disappointment of not making the cut. Then in eighth grade I made the chorus. High school rolled around and there were no cuts, so I auditioned and made it in the chorus.
About a month into my senior year we had to compete in a voice contest called solo and ensemble. I hadn’t even looked at the sheet music or listened to the track I had to sing until around December. Once I finally decided to look at it, I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to practice music like that on my own. The title was “I wonder as I wander” and I definitely felt like that described how I was dealing with this situation. I decided to seek help from my choir director and ended up rehearsing twice a week during my lunches. Each rehearsal was a milestone for me, I hit the high note I couldn’t and got down the rhythms and breathing. The contest got closer and the closer it got, the more I wanted to back out.
I slowly open the big wooden door, not knowing what was about to happen. My first day of show choir, I have a mixture of excitement and nerves bubbling in my stomach. I walk into the room and a wave of chatter hits me. My nerves rise as I look around at all the girls that already know each other. I start to doubt my ability to make friends when I feel like such an outsider. Flash forward three years it the first day of show choir my senior year. Now I’m one of the people talking and catching up with everyone. Some of my best friends are in from this program, I can’t believe I ever felt like an outsider in what now is my second family. Show choir has had a large impact in my life teaching me confidence, leadership, and responsibility. At the start of my first year of show choir I was hesitant to perform in
I had played on the volleyball team all through my junior high days, and was a starter on the “A” freshman team when I reached high school. As a sophomore, I couldn’t believe it when I got the towel thrown in on me. I was devastated when I was cut from the team. Volleyball was my life; I absolutely loved the sport. How could they do this to me? Everyone told me things would turn out fine, but how did they know? A close friend of mine wrote me a letter stating, “I know that right now it is hard to accept the paths that God has chosen for us, but I am sure whatever you decide to do with what has been thrown in your way you can surpass everyone else”. I thought about what that really meant, and decided she was right. I had been thrown something I was not sure what to do with or how to handle, but with a little advice from my brother, Chris, I decided to take a risk and try something new. I chose to become a member of our school’s cross-country team.