Since I was young, I've had a fascination with mankind. While some focused on learning the structure behind a complex equation and the biological composition of frogs, I studied the construction of one of the most complex species on this planet, human beings. People enthralled me, from how they dressed, to how they behave, to how they adapt and manage living in this ever changing, chaotically beautiful world of ours. As I got older, I began to dive deeper into the study, focusing on specific areas of study and the assembly of the human brain, down to what area controls what emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and their development as people go through the stages of life. How can we advance, grow, even excel as humans. However, due to my timid, weak nature, I refused to pursue my dreams of growth, let alone speak up for them. I stayed quiet, observed from afar, and refused to open my mouth out of fear of being rejected or even hated. People like to advance, but don’t tend to enjoy the path of education it takes to get there. I had to grow up; before I could even think to accomplish the goals I panned out for myself. As I got older, opportunities slowly began to appear that offered a pathway to maturity, but time and time again, my seemingly innate fear of the “what ifs” consistently blocked me from becoming a man.
Then, three years ago, I broke through those walls. My conscious urged me against it, ran through all the “what ifs” of the situation, as usual, but this time I couldn’t help it. How can one ever truly test his abilities if one is too afraid to even take any initial risk? So, one cloudy, brisk Saturday morning, and joined the football team. Immediately after the first practice, the option of quitting crept its way into my mind. But how could I ever reach my goals if I couldn’t take on a high school sport? There will be thousands of students in college competing with me, professors looking to make scholars, not dropouts. If I couldn’t face this, I couldn’t face them. So, I endured practice after practice, game after game. Every day, I had to rebuild the courage I had to walk out on the field that first day to step out on the field. I was weaker, smaller, and less apt at the game than man of the guys on that team, but I the constant threat of fear couldn’t hold me back anymore.
When I was accepted into the University of Oklahoma, I was not aware of the tradition or prestige that the football team carried. Moreover, I had no idea about the honor it was to don the crimson and cream in the arena of athletics. And, I never envisioned rooming with them. I enjoyed sports, but I loved reading and writing more. Initially, I was focused on building a collegiate career that one day would propel me to my goal of studying law. Yet, the more time I spent interacting with the athletes, the more parallels I noticed between their personalities and mine. Their diligence, perseverance and compassion were all traits that I could identify with since they were reflective of me. For the most part, the majority of the athletes were hungry to achieve and they desired knowledge at all costs; a combination that still resonates with me today.
It’s the triumphs as well as the defeats, that I will remember most about my life when I look back in thirty years. If I can look back and say, “I didn’t think I could ever accomplish this, but I gave it my all.” Pursuing the next challenge along with being a well-rounded, compassionate person will allow me to consider my life a success in thirty years. Nothing in my life emulates this attitude towards what I will consider a success, in terms of pushing my limits, in thirty years, than my current pursuit of collegiate level sports.
In other words, I know what I signed up for when I wanted to take on a big load even though at times like the day of the AP test I feel somewhat overwhelmed by it all. The author says sports serve as a distraction in an environment in which academics should reign far superior. From my experiences, like the one last May, I have learned that it is up to me to excel at whatever I am attempting to do. I know not to take on more than I can realistically do, but that does not mean that I do so little that I never push myself like the day of the AP test . I have had several friends in high school who have done great balancing the two activities; one of my closest friends is a Division 1 athlete at Clemson University, the biggest stage for a student athlete. My senior year my other friend Wayne was not so great at being accountable for all of his work load. As football season being to start, Wayne’s grades in advanced courses such as Calculus and Chemistry begin to dip. At this point he essentially had two options: Quit football or sign up for less rigorous courses. Taking no action, Wayne suffered the consequences of his own irresponsibility. His options were very limited when it came to attending a college of his choice despite having several football scholarship offers, but it was all his fault. He did not have the character to make himself sit down with no distractions and study. My character makes it
There is never enough of anything in the life of a college student. there is never enough time to study, or enough food, or enough money, or enough time to sleep. But, if that student becomes a college athlete then all of the “or’s” change to “and’s”. Even though there are many struggles of a college athlete they are not going away. As the youth of America watches their older counterparts excel in many college sports, a dream to become an athlete at the collegiate level is sparked. This dream is fueled through high school sports and then disseminated by high school counselors. Counselors who are quick to remind that sports do not bring home a paycheck. Neverless, this dream of college sports thrives and is present in the mind of every high
Everyone has life experiences. Some can be new and fun, like the first time ever going to Disney World as a child. Meeting your favorite movie characters and seeing stories come to life. Other can be tragic, like losing a loved one or suffering a car crash. No matter the experience we all learn from them. I am here to tell you about an experience of mine that I went through at an early age. At the age of 15, I told my parents that I wanted to play football. The sport of football really changed my view on life and taught me that things don’t come easy and that if you really want something, you’re going to have to put in the time and work. One of the many experiences of being in the sport of football is that practice is one of the toughest things I’ve ever went through, physically and mentally. Football taught me a lot about team work and working with others on doing and executing a job. Football made me faster stronger smarter and wiser. I had great coaches who always encouraged me to keep going whenever I wanted to quit because something was too hard or I was feeling
Since I had nothing better to do and since my mother always teased my underdeveloped muffin top, I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal so I enlisted in the team. Not long after that, my whole purpose for joining had changed tremendously. It was as if my eyes were finally forced open to see what I always wanted to see. I no longer saw myself as a regular student with a goal of finishing with a “good enough”. I now strived for the best and a hundred percent effort. This is all thanks to the qualities gained from the coaches and the things they coached me to
I had emailed college coaches in the winter and had been told the times they were looking for. I had to cut big chunks of time, so I set my sights high. With guidance from my coach, I bought in to a training program and started logging the hard miles; I often left school early during my free period to run workouts with friends from another school. I was all in. Although I wouldn’t call what I was doing a sacrifice, because that implies that I lost something, I would call it unorthodox. I knew my lofty goals deserved unremitting persistence, focus, and
In the classes, Coach provided the class with a safe and warm environment to learn, providing every scholar with an equal opportunity to succeed higher and higher above all society’s critics about students in New Orleans. We proved and continue to prove what people said were impossible, by our rapid growth. On the court other coaches look for skills, but not my coach. She looked for growth, she confidently believes in the idea of a no perfect team, there were always room for growth. Despite how many losses, the scores weren’t what mattered. Instead, it was about the growth and fight of never giving up until the buzzer went off at the end of every game. I was a part of a team that came from 0 wins from freshman year to having my team finally able to enter the playoff with just one more win to reach. My view of life began to change and evolved over time since
I decided that I wanted to play a sport, I chose volleyball. Most of my friends played the sport so it wasn't hard for me to adjust and make new friends. Becoming a student athlete was a big adjustment for me, I could no longer float through my classes but I need to excel. And that's exactly what I did. For the first time in my high school career I made not only honor roll, but principal’s honor roll. For the first time my mom was proud of my report card, that made me even more proud. From then on I knew I wanted nothing less than what I earned, good grades and a proud family. From my decision to chose to become a student athlete not only make me work harder but, be great at everything I put my mind to. I had motivation to stay successful, to stay eligible. Three years ago if you were to ask me where I thought I would be my senior year, I probably would have told you low level classes barely making it by. Now here I am today excelling in my education preparing to take the next step in my future, college. Even if we don’t understand why we go through them, we have to be willing to let our obstacles become out
Over the years, many theorist such as Freud, Ericson and Piaget, have developed their own understanding and beliefs about human development. Before divulging into my own development,
Now jumping into High school football my mentality changed I got bigger finally and a helmet actually fit on me. Friday night rolled around and that is game night. I was a sophomore so I was not going see the green to much but the intensity and just being there was monumental. The game starts at 7:00 PM but we’re getting ready in the locker room at 3:00 PM Sitting in the locker room getting your lowers on and listening to all the upper classman screaming and getting hyped out, having kids blasting music and everyone picking on the freshman is one of the best environments you can be in as a kid in high school. Its not only the thrill and the fun I have playing football its also the family aspect to it having 50 guys around you that you know you can’t count on. That you know will bring you up when you’re down and always be there for you. The life lessons it teaches you about never giving up even when you’re down 44-0 in the 3rd quarter. I remember sitting in my coach’s class room before our last home game and he was addressing the seniors telling them “That most of you will never get to play football again remember the lessons it thought you remember to never
In high school I was the most predictable student in the entire student body. When teachers would take roll, they could always count on one thing: me not being there. My grades were horrible. My accumulative grade point average was below 1.0. I had no interest in school and kept junkie friends. These so-called friends would often skip school and would pressure me to do drugs. I was already puffing away on cigarettes by the time my junior year rolled around, and my future looked pretty bleak. During my senior year, I decided it was time for a drastic change. I took a brave step and tried out for the Camas High School Cheerleading Team. I made the team and became a student athlete. I was destined to graduate. Through my experience, I believe that involvement in athletics improves academics by providing students with better physical and mental health, thus insuring the athletic student a successful future.
We all harbour an insatiable desire to live lifestyles of our choice to the fullest extense, lives that are so original, free, without fear and as unique as we individually imagine them. We hold the bull by its horns, eat the elephant in terms of self-development if we need a fighting chance to ever taste our desires. Anything less may not bring out the necessary inner latent energy we require for an exceptionally capable self. We prepared throughout our lives, often involuntarily to be who we are today and tomorrow. Those that progress further than others develop the potential to consciously engage necessary preparations required for the paths of their destiny. As our journeys engage our chosen paths, we develop skills along the way that can demolish our self
Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.
Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful football coaches of all time, said, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will.” Although Lombardi was primarily speaking about success on the turf, he was also speaking about success in life. Aside from being a phenomenal leader on the field, Lombardi was a leader in all aspects of life and stands as a role model for many young student athletes. When student athletes apply this extraordinary will to their academics alongside athletics, the stellar character of these young adults is revealed. Unfortunately for these athletes, many people, especially educators, blame athletics for struggles within the classroom. A common controversy amongst parents, educators, coaches, and athletes is if education is severely affected by athletic participation. When the results of classroom performance aren’t proficient or greater, it is easy to blame sports because of their time consuming nature. This topic carries a lot of weight for kids ranging from middle school to graduate students because, for many, involvement in athletics is a crucial part of developing important life skills that cannot be attained through a classroom setting, and may be the student’s only method of social outreach. Sports serve as a sanctuary, an escape, a passion, and so much more to each individual involved. Athletics have the potential to negatively impact education, if you allow them to yet research shows just as many cases of sports having positive affects on education as cases of sports being detrimental towards education. The truth of the matter is that your education is your responsibility, and sports cannot be blamed for a lack of succes...