In my life, I had not had the chance to be a part of something that influenced me much, until I joined football my freshman year in high school. Joining football was perhaps the most devoted and wisest thing that I did because shortly after joining I began to see changes for the better, and from then I saw the person that I wanted to be in the future. In other words, it shaped the person that I am today and will be for the rest of my life. Not only did the sport influence me but it also equipped me with a new mindset that affects me today in my decision making skills, time management and many other beneficial life virtues. I believe that these virtues will bring me success in the nearest future because I feel confident about myself and I feel more in control in my life through my actions, all thanks to simply joining what seemed to be a “regular” extracurricular. …show more content…
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
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Show MoreMy small, sweaty palms griped the cold fence as I looked on nervously at my brother’s baseball game. I was waiting for the final out of the game so that I could run onto the field and around the bases as I did after every game. As a young child, my parents were always searching for something to keep me entertained. I was a bubbly child with an endless amount of energy. Being that I was the only girl amongst four boys, I was always electrified in their presence. I wanted to be involved in all their wrestling, running and playing. Being the type of child who loved to play, I would stay outside until I was forced to come in. I would run along the dimly lit street, making up my own games and making new friends. Even when I got older, my energy did not fade. At
Have you ever thought you didn't like something, but then you tried it and loved it? That's how volleyball was for me. I played for the park district when I was younger, but I didn't enjoy it. “I really don’t want to play volleyball,” I told my mom over and over, “It hurts my arms to hit the ball.” was my main reason for not playing. Now that I think about it, that was a really bad excuse to not play. The problem was that my mom played in college and it's always been her favorite sport, so I knew that I would have to play when I got older. My mom told me that I would try it out, and if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have to play. Turns out, I actually love volleyball!
A common denominator that successful people share is the involvement of playing a varsity sport in high school. Every high school in the United States is different, however all encourage students to get involved. Most commonly, students decide to join sports. High school sports can cause profitable effects because students live healthier lives, achieve higher grades and learn life lessons.
It then started to get harder and each day was a different workout to help me and my teammates improve. I was at a point where all I could do was attend school, go to practice and go home. Each day I was beyond tired. At a point of time I felt like giving up and going back to my regular life, and regular schedule. As the coach started to notice how I felt, he pulled me to the side and started to question what was going on. I explained, but everything I said was not a good enough reason. My coach told me, “If this is what you really want you won’t give up, no matter how hard it may get you will overcome it.” That day I learned a valuable lesson, to never give up.
Both on an off the field, my enthusiasm and motivation to obtain a goal is a trait that I am very proud of. I have faced many tasks where a leader had needed to step up and I am always willing to do so. I am also willing to get help when I need it. If I can’t complete a task by myself I do not mind asking a classmate, teammate, friend or a teacher for guidance. By bringing that openness and leadership to University of Charleston’s Athletic Training Program I believe that I can also attribute to the University of Charleston’s Mission Statement “to educate each student for a life of productive work, enlightened living, and community involvement.” By bettering the Athletic Training community by providing care to our Athletes I believe that I will be a great addition to the Athletic Training
My natural highs are sports, music, and spending time with my family. I play soccer and run cross country and track, and these sports help push me to work harder, mentally and physically. All sports are difficult and very competitive, but when you practice and train with determination it will prepare you for your games or races. Sports also surrounds you with many supportive people. You will have coaches that will teach you ways on how to become a better athlete and teammates that will urge you with encouragement. My cross country coach told me that long distance running requires a lot of mental toughness, and when your body is giving up, your brain needs to remind yourself that you need to finish your race. This taught me to never finish half-way
Freshman year of football almost drove me to quit football. The coaches drove us harder and made us work our tails off. That year taught me to work even harder than before. My sophomore year was even more taxing than the year before, trying to show the coaches that I belong and that I will try to beat the upperclassmen in anything that I could. Junior year I didn’t get to play varsity and that drove me to work even harder to get a starting spot for my senior year. By the time I got to my junior year, I finally got out of my comfort zone and I wouldn’t just take a hit, I would deliver one. And when senior year rolled around I finally got a starting spot on the varsity offense. I finished my senior season with one catch for thirty eight yards. High school football taught me to trust people; coaches, teammates, and friends. Without them none of it would have happened.
Each game, my passion grew. Each team, new memories and lifelong friends were made. Sports sometimes make me feel disappointment and at loss; but it taught me to be resilient to a lot of things, like how to thrive under pressure and come out on top. Being the team captain of my high school’s football and lacrosse team showed me how having a big responsibility to bring a group together to work as one is compared to many situations in life. Currently playing varsity football, varsity lacrosse, and track I take great pride in the activities I do. Staying on top of my academics, being duel enrolled at Indian River State College, working three nights a week, and two different sport practices after school each day shaped my character to having a hard work
Throughout my life, I had always received recognition for being very agile and quick. My first day of Middle School consisted of the track and field coach attempting to persuade me to join the school’s athletics program. I had previously never been apart of an athletics team, and was willing to take advantage of the opportunity. Throughout my three years of middle school, I was the one consistent member of the school’s track and field team and had an overall successful personal record. Coaches from opposing school would praise me leaving me feeling very confident about myself.
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
First, playing sports teaches students many valuable life lessons such as responsibility and a hard work ethic. Responsibility is a very crucial in life, and people use it everyday Responsibility ties into a student’s academics because a student needs to have responsibility to do well in school. According to Dr. David Geier, playing sports can actually increase success in the classroom. Numerous tests prove that athletes have higher GPA’s, higher standardized test scores, better attendance, fewer dropouts, and a better chance of going to college (Geier, D. 2012). Owning up to a mistake also falls into the category of making a mistake. When a student fails while playing a sport, he learns to face the fear of admitting he made an error. The second valuable life lesson playing sports teaches is a hard work ethic. “Sports are one of the best places for kids to learn the importance of practice and determination,” says Grown and Flown. Teammates depend on each other for participation and performance so without everyone working hard, the team will reach their maximum potential (Grown and Flown). A hard work ethic ties into everyday life because without out, a student would never accomplish anything.
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.
Motivate the motivation, simple words that can mean some much to an athlete, but what is motivation really? In the games and sports, psychological and physiological factors play an important role in determining the performance level (Grange & Kerr, 2010; Schilling & Hyashi, 2001). Motivation also plays an important role in determining the performance level an athlete, but plays a role in the psychological and physiological factors as well. Motivation is more than a behavior or idea, it is an impact on how we interact with others, how we process defeat, feel, and how we play. Motivation will not only help an athlete get the starting position or gain an award but more importantly, help an athlete reach their potential. Motivation like most things
Many life lessons can be taught through sports. Children can learn the importance of work ethic, working with others, perseverance, and the list goes on. There are studies that have shown that kids who are involved in athletics are more successful in the business world. It is only when parents turn the sporting events into an ultra-competitive requirement for their child that it can become detrimental. The lessons that sports teach kids about real life is one of the greatest benefits that can be gained from sports. Because so much can be learned through sports we need to make sure that we put focus on teaching lessons through sports rather than making it all about winning. It is a sad when parents turn a great beneficial thing into something that can be harmful for their children.
Sport, according to the oxford dictionary, can be defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sport may seem like just another, simple five letter word yet it has the power and aptitude to teach humanity such fundamental and intellectual life lessons. In my speech I will explore these vital lessons, such as failure, success, perseverance, teamwork, tolerance, responsibility and discipline by exhibiting how each lesson can be learnt and utilised.