The Three Words
It is astonishing how three little words can change how I compete and live my life. Jason Anderson’s wisdom created a meaning for spending five years in the pool. Jason Anderson has coached me for the past five years of my life. Without him there to support me, I have no idea where my swimming career would have taken me. I do not see Jason solely as a coach; he is a mentor that I learn from when I am not even around him. It is not every day that you are able to learn from somebody that is not around you. The significance of Jason Anderson is not that I learn from him everyday; however, the significance shows through the past five years he has been my mentor. One noteworthy event displays the true importance of Jason and my relationship. This memory surpasses all others because of the gravity that it has put on my life… It was March 4th, 2017, at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. There was determination in the air as the final day of the state swimming meet was coming to an end. Finally, the moment that I waited for all year was right around the corner. Just
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Over the past five years, I have entrusted Jason with my whole swimming career. All the early mornings at five all the way through the late practices past seven led me up to the moment when Jason muttered those three words. A goal that Jason and I made was to become a state champion, but state runner-up is pretty good too. Hearing those words on my final race, I know that it could be possible. Jason’s significance within my life is displayed in that one race and the preparation that came prior. Additionally, I utilize those words all throughout my life. Any situation that comes upon me, I can hear Jason’s deep voice in my head as he uttering those words. On account of three words, my outlook on situations in life took a 360-degree turn due to Jason
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.
Coach Jason Harrod went to Gloversville schools so he can relate to my surroundings on a better level than most adults I speak with. Along with going to school in Gloversville, Harrod also played soccer for the school, which is another reason we connect a little better. During the summer workouts, Coach Harrod tends to pull me from the crowd and ensure I’m pushing to do everything to the best of my ability. If he notices anything off, he makes sure my health and mentality is all well. When he does said acts, he boosts my mentality and makes me push more than 100%. This makes me feel as if I have succeeded and that is the greatest feeling. The way my coach makes me feel after these small confrontations is how I aspire to
“I always felt that athletics help develop the total person. Athletes learn to work together and to strive to be the best they can be—and the hope is that they carry those skills over to their personal lives so they can find success in whatever career they choose.”
Chris McCandless had a reputation for being overly ambitious since grade school. His teachers noticed at young age he was abnormally strong-willed which he coupled with intense idealism and strong physical endurance. In high school, Chris served as the captain of his cross country team asking them to treat each race as a spiritual experience. After graduating high school Chris continued on to college where he would graduate with a bachelor’s degree, doub...
"The Swimmer." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 278-294. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
The greatest influence on my life has been my family. Thirty-eight family members over four generations have graduated from Cal, fourteen as athletes, with two in Cal’s Hall of Fame. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life when I was little, and that desire never changed. My athletic identity started to form at a very young age due to my family’s strong influence and their athletic connections. According to Mead, young children form their initial self-image based on engagement with their significant others. I grew up with athletic parents and grandparents, two older brothers and all guy cousins. With a very close-knit family, living only 5 to 10 minutes away from each other door to door, all I did when I was young was go to sporting events. From these individuals, “we learn the basic knowledge of our society, and we internalize this knowledge as a coherent set of expectations, feelings and attitudes” (O’brien,...
Attending university was definitely the best decision Roy ever made. Because he didn’t just meet me, he also met Joyce – who looks absolutely stunning today. October 1993, Roy Solomon, a county swimmer and keen football player, meets Joyce Reeves. And eight years later, Roy hasn’t so much as looked at a swimming pool and doesn’t play football anymore. But all is not lost, I understand he still has a good breaststroke, doesn’t have any problems with his ball control and can certainly use his head, even if he is a bit clumsy around the box.
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
Four years later, I was the competitive adolescent I had involuntarily dreamed to be. In the last four years, I had learned the game and grown all the way into the team captain
"C'mon, Chris, you get in the shower first," Taylor ordered from the other bed. "You're already up." Chris conceded and worked his way to the shower. Everyone in the room knew it too, due to his grunting and whining under his breath. Soon enough he was out of the shower and so were Taylor, Anders, and I. We ate breakfast with the rest of the team downstairs in the hotel in silence. It was too early to talk or chat. Everyone knew that one thing was going to be on their minds: winning. It was not worth discussing, either. Everyone knew that our varsity eight was possibly the strongest that McCallie had ever had, and that we had a good chance of winning some gold medals that day, if not a great chance. We loaded on the bus like ants, noiselessly flowing into one little opening. The bus ride was silent all of the way over as well. Everyone's heads, looking intently forward, were slightly jostling along with the bumps in the road. Some tried to sleep, but the tension and excitement was too much for most of them to be successful.
Coaching, however challenging, is a great way to influence the lives of others while also building their character. For as long as there have been sports, there have been people teaching the sport to the players and making them better at it. Coaches must have certain qualities in order to obtain success. One must also look at a coach’s motivation for his job, his passion for what he does, his methods for coaching, and how he became a coach in order to fully understand him. There are many questions someone may want to ask a coach about his profession if they are interested in coaching. Some questions would include: Why did he choose this as a profession? How did he get into coaching? What does one have to do to get a job as a coach? How does a coach become successful? I aim to answer all of these questions and more in my paper.
The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It was visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday.
Furthermore, a love for sports coupled my desire to work hard to start a multi-talented sports career. Once again, I found myself seeking the attention of somebody, this time my coaches, in order to stand out from the rest. While coaches ...
It was at this moment that I realized that there truly is no “I” in team. A team is not characterized by the individuals within, but rather what the individuals can come together to achieve. For so long I had tried to discover where I belonged on the team. In reality, I should have realized that from the moment I stepped on the court, I was already a member of the varsity team. With a newfound sense of strength, we continued the game. Every single point we won felt like we were putting our lives on the line, while every single point we lost felt like ten-ton chains were holding us down. Even so, it was just another volleyball game. One I had experienced on multiple occasions, perhaps not to the same magnitude, but it was a relatively familiar situation. Strangely, it felt different. I felt more relaxed, more confident, and I was having more fun. At the time, I was not sure what it came from. I was too focused on finishing out the game to pay it much attention. But reflecting on it now, I realize that without a doubt, it was because I truly felt like I belonged on the team. For the first time, I knew that my team was behind me, ready to help me up whenever I fell. We continued on with the game. Despite being down two sets to one at one point, we now found ourselves nearing victory in the fifth set. Finally, we were able to overcome the opponent to win the match three sets to two and secure the second SPC championship for Greenhill Boys Volleyball in three
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.