How Sports Influenced Me Analysis

Growing up in a large family and a busy lifestyle as an athlete has shaped me into who I have become today. My life has been about being the best student, athlete, teammate, brother, son, employee and husband I can possibly be. Being involved in various sports with several different teams, going away to school, getting married have all been big parts of life for me some newer than others but all big in their own way. My life has always been about fighting through adversity to achieve a common goal at no matter what the cost getting to the finish line is something that must be achieved no matter the circumstances. Growing up I was always taught to work hard to achieve your goals no matter what it takes quitting is not an option. If you get yourself in to something and commit it’s up to you to finish what you started. Growing up in a big household with four brothers and sisters there was never a dull moment as something was always happening. It was enjoyable to grow up with so many personalities in my house it taught me how to deal with different issues that others face each day, and to always take others into consideration when making decisions. Being the second youngest in the family I saw my older siblings move out and took it upon myself to be the role-model for my youngest sister and show her that if you make smart and rational decisions good things come from doing so.

Throughout my life, I have had experiences that have shaped the way I am today. Growing up my mom and dad were my biggest inspirations, and they still are now. I remember coming home from school to work on big projects, and they would suggest ideas instead of directly helping me with the project. It seemed so insignificant at the time; however, now I realize that they have helped me to think on my own. They have also taught me to put my best effort forth the first time I participate in something. I believe that I am more careful, thoughtful, and hardworking when I work on different projects because of this. Over the years, my parents have instilled strength and independence into my life, and have supported me through all the ups and downs. My parents are the ones to thank for the way I am today, a strong, independent, hardworking, and thoughtful young lady. Sports have also shaped my character, especially soccer. Soccer has been my thing ever since I was little. This year I finished my senior season and realized that all the years of joy had come to an end. With all the sadness that came from this, I was also brought to happiness because soccer had influenced my life in so many ways. Soccer involved communicating with my teammates. If I was not forced to talk out on the field, then I might be a more introverted person. Being more vocal, has led me to come out of my shell and talk with those around me in everyday conversation. Soccer involved loosing. No one likes to loose,

One of the people in the educational system I find useful are coaches. Coaches always talk about how, “Sports do not make character, they reveal it”. By knowing this I know that the way I overcome difficulties on the field, shows how I will deal with the ups and downs in life. Sports also improve team building skills, communication skills, dedication, hard work, consistency, etc. I find if I improve on those I will be a better person on and off the

Softball taught me how to be successful and how to adapt to failure. Although end results do not always coincide with the effort put forth, a majority of the time they do. My high school softball team has not been the best team I have played during my softball career. Most people regard this as a failure, but I prefer to use it as a positive learning experience. We work hard to learn our weaknesses and fix them. We work hard everyday, on and off the field to become stronger. Without hard work, we would not be as prestigious which reveals the vitality of a good work ethic to my teammates and

At a young age, playing on the softball field taught me how to be a competitor. In a small town in Texas, I was six years old standing in the scorching heat at my very first softball game. I didn’t understand the game yet, but I did have a passion for competition. I hit the ball to the first baseman, and took off running toward first base. The first basemen picked the ball up and touched the base, resulting in the first out of the game. I was angered by this and charged the first baseman (also six years old) knocking her off of her feet! I then spat in her face and began to cry. The umpire walked over to my dad, who was the coach. Without making a dramatic scene, the umpire told my dad that I would have to be ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct. I was a hot head! It always had been a challenge for me to control my temper when I am competing on the field. However, over the years I learned how to control my emotions. The experience of competing as an athlete has shaped me into the strong confident person I am today. Being a successful athlete means having leadership qualities, being able to handle adversity, rising to the occasion when you are called on, and being able to collaborate with a team.

In the middle school awkward stages of my life, I was trying to figure out who I was or who I wanted to be. Every day I went to volleyball, swimming, track, basketball, and cheerleading practices but didn’t actually appreciate my life. School years would go by and I was still the same person just associating with people. Life was sad and pathetic.

I would say one way that athletics has affected me is learning the importance of hard work and determination. It's taught me that no matter what situation you're in that if you work hard enough you can achieve your goals both on and off the field. Before when something was hard I would either try to find the easy way out or simply give up. Even though that might work temporarily, I've learned through many years of playing sports that powering through and getting the job done, no matter how difficult it may be, is always more rewarding and better than giving up.

“You have to fight through some bad days, to earn the best days of your life”. My dad would continuously tell me this quote during the tough losses and challenges of my high school softball years. During my freshman year, I was part of my school's varsity softball team, the Lady Lions. Being the youngest player on a team of juniors and seniors, it was a profound accomplishment. A few practices into the season, it had been apparent that many of the players on the team had antipathy towards the coach. Having a great relationship with the coach and being the daughter of the assistant coach, consequently, I was stuck between supporting my coaches or becoming closer with my teammates. Ultimately, seven players decided to quit the team- in fact,

Therefore, it never helps to have a bad attitude. I never threw my bat or equipment in frustration, but rather always knew I would have another opportunity to succeed the next time I entered the batter’s box. Moreover, I learned to keep a positive outlook even in the face of adversity. I loved cheering for my teammates and would encourage those having a bad day. In addition, I learned stress management skills. For example, as a pitcher, I faced demanding situations where a strikeout with the bases loaded would be the only way to win the game. Also, during my high school career, I threw two perfect games, giving up no hits and no runs, which was an incredible

If I would have to say the most impact on my life would be football throughout my life, There was lots of things I’ve experience on and off the field and some more over time when I had started to play, when I had good season, when I had bad season. It’s funny to think that I wanted to quit the game that I loved the most on my first day out on practice.

Football was the first sport I played in high school. I played in the position of right guard and my job was to protect the quarterback or anyone else traveling with the ball from the opponent. Playing football impacted my life. I was out of shape, and overweight. While attending football practice, I learn to work with others. All of my teammates and I dedicated time after school to practice with the couch and Saturdays by ourselves, so that we could stand out when facing our opponents. Throughout the season, not only was I able to lose the extra weight that I carried, I also gained confidence to try other sports and improved my physical and mental performance and

It has been identified that through sports psychology one can improve their physical ability and performance. Sports psychology is the study of how the mind, mental states and behaviour effect sporting performance. There are several sport psychology techniques, which have helped me become a better volleyball player. These techniques include planning for performance, controlling arousal levels, mental rehearsal and concentration.

Many people do not consider athletics as anything more than an outlet for energy or a social activity, but from my personal experience of how sports have impacted my life I can not help but disagree. As a diver, I feel there is no better piece of me to share than the identity I have taken on from the sport. What started as a summer activity to stay in shape, diving has changed the course of life forever and made me the person I am today.

Since I was very young I have been playing sports. Being a part of the team has taught me how to deal with different types of people and find the things in common with them. Spending a lot of time with my teammates has taught me to overcome the differences between us and accept everyone for who they are. Playing against a lot of teams and competing on different levels has brought many people into my life. Spending time together on camps and overcoming all of the hard tasks that coaches have put in front of us have brought us closer together. When people are not alone they can achieve more.

By working with girls with varying levels of athleticism and knowledge, I was taught how to be a team player who builds off everyone’s skills. I also learned how to continue fighting even when you are losing the battle. I learned many lessons from games. I think the most important lesson I learned is you should never give up. Never giving up is important in sports as you can always come back and win. In light of all my reasons I chose to play a full-time summer sport, travel softball, instead of going on family vacations.