My Self As A Hard Worker

It was my senior year of high school football and all I could do was sit on the bench with an injury. It was so frustrating because all I wanted to do was be on the field playing with my brothers like I have since freshman year. I was just so happy to be on the field on those Friday nights and just get to play the game made me so happy when I first started playing. Until I got a big head and started thinking about myself and what I was going do that game or how many touchdowns I was going to score that game. I stopped thinking about the team because of my success. I think this might be a lesson I needed to learn and if I did not, I would have had a big head my whole senior year and never would have saw the real reasons why I loved playing

We walked together to the field, the spikes on the bottom of my cleats clicking with each step on the parking lot pavement. A huge field with onlookers filling the bleachers on the far side came into view, lit up by the soft evening light. I spotted the girls on my team and my tired looking grey-haired coach. Me and my dad split up, me going to warm up with my team and my dad going to sit with the team parents. As I was passing with my teammates I watched the opposing team carefully. I observed how neat their drills were and how accurate their shots and passes were. They all looked so athletic and that really made me doubt myself. How was I supposed to prove to everyone that I was a good player if I had to play against a team this good? What if I mess up and the other team completely destroys my team? The loud buzzer that ended the warm ups sounded and both teams went to their side of the field. My coach called today’s starters out, and luckily he didn’t choose me. Relieved, I went to go sit on one of the hard metal chairs they provided for the teams on the sidelines. The chairs were uncomfortable but that didn’t bother me. I had other things on my mind. I sat shivering watching the events of the game

Growing up all I ever wanted to be was a professional football player, my dream was to make it into the NFL and repay my parents for all they've done for me. My whole life I was told to find something I love to do and stick with it, that's when I knew that football could be my free ticket out of Hawai’i. As my knowledge grew, I started to realize the struggles college would put my parents through financially, and that's when I decided football was the way to take care of that all. But as a kid, you don't see the full picture and you honestly never will, but all I knew was that I hated school and loved to play sports. Growing up I've always had people tell me to take care of my school work and be a student first. As a kid, you understand what

I chose to play another year of recreational soccer, making sure to come back the next year to prove a point that I can put in the work and give myself the best opportunity to make the top team. Everyday after school, I would head to the fields and practice every aspect of my game. I would arrive an hour early to every practice, and I would leave an hour after practice. Day in and day out, I worked diligently on my fitness. For a year, I stopped at nothing to give myself the best chance I could to reach my goal. Motivated after that dissapointing tryout, nothing could stop me from doing my best. Standing on a different field, one year later, tryouts began. I was determine to produce my best performance. Two hours later, every player stood single file. Coincidentally, I was the first person called up; the coach informed me that I made the top team. However, this team played for a different club than the one I tried out for last year. This team competed at a much higher level. Not only did I make the team, but I gained the knowledge and appreciation for hard work and dedication. People rarely receive everything they want; however, they can always put in their best effort to provide themselves the best opportunity at obtaining what they

I worked out everyday and practiced every chance I got. When the first day of tryouts came around again, I woke up that morning like every other day, but I knew today was different. I knew that today was the day I was going to redeem myself. When I got to the field most of the guys looked familiar, a few of them even joked around with me and asked "you're back for more?" Unlike the previuos year, I was ready for this tryout. I proved to everyone that doubted me and said I couldn't and I earned my spot on that team. The moment I saw my name on the team's roster was one of my proudest

It was that time of the year again, football season. Football is a sport in which I am very passionate about, I never knew I could or would be so passionate towards something, until one very specific game. It was a Saturday afternoon, the breeze was just right, the temperature was just right; not to cold and not too hot. Being the first game of the season I didn’t know if I was going to play or not. However, I was proven wrong Coach Smith hollered “Shawn!” I stood up startled at first and right then and there I knew that was my moment to shine and shine is what I did.

Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough, not knowing just how much potential you have? One of the most salient experiences of my life was making the Island Coast High School football team, because it taught me that to succeed you must be confident in yourself. The old me would have thought, “ I’m not good enough,” because I never thought that I could compete with kids that already played football. I suppose that I always felt like i couldn’t compete with football players because whenever I would play football in eighth grade, I would not be able to keep up with them. Little did I know, all of that was about to change the day I made my way to the middle of the humid, scorching fied, staring into the eyes of North Ft. Myers Highs’ freshman football team.

As I put off opportunities to improve my skills, and my character, the toll only became harsher and more difficult to overcome. In turn, my status among the other athletes began to deteriorate. Witnessing my peers expedite their game as I still struggled did not phase me so much at the time. In fact, I was sure that my role on the team would remain the same. This was obviously false, as within the matter of weeks I was pushed back further in the batting lineup, and committing more errors in the field than ever before. It was during our playoff run that I had realized the resulting detriment, when each player was counted on more than ever before. We ended up making it to the championship, only being one run short of winning. Although our team was able to accomplish that much, I felt short handed when it came to the successful

Because there was already a quarterback, I was not able to start at that position, rather I got to start as a safety on defense. Although I was the starting strong safety, I managed to get some reps under center, running the offense. I had gotten my first chance to play varsity quarterback. Game 3: Millburn vs. Caldwell. It was a scorching hot day, and we crumbled as a team, losing by nearly forty points. But towards the end of the game, coach pushed me onto the field. I wasn’t the starting quarterback, but this moment was the one that haunted yet animated me. The first snap goes five feet above my head. I had to chase for the ball, pick it up and scramble, and somehow escape and run or make the throw. I was in honest disbelief, unsure of my capabilities. Reconnecting with my past mistakes I decided to tuck the ball and run. I sprinted to the nearest sideline passing multiple defenders getting a brief rush of exhilaration. I ran for 18 yards and my first touchdown, my elation increased at the sight of my teammates rushing towards me to celebrate. I was able to emerge as an important asset to our football team that year, expanding my knowledge and learning from all the other

I was pushed around, yelled and cursed at by some of the biggest dads I have ever seen, but I kept my spirits high in order to pursue greatness. I wasn’t used to wearing a helmet and pads, so catching a football was a challenge. A few weeks down the road, after many hours of observation, the coaches put me on defense in the position of Defensive End. I had no idea what this position was and what my job was. I learned that the Defensive End (DE), plays on the very end of the defensive line and the job of the DE is to rush the Quarterback and to stop any run plays in my direction. I wasn’t very good at doing my job and my coach sought me out and reminded me of that every

There was no doubt in my mind that Team Captain was mine. The locker room was silent as the coach read each name. Having had the honor of being a Varsity player since my freshman year, I was sure that my hard work would pay off and I would lead the team. Suddenly, it came out of nowhere and hit me. I stopped breathing. All I could hear was the sound of my heart beating. My name was not called on that fateful day. Coach had decided that this would be the first year a junior could be elected team captain. Did I hear that correctly? After the smoke cleared and my head was back on straight, I came to realize that it was for the better. I had pushed the rewind button so many times, it gradually became less important to me. I figured I had two choices: stay and play or quit and never look back. Not being captain has made me a better person. I love to play football. Learning to look past the small stuff and see the big picture has helped me to focus on what is important to me in life My football experience has given me the opportunity to be the determined person I am today. I have learned what it means to overcome

At that moment I realized that I had to add something to my game in order to stand out. I soon learned that practice and physicality could only make me better. Freshman year came around and i didn't have a coach that was willing to support me and help me develop into the player i know i am today. Its been a whirlwind of emotions with all the pain and failure I've experienced since my freshman year, when i watched the team go 4-11, To say the least i didn't get a single game but that only taught me to fight harder for what i wanted. Sophomore year came around, and with that a new coaching staff that gave me an opportunity to shine from day one. At the beginning of my sophomore season i thought i wasn't meant to be a goalkeeper, so i switched to attack, after a few games, i didn't like it and my coach could see that i was frustrated not being able to settle in. During a game against Flanagan High School, our goalie let in two goals in a matter of seconds, and our coach

I played football in high school for all 4 years. My freshmen and sophomore year I wasn't very good. I was a backup and never played. Then came along my junior year, I was still undersized and didn't start but I improved my skill greatly and I started to increase my work ethic. The off-season before my junior year I went hard in the weight room and became strong. I also lost some weight and gained some height. That's hard work in the offseason is what lead to me having a great senior year. My senior year was full of emotion, I felt tired, determined, and at the end of the season I felt sadness with no regret and the love for my brothers. The first thing we had to do to become a great team was build a brotherhood with kids who wanted to try.

My last two seasons of football, we went a combined 2-16 from a record standpoint. The seniors and I have put in so much work. We all came in at 6 in the morning during the summer just so we wouldn’t go through another losing season. We knew we were a better team than we were my junior year, and yet we still couldn’t win games. We did so many things right; for example, we led the state in rushing for teams that didn’t make the playoff. All of these thoughts were going through my head while I was bawling in my car after losing yet another game in which we held the lead twice in the last few minutes. The next morning I woke up and thought when is all this hard work going to pay off like I was told.

Freshman year of football was an eye-opener for me, and the rest of the team. It was our first year in highschool and all the big changes distracted a lot of us. Us, as players, learned new plays and new techniques that we would use all throughout our years at West Delaware. I remember feeling swamped in all the new information that was thrown my way. Coach Morris, and Worden did an outstanding job of letting us process the new material and made us comfortable with what we were learning. Practices were very fun and laid back, but our performance on the field showed that. Yielding a 2-6 record that year, I recall my thoughts walking off the field for the last time after getting . I was thinking, “Is football for me? Should I really play next year?”. The question stayed in the back of my mind all through the winter. Eventually spring rolled around and I was forced to make my decision.