My Year Of An Athlete

One of the activities that I took part in that I feel has shaped me as a person, was basketball. I joined the Sea Point High basketball team in the tenth grade, in South Africa. Now basketball was not very popular in South African high schools, as such we lost our coach in my junior year. The choices that were given to the team was to either end the program or to continue without a coach. As team captain I rallied my teammates and we persevered through without a coach; we showed up for intensive training and competed against other schools. At the end of my senior year I was presented with the basketball player of the year; however I feel that award did not necessarily celebrate my skill in the sport, but it acknowledged the determination and

I have had many opportunities to create relationships and memories that I would otherwise have not have had. The game of basketball has shaped me into a well-rounded and more productive member of my community. Many hours of practice and studying have allowed me to become successful and earn many honorable awards and recognitions from my teachers, coaches, and administrators.

As an athlete, I acknowledge the guidance and energy thrived off a special coaches. To recognize that their main priority is to guide us with positive vibes and to play the role as another effective role model in our lives. They’re are more than the ones who corrects your mistakes, pushes you regardless of your indecisive to do anything,

Along with working hard to make the team I wanted to be on most, once I was on the team, I learned that I can’t always control everything. Being knocked down through the seasons, I have less desire to continue playing. “Tough love” would be an understatement on how some of the coaches have treated fellow athletes and I. Never earning a “nice work” or “good job” begins to get frustrating and you get harder on yourself as an athlete. These challenges have grown me as a person and taught me that I shouldn’t give up, no matter how hard it

I first became involved with the sport when I was 9-years-old and will probably continue with the sport until I graduate. Being a part of this team has shaped me into the person I am today. I have become a role model for my younger teammates. I am someone who can motivate them to work their hardest and help them achieve their goals by guiding them. I have spent many hours, whether it be during practice or after, coaching these younger teammates, or girls trying out for my team, in order to help out my coaches and show these girls that if they ever need any help I will always be available. This has taught me to step up and be a leader, which is something 9-year-old me would have never

Throughout my life, I have frequently been a part of a team. Whether it was in an athletic, academic, or employment sense, I have learned many life lessons and values solely because I was a part of these teams. Growing up, I was involved in countless team-based sports in which I had a number of roles. There were times when I had to step up and lead, and times where I had to learn to take a step back and follow. I learned that I was only a small part of the success that happens and that the ultimate goal of the team was

Throughout high school, I’ve been involved in multiple activities. As I began high school sports, I looked up to the upperclassmen and tried to be like them. As I grow older, I try to be a positive role model for the underclassmen, just as the students before me had done. I believe that being a positive influence on the ones that look up to you is a splendid aspect to have. As my senior year approached, I participated in volleyball for my fourth year. Throughout practice, I was sure to reach

I have been fortunate to be the recipient of untold hours of guidance of my own coaches and mentors. I can only imagine the sacrifices they have made- time away from family and fatigue just to name a couple. As a result of their investment in me, I have had innumerable opportunities, not the least of which will be the opportunity to attend Rice next fall and play baseball for the Owls. I am doing my best to apply the lessons I've learned through Wylie high school sports, to my life and all the lives I touch through service. All of these lessons impacted my life immensely and will follow me through

Working at the daycare has shown me how much children look up to us student athletes. One of my biggest dreams is to be the person little kids are talking about when they say, “I want to grow up and be like her.” I am also extremely proud of my athletic accomplishments. My sophomore year I was selected to be a part of the SDHSAA all state honorable mention team for soccer, Dakota XII Conference honorable mention team for volleyball, and I was also selected as the player of the week from ESPN 99.1 for volleyball. My junior year I was selected to be a part of the Dakota XII Conference second team and Region 4a regional first team for volleyball. My senior year I was selected to be a part of the Dakota XII Conference second team and Region 4a regional first team for volleyball, was accepted as to become a part national honors society and homecoming royalty court. Another thing I am proud of is being a part of the state runner-up team two years in a row. I am proud of this because not many teams can say they made it to two state games. Although we did not come out as champions, I believe this made everyone on my team a stronger person because it has made all want to work even harder in order to achieve all of the other goals we want to

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

Do you know the feeling you get when you’re doing the thing you love most in the world, for me that is baseball. My participation in sports influenced my skills in multitasking and handling multiple stressful situations at once. I play sports every season possible, teaching me about myself and all my friends on one team growing up into adults. I have maintained sports, grades, and jobs for four straight years without being ineligible one time. The people I am surrounded by around sports, young or old mold my future of being a successful adult. I thank every single coach, and teammate for helping me with all of my accomplishments, the biggest one being the Champion of a Varsity Baseball District Title.

Having grown up in the Tahoe Truckee area, my participation in athletics, and a multitude of other team based activities, have consumed a vast majority of my teenage life, and have aided in my finding a variety of things I am passionate about. These activities have taught me many important life skills that I am able to contribute to both the Team community and community as a whole. These competencies include a strong sense of leadership, accountability, a clear sense of self, and effective communication, all of which I utilize in my day to day life. These skills also provide me with the ability to set effective goals and accomplish them.

When I tell people I am from Phoenix, Arizona, they look at me funny and ask, “What are you doing in Connecticut?” My response is always the same, “I’m on the UConn women’s basketball team.” Sport has played a large role in my life and has definitely impacted me. My parents were key factors that helped me get to where I am now. Both of my parents were college athletes. My father played basketball at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Before that, he was an all-state basketball player, tennis player and pitched for his high school baseball team. My mother played tennis at Marquette University. She was voted most valuable player all four years and won the prestigious McCahill Award as the university’s top student-athlete her senior year. She came from a tennis family. Her two sisters, her dad, and several uncles played college tennis. Her father, like her, won the McCahill award as Marquette’s top student-athlete. To this day, they are the only father-child combination to win the award. My parents met in line for drug testing when they were both athletes at Marquette. With parents so into athletics, it is not surprising that they decided early on in their relationship that their children would play sports. They decided my brother and I would participate in sports at a young age and knew that sports would teach us valuable life lessons.

As I became older, entering my young teenage years in life, I took on the interest of playing sports for my middle school. I remember trying out for the girl’s basketball team in the summer going into the eighth grade. I know I had competition but I felt highly confident from the skills I gained during the previous years. Try outs were all morning and I caused my parents so much trouble from telling them in such a short notice. I anxiously waited for the final results, even though they weren’t posted on the gym door until later that evening. Later on that day I learned that I didn’t make

Overcoming the fact that one day you will not be able to play your sport is one of the hardest things all athletes must one day go through. It is a fact of the game that one day your eligibility runs out or if you are one of the lucky few who play professionally, your body’s years of health do not last forever. Coaching just to be around the sport and spread the joy that sport gave you for so many years. My coaching philosophy relies extremely heavily on this information. I have always been a person who is passionate about the things I love because I do not believe in not putting your whole heart into something. The most critical component to success in whatever sport you love lies in honoring the game that so many before you loved and excelled at. Excelling and honoring the game means having respect for everyone involved with the sport. Giving respect to your coaches is something I learned from the beginning. Being respectful and having a positive attitude learned at a young age is something completely taken for granted until you have adults who can neither adapt nor be flexible when something does not go their way. Sport is a form of education in that it teaches you similar life lessons that will be useful for far longer than the amount of time that you spend actually playing it.