Personal Essay : The Lessons From Pushing Yourself

I refused to ever let someone replace me on the track again. Not only did I earn that respect, I demanded it. My workouts were no longer a social hour, but a boot camp. I was the hardest working undersized athlete in the program. My junior track season finally arrived, yet once again I would not have the chance to compete for a junior varsity district championship. No, this year I competed for a varsity district championship. My efforts in the offseason led to a promotion on the team. The lingering emotions of anger and disappointment were replaced with gleaming pride. My previous failure had propelled me to success within a single

The next seven minutes could determine what my 7th grade year will look like. 11 other girls, competing for seven spots on the JAJH Cheer Team. My hands were shaking, and I was so nervous inside. What if I don’t make it? What if I make myself look like a complete fool? Falling on my face, tripping, doing the wrong cheer, all of these factors were racing through my mind. But I had to plaster that smile on my face, black shorts, white shirt, bow, tennis shoes, I was ready. Routines rushing through my head, one after the other, over and over. Five, six, seven, eight, one… Three days of practicing and learning the material for those next seven minutes.

As if I had unconsciously alienated myself from the squad. But no matter what I did I couldn’t shake the quasi -mental abuse that I had endured from cheer phi earlier on. No one likes to feel like the black sheep. But being a rebel was embedded in my DNA since birth. After all the separation, stress, and burdens of my financial obligations. I had contemplated quitting the team. I figured that if I didn’t want to be a part of cheer phi and if I couldn’t afford being on the team then why bother. One of the cheer phi members overheard me discussing my plan to the coach .I immediately got defensive and was silent the whole practice thinking that they were happy that I was leaving.

Again, tryouts came for the next greuling school year. The only difference from last year, I was prepared. I knew the cheers, I knew the feeling of standing in front of crowd so ecstatic from a winning game and I knew the feeling of a crowd sitting at a loss for words in the face of defeat. I knew my goal and I was absolutely determined to reach it. I could only be described as a lioness on the prowl and the Varsity squad was my prey. Just as anxious as the year before, though this time with a hint of confidence, I made my tryout a culmination of completely everything I had learned from my wildly experienced past. That night, I reached my ultimate goal and earned the prized name of Varsity cheerleader. The next day I practically walked around with an enormous V on my forehead, honored by the position. With all this positivity, I knew there was something to come. That same summer, I hadn’t received a lucky chance to become even a contender in the

So far, the college experience has made me a changed person. College changed me into a better person on many occasions. I have learned to be more responsible, when it comes down to getting work done. In college you must be responsible. I have also changed my attitude. Moving from high school to college is a big step; if you don’t change your ways for the better then you might not be successful in college. When you reach college then is the time that you become an adult.

I remember the gut wrenching feeling looking at the bright computer screen on that Wednesday evening not seeing my name. The confidence I had a minute before was all taken away in an instant. I didn’t make the middle school cheerleading team. I know it seems like a first world problem, but I wanted more than anything to make that team and when I found out I did not make the cut I was devastated. I had worked so hard to put myself in the best position possible. I practiced motions, jumps, and even smiling until my cheeks went numb. Unfortunately, this did not do much in terms of getting put on the team.

This was our opportunity to do so, before we had to act as competitors and not companions. After catching up, we rushed out of the changing room and into the gym, planting ourselves on the polished floors, our knee high socks sliding with every move we made. We sat in silence as the coach, Mr. McBurney, approached us and informed us about how each practice would play out, and about how even if some of us did not make the team, we should all treat each other as if we are teammates.

At the end of an 8th-grade year, the office called any girls wanting to try out for high school cheer. HIGH SCHOOL CHEER!! The next step of cheer, cheering at the football games, basketball games. I was excited to try out for high school cheerleading. Even cheering with upper classmen! The paper that was given to us had a bunch of words on it, it gave us choices like: “Just Football”, “Just Basketball”, “Football and Basketball”, and another one that said, “Competition, Football, and Basketball”. I thought to myself, “What was the competition cheer like?” No idea, but on the cheerleading Facebook page, there were new coaches. This was going to be their third year as a UHS high school cheer coach. They were also really pretty, and on the

Sneaking up on me, the end of my senior year is starting appearing, the most frequent question I get asked is,” What are you going to do after high school?” That question for me isn't a hard one--in fact, it is rather easy. At the age of 10, I knew I wanted to become some type of teacher, or someone in the medical field, I didn't know what exactly. At the age of 15 I was in an accident that helped me realize what I wanted to become.

I arrived at practice with my shoes laced, hair pulled back, and the mindset that I was unstoppable. I could play against every member of my team and come out the victor on any given day. It was the first day of practice that week, and challenge matches were scheduled to begin. The team went through our daily shuffle of drills, conditioning, and running to prepare for what was lying ahead. While warming up with my friends, I felt great, talking about homecoming, boys, and a variety of irrelevant events. I felt ready. The odds were in my favor and nobody could stop me.

I have learned a great many things from playing soccer. It has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. Before my freshman year at Cool high school, I was shy, had low self-esteem and turned away from seemingly impossible challenges. Soccer has altered all of these qualities. On the first day of freshman practice, the team warmed up with a game of soccer. The players were split up and the game began. However, during the game, I noticed that I didn't' t run as hard as I could, nor did I try to evade my defender and get open. The fact of the matter is that I really did not want to receive the ball. I didn't' t want to be the one at fault if the play didn't' t succeed. I did not want the responsibility of helping the team

I approached that year’s conditioning with a pessimistic attitude and wondered why was I doing this when I’m not going to run in meets. Just like the year before, I assumed that conditioning and practicing would be obsolete. I braced myself for another disappointing year. Every winter day after school, I braced myself against the cold with a hope that this season would be different. I went into the first day of practice feeling in shape and optimistic. But just like freshman year, there was no preparing for the ache and suffering of the first practice. With the season approaching, our coach timed us to determine who would run in meets. Our coach divided us into groups based on how fast she thought we were. When a senior saw that I was in the first, slower group, he said that I belonged in the faster group with them. Hearing that compliment from a senior changed my outlook on the season might go. As the first track meet approached, we split off into groups so we could perfect our technique based on the event we were running. As I was jogging around the track wondering whether this year was going to be the same as last year, our coach summoned me over to perfect baton handoffs for the 4x100 meter relay. As the realization hit me that I was going to compete, I thought, “I’m not going to relinquish this spot because I labored profusely to attain

I stood on a mat, in an unfamiliar gym, surrounded by unfamiliar people. Did I really want to do this? I know no one here, I don’t even know if this is something I would end up liking. All these thoughts were running through my mind, making me question if I was brave enough to do this. I was eight years old and tryout out for my local competitive cheerleading team. As my mind raced, increasing my nerves, I contemplated leaving. I made the decision to join the team; I never know it could be something I would really enjoy. I didn’t realize at the time that this wouldn’t be the last time my mind tries to talk me out of taking a risk.

It was March 2017, and the tryout cheers had just been put on Moodle. I had already been practicing my tumbling skills at Corner House for about five months, but I still wasn’t confident with my skills. We had cheer camp for the next week to go over the cheers and how the tryout process was going to go. During the week I had gotten pretty good at the cheers but I lost my running tumbling from being so nervous. This made me so scared for tryouts and I thought for sure I wasn’t going to make the team, especially compared to other girls who had outstanding tumbling skills. I knew that now I couldn't rely on my tumbling to get me on the team so I focused on my jumps and cheers.

The Self Every situation that an individual is exposed to throughout life, helps mold our “self.” As humans we have the ability to see ourselves from the outside, and all through life we try to see what others see and our “self” revolves around the generalized other. We observe how others perceive us and we make conclusions depending on our observations. How we act around others depends on the image we feel they have towards us.