Personal Narrative-Sport Athlete

I had spent most of my childhood happy, without much pain or adversity; as a result, the moment I learned I did not make the Junior Varsity volleyball team my freshman year, I was especially devastated. When I showed up on our first day of tryouts I was excited. I looked forward to playing volleyball all summer with my friends. I worked hard, and I felt really confident at the end of the two weeks; certain that I had made the Junior Varsity team. The coaches took me to a secluded room and sat me down to explain which team I had made. I was almost already thanking them, not realizing that they were telling me, "We think that your skills at the moment would shine best on JV2; work on your technique and practice being a leader.”

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

For most of my life, I was skilled in organized sports, especially soccer, which I had played for many years. After a successful soccer season my freshman year, I thought that I would make the JV team for sure. At tryouts, I went through the motions of each drill. I breezed through the conditioning tests, doing the bare minimum for each test. I didn’t try as hard as others, as I felt that I was more skillful than most of my peers.

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

As captain, I led our team to qualify for Regional Duals, a competition we had not qualified for in 10 years. Becoming captain was really the final step in my transformation, when I began I did so it at my parents’ request. And for 2 years I toiled through a great deal of self-doubt and anxiety, as well as a physical obstacle. It came together as I realized that I was the one pushing myself and my teammates, unlike the way I had begun this journey. It culminated when my goals were met, and my hard work and persistence were acknowledged by both my coaches and

“You will never be good enough. You are not trying your hardest. Why can you not do anything right?” These are common phrases from parents who put too much emphasis on sports. The parents from the documentary, Trophy Kids, push their children as if they were professional athletes, yet they’re only high school age or younger. As these parents push their children they are doing more harm than good. These parents may believe that they are using positive reinforcement, in reality, they are just tearing their child down. They tell the child everything they are doing wrong rather than helping them understand what they can do improved. In America today, AAU sport involvement is at an all-time high. Club sports are so large no one knows quite

An active lifestyle was enthusiastically encouraged by my parents for their three boys to support not only physical activity and growth, but a competitive spirit, and a sense of belonging with peers from my school and the community. Through hard work and practice I played at the top level for every sport that I tried out for. What I lacked in size I made up for with heart, hustle, and passion. Consequently, my personal compensation was the pride I earned through hours of practice to develop the skills needed to perform at the highest level.

In the life of sports, it is often said that one doesn’t choose the game, but that the game chooses the person. When it comes to athletic talent, I don’t believe God blessed me with it, at least, not naturally. But, ever since I was young, the gifts with which I have been blessed are determination and drive – to accomplish whatever I set out to accomplish. And, while football didn’t choose me, I chose it.

It was a warm summer morning on August 28, 1998 when my mother went into Sioux Valley hospital to give birth to a baby boy. After an agonizing 15 hours in labor, I was born. They named me Bryce meaning “Nobel One.” My full name was Bryce Jay Edberg, I got this middle name after my father, which his middle name was also Jay. Being born at exactly 4:03 a.m., with a staggering 23 inch body and weighing 10 lb 4oz the delivery was nothing less then painful.

In the beginning, I was not very good. I lacked the strength, confidence, and experience necessary for success. I also did not have much competition to work with because as a fifth grader, I only weighed around 50 to 60 pounds. My entire first two seasons consisted of less than ten matches, most of which I lost. My third season, I had finally grown to a common weight and had the opportunity to wrestle more than in previous seasons. I ended up finishing the season with a record of one win, twenty-seven losses. This seems

There are several reasons why I am athletic. The ways I am athletic and stay athletic is through training and playing football, basketball, and baseball. First off, I train to get into shape. I do push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and many other exercises like that. Also, I practice all the different sports and do different workouts to get better. The first sport that comes around is football. I play quarterback and linebacker and have been very successful. The past two years the teams I have been on haven’t lost a game! Next, is basketball, and it is my favorite sport. I have played it for all my life and still play it today. I play point guard and I like to shoot. During my basketball years, I have made many buzzer-beaters and

Sports changes a person physically, but it can also change them mentally. In the beginning of the school year, I was just a freshman, your average athlete, trying to get in shape. Yet the struggle I went through when I had sprained my ankle, I learned to never give up, even in the darkest moment. I healed and became one of the hardest workers on the team, thanks to this great fall. And this is how it began….

I demonstrated perseverance, diligence, and determination in the face of unfavorable odds. This experience helped me to not only build respect for my teammates and coaches but also to build a sense of willpower. I learned that a team relies not just on one individual, but a multitude of persons, and each one helps contribute to its success. I also learned how to cooperate with a group of people to work towards a common goal. For my dedication and improvement in during the season, I was recognized as the “Most Improved” player on the freshman team.

It was 6 a.m on a saturday morning, she was huffing and puffing while her free runs rolled on across the cold pavement. She knew that after a few weeks off, getting in shape would be one of the hardest parts. From a soccer field to a basketball court, from her feet to her hands, she knew she had a lot of work to do. Everyday after school it escalated from 10, to 15, to 50, to nearly 100 jump shots, free throws, and long hours with her former-all star, three sport athlete of a father. He had high expectations for her and she knew that he wanted her to make the team more than she did. “Fix your elbow. Jump higher. Box out.” Correcting her on every mistake, he wanted to live the high

My history with sport started at a young age; by three years old, my father already had me swinging a baseball bat. Yet, for me personally, the earliest memories I have of sports were watching my older brother play basketball on the hoop in our front yard. Before I knew it, I was out on the basketball court at 5, playing in games with my father, brother and neighbors. At 6 when I first started kindergarten, my parents signed me for a winter YMCA basketball league where I began to shine. Being one of the few kids on the team that could dribble the ball and actually take shots, I played the point guard position and was constantly given the ball. Seeing my success in the basketball league, my parents wanted me to play little league next, with the hope that it would be as successful as basketball. Evidently, my parent’s intuition about my athletic ability was correct. In little league, I was one of the few kids who could throw the ball across the diamond. Naturally, as I was one of the few kids that could field, I was relegated to second base and occasionally shortstop. While I may have felt that I was one of the best hitters on the team at the time, reflection on my past reminds me that I always had trouble with swinging the bat. Much to my parent’s dismay, baseball was not the same as basketball for me; I was unable to dominate without any resistance. Yet, not all hope was lost. As a pitcher, I showed great promise. Even though I was not the tallest kid or the strongest kid, I