Reflections : Year Of Grind

What most people don’t is that not all athletes get the full-ride scholarships that people think of. Most collegiate sports don’t even offer full-ride scholarships; instead they have a set amount of money that they can do whatever to give scholarships. According to a U.S. News article, “The average athletic scholarship is about $10,400. Only four sports offer full rides to all athletes who receive scholarships: football, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball” (O'Shaughnessy). Just to put this into perspective, there are twenty-four total college sports, and only these 4 offer full scholarships. This showcases the rarity of a full-ride in college athletes. Looking into it even more, most of those college athletes come from low income families, “86 percent of college athletes come from below the poverty line” (Hayes 1). A college athlete's schedule is also very hectic. In an article showing the schedule of a football player, it lists, “6am-7am: Wake up,

Going into my senior year I was set to return for an amazing year. I was predicted to break every record in the book at my school. I got so ahead of myself talking almost every day before the season knowing I am going to break all those records and be the star of the team. Everyone knew I was going to be also, until the last Saturday practice before the season started. It was just like any other practice about to start scrimmaging for the end. I was really looking good that day catching a couple for

The road to becoming a world-class athlete is hardly hindered by the fact that full-ride scholarships sometimes don’t pay for the full college experience, and therefore society should not perceive scholarships as a roadblock for potential pro

I was accepted into the program and have been taking specific classes dealing with athletic training, worked directly with the athletes at Central College, and job shadowed various other healthcare professions in the Pella community including; the ambulance service, the physical therapy department, chiropractor services, Pella High School sports teams, an orthopedic surgeon, and a dentist. Throughout my senior year I worked with the Central College football team. In the fall, I worked the varsity games on the weekends along with practices during the week. Before and after the practices I would guide the athletes through rehabilitations for their specific injuries. As a senior I was also had the responsibility of creating a work schedule for the underclassmen working football with me. In the summer of 2015 I had an internship with the Detroit Lions football team. I was able to work three preseason games as well as the preseason practices. My internship in Detroit solidified my want to work with athletes throughout my career as a health

Athletics has helped shape who I am as a student and as a person. To be selected for the Carl Montavon Memorial Scholarship would be a great honor that I would feel privileged to receive. Carl Montavon was a huge supporter of athletics among high school students, and I am as well for multiple reasons. Not only have the sports that I have participated in helped me physically and socially, but educationally as well. Participating in multiple sports helped motivate me to keep up my GPA for future college recruiting, and fueled my competitive drive into striving and succeeding to become valedictorian of my high school’s graduating class. Athletics taught me responsibility and respect. Not only do I value others opinions, but I make sure

Stars: I attended Lee High School in Huntsville, AL for 4 years. As a general, I participated in many varsity sports, but anyone who knows me knows my favorite is football. Looking in as an 8th grader the varsity team at Lee was pretty good under head coach Kinte Welch; however, finally graduating and becoming a part of the team my freshman through junior year was pretty awful. Our program was awful because of many reasons, but you can 't blame it all on the head coach. Ending my junior season, we 'd maybe won 4 games in 3 seasons. At the beginning of baseball season my junior year the athletic department decided to release him from his head coach position. After many potential coaches filled out for the position our principle filled the spot. He was familiar with the football in our area and he also coaches at a rival school Huntsville High School. Coach Woods has been around football all his life also playing linebacker at the University of Arkansas. Woods taking over and hiring a new staff made our life so much easier. The senior class who came in as a freshman, and stuck through the tough times help lead the team to the 6A playoffs after not being a contender for the last 10 years. I played a huge role as a defensive captain and we were ranked one of the top defenses in our region. As a three-year starter for the Generals, we turned the whole program around my senior season and made it to the second round of the playoffs where we lost to a power house.

On the last day of tryouts, the coaches made cuts for the teams. They called each one of us separately to meet. The head coach started off by saying that I was a good player and that I had a lot of potential. Then, the praise quickly dropped off.

The first day of tryouts came around and I woke up that morning shaking with excitment and shear nervousness. I ate my bagel and chocolate milk, (a pregame ritual of mine) laced up my cleats, and was on my way. The second I got to the field I knew I was in for a long day. Most of the guys were double my size and looked like they were professionals. After a few days of the long, hard, and grueling tryout process the coaches posted the team on their website. When I saw my name wasn't on the list I felt spiteful, angry, even a little ashamed with myself. I knew I deserved a spot on that team and I was determined to claim it.

Rebecca Lobo once said“Athletes who take to the classroom naturally or are encouraged to focus on grades should be able to do well in the classroom. I believe the reason you go to college is to get your degree. It's not a minor league or an audition for the pros.” many athletes should read these and apply it to their life because college isn't about trying to play in the pros if you're an athlete sure you can have a dream, but you need to also get a degree that should be the main focus not getting a tryout or an audition for the pros. Every year around one hundred seventy-seven thousand athletic scholarships is given out to those that stood out in their sport, whether it was basketball, football, or even baseball. The kids receiving these scholarships are given a free

Tom Farrey, a former ESPN journalist and a national speaker on youth sports wrote his first book in 2008. Game On: The All-American Race to Make Champions of our Children tries to explain why there has been a decline in youth sports in recent years. In Chapter 6, Farrey uses college scholarships as one means to explain this phenomenon. His assertion stated above explains the problem with athletic scholarships is mainly that they didn’t listen to *NYSNC and instead have multiple strings attached to them. This declaration can be concurred on the grounds that not only are “full-rides” rare and do not cover the full cost of college, but also that the athlete puts more into the sport than what is typically recognized and also that an athletic scholarship

It all started when I walked into Island Coasts High School’s open house. I didn’t know what to expect, and was filled with trepidation about whether or not I would even know enough about football to sign up. I made my way to the cafeteria in order to sign up. I met the coaches,

Our coach at the time, Coach Lallemand, would have cuts at the beginning and end of the year every year. So, at the end of my sophomore year we were at tryouts going through our drills and what have you. Then at the end he called us one by one into his office. I was expecting to make the team I had no doubt in my mind I was going to make the team. When he called my name I wasn’t nervous or anxious, I knew I was

Your dream has come true; you're at college playing the sport you love, and at what cost? None. You are free to live your college life worry free and have been given the opportunity to continue your sports career. After you have completed your college education you can get a job, with no college loans that you have to pay off. You are also able to start making money right out of graduation. You get to experience this less stressful college life. The lives of athletes that walk-on and athletes not on a scholarship are stressful ones with many different things to worry about. Those athletes have to worry about how to pay for college and the loans they will have to pay back after graduation. They will have to pay for all their meals, books and the cost for dorms. But what got you here? There were many factors, but one that helped you the most was that you were a diverse athlete.

It is my junior year of high school and basketball season is right around the corner. I am on the verge of either making varsity or junior varsity this year depending upon my skills. Went through the tryouts and was able to make the junior varsity again for my second year with coach Maloney. I was all excited to play there again seeing I was one out of the three kids that made it back there again. From there it was Cam, Anthony, and I who thought would lead the team because we were the only ones who knew how to run Maloney’s offense and defense well that’s what I had thought was gonna be the case but in reality it wasn't. I thought I would be a starter for the team, but in reality I ended up being a bench player or how I thought of it as a

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.