Tryout Experience Essay

Junior year of high school I had reached my limits and had become clinically depressed. I had no interest in school, and I had considered quitting my schools cheerleading team. I felt alone and underwhelmed with where I had imagined my life was going to go. My dream was to become a state champion with cheerleading and to place in the top 10 at the National High School Cheerleading Championship, I had already made amends with the idea that it was an unreachable goal. I had completly given up. Ready to quit, one of my teammates had taken notice in my dismissive persona, she had also brought it to the attention of the rest of my team. They began to push me harder then they he'd ever pushed before. They helped me realize that I was great again.

It was the day of volleyball tryouts. I was obviously pretty nervous as most should be, but it was way more than that. But something about this current volleyball tryout felt good. Very good.

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.”

I felt my heart racing as I imagined making the top team in the club. I knew right then and there that I was going to try out for the team as soon as I discussed it with my parents. After my parents’ approval, I went to the first tryout with high expectations and aspirations. The tryout was going well at first; my skill was evident on the ice. I was making quick passes and skating hard. I will never forget the fateful pass that happened next. I remember the play in slow motion. I passed the puck through the center ice, a precarious move, but it was intercepted by the opposing team and as a result they scored a swift goal. Groans from the other players could be heard and my heart sank. That pass would determine my fate. After the tryout, I undressed slowly replaying the pass repeatedly in my head. Coach Ruben walked out of his office with the list of players who made the team in his hand. As he posted the list on the bulletin board, all the eager players ran over, examining the list of names. I stared at at the list for what seemed like an eternity searching for my name, but it was not there. I stifled my disappointment and followed my parents out to the car. To my ten year old self, my dreams were crushed and I assumed my hockey career was over before it even

My accomplishment of making the varsity lacrosse team has given me a new understanding of myself. 11.34 My journey began during my freshman year when I was a member of the JV lacrosse team. At the end of the season, the coaching staff called up a select group of individuals from the JV team to play for the varsity team in the playoffs.17.65 Unfortunately, I was not one of the players afforded the opportunity. 11.14When I got home that day, I told myself that I would never let that happen again and that I would do everything in my power to make the varsity team the following year. 13.98 As a result, that summer I worked extremely hard to improve my stick skills with my travel team and went to various tournaments where I competed against kids who were much better than me.15.02 1)However, as the summer ended, it was football season and I had to put my lacrosse training on hold so that I could focus on football. 2)Midway through the football season, I unfortunately suffered my third concussion

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.

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 the first day of tryouts, and I could feel my stomach knotting up, as I got dressed alone in the locker room. I could hear the shouting of thirty, twelve-year-old boys in the locker room next to mine, and a heavy ball formed in my throat as my eyes began to tear up from the fear and anxiety of tryouts building up all at once. I was twelve-years-old heading into my first day of tryouts for the Edina boys Peewee hockey team, what would have been my first day of tryouts for the Edina girl’s U12 hockey team if my dad hadn’t forced me to leave behind what had been my worst year in girls hockey just the previous year. In the Edina youth hockey association, by rules, you must go through two years of U10s and then two years of U12 and so on

I made sure to act very confident at tryouts so it would not be a repeat of the year before. The high school tryouts felt completely different. I was more confident, louder, and overall a better cheerleader. All the hard work I put in really paid off. The day after tryouts, I remember I was in the parking lot of the eye doctor’s office when the teams had been posted. I was so nervous I would be let down again, so I made my mom check first. Typically freshman year girls cheer for the freshman team, but my mom did not see my name there. Panicking, I took her phone and double checked scrolling to see the other teams. Sure enough, my name was not on the freshman team. My name was under junior varsity! I surpassed my goal I made a team that only a few girls my age

February 3rd 2013 was tryouts for the high school baseball team. I can remember I marked it on my calendar at home in early fall of 2012 and I worked hard every day so I could be my best and make the team. I remember counting down the days witch felt like for ever and ever. Then the day hit when I had to go out onto the field and show the coaches what I was made for. Before me and the other freshman’s had to be on the field we all were in the field house and seating around waiting on the coach to come and tell us to come outside. I remember all the older kids talking bad on me, they were saying " wow the coaches must have lost it letting you try out for the team”. I told myself to just let the be the fuel to your fire and go out there and be the

When I was eight years old, I played my first season of soccer. The real reason I played soccer was because my dad forced me to play. I loved to play all kinds of sports such as basketball, baseball and football but I was never interested in soccer. After my first practice I already realized soccer was not for me. I told my dad that I did not want to play anymore but he would not listen and made me keep going to practice. At my 3rd practice, the whole team was running laps and I tripped over a stick and fell down. My ankle was hurting pretty bad but I knew I was going to be fine. While I was lying on the ground, I thought to myself If I tell the coach and my dad that my ankle is hurt really bad than I won’t have to play anymore. I thought it was a genius idea at the time. I told them just that and it worked! I have no idea how my dad knew this but once I got home he knew that I was milking my injury. He told me something that night that I won’t ever forget. He told me “you didn’t just give up on yourself, you gave up on your team”. He called the coach the next day and told him that

After for playing on the Ocala Lightning for two years, in 2013, I went to try out for the Olympic Development Program (O.D.P) or the Florida state team. I felt excited and ready to be beast at this try out. The try out was near the Space Coast so it was a little bit of a drive. As we were driving I was worried, nervous, and filled with the jitters like I am on ITBS days. Finally the moment came where I had to face the try outs by myself because I knew absolutely no one there (except my parents). I went to get my number so the Coaches could evaluate the players. I was so timid that weekend I spoke to other players and coaches about five times, that’s it. The try out was two days of hard work and I

I soon realized that I needed help with getting my body better so I asked my mom for help and we got a personal trainer who helped me improve my body physique and conditioning greatly over the summer time. I realized this happening to me made me better, it made me work harder than I ever had before and it built me the confidence to go tryout for the jv basketball team. I made the jv team but faced a setback, I didn’t play a lot and slowly watched my minutes diminish to other players. This time I had been prepared from the time of me getting cut but also I realized that I always need to improve everyday and give everything I have which I failed to do. This hit me similar to the first failure because it hurt knowing I worked so hard and still wasn't getting as much playing time as everyone else or even sometimes not playing at all. Failure is one of the most natural things that occurs in someone’s everyday life and how we react to depends on the type of person that you are. Failure is not an easy thing to handle but I used it as fuel to get better and learned life lessons from my experiences with it. What I learned is to always work my tail off no matter what the circumstances could be and to fight through the negativity and

A few weeks later I found myself at my very first hockey practice the seat to my car car was heating up because of my body temperature was so hot. I was so nervous I had to meet 15 new people. Well if that is not nerve racking you must not be huma. This all started at my kitchen table, my dad asked me if I want to pursue my hockey career. You already know the answer to that question it was a YES. My dad said that if I wanted to pursue my hockey dream than I would have to play for a better hockey team. Than, we went to go scout a hockey team out in syracuse and we like them they skated fast, they were moving at such a fast past and I liked that. So we met the head coach and hear what he had to say us. He told us when tryouts were and where they took place. Sooner or later I found my riding in the car to tryout the car ride to syracuse was so long and scary, in my head were a couple of thoughts like “What if someone is better than me and will take my spot”. I put those thoughts aside and started focusing on what I had to do to make the team. My mother and I started play pump up music to get me ready for tryouts. In the car I realized I wanted to play hockey for a

At tryouts all I wanted was to be on that team. All I thought had to do to reach my next goal was work hard. I remember walking down that back stairwell, full of students, rushing to get to the clear front doors of the school, where the list that my goal depended on was surrounded by my teammates. I used my height to my advantage and peeked over the crowd. My anticipation was quickly crushed, though, by an all encompassing sadness of not making the core team, but secondary one. That sadness quickly morphed into an unbridled anger. I was angry at myself, my teammates, God, but especially my coach, who I would later find out made promises to parents from the past season that their children would be starters. I never let the anger show during that forgotten season, I made some good memories and grew closer to people I thought I couldn't, but that anger was bottled up and needed escape. I needed revenge and that came in the form of club volleyball. I made the top team, and grew exponentially as a player, even playing on an older team for nationals. I came back ready for that next school season. I walked into the air conditioned, orange lighted, smelly, old gym full of confidence. I could do anything and no one was going to stop me from reaching my goal. I did make the core team that year. My goal I’d wanted for a year was completed and yet left me feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. These memories block out many others I’ve made in a wonderful six year volleyball career. It has formed me into the volleyball player I am today and that unsatisfied feeling gave way one of my next goals now, to play volleyball for a collegiate program at a division one school. But the only way to get that dream, as I have learned so many times, is work hard, pursue what you want, and never let anyone decide your fate for you, because if they do, it won't fulfill the goals you have chosen for