My heart was pounding, and all I could hear was a crowd of people cheering for the main event to begin. There was a group people standing gathered around watching in awe, as my opponent displayed amazing pad work for a warm up routine. I wasn’t scared, but the idea of losing in front of a home crowd in Virginia didn’t sit well in my stomach. Suddenly, a burst of energy struck my body, as I had a bit of fatigue from a fight the night before. I was twenty-three years old with the hopes and dreams of a successful comeback. The five years separated from high school taught me a great deal about hardship, sacrifice, and the value of time itself. Against all odds, I dared to return to the ring and recapture a dream frozen in the never ending valley of yesteryear.
The decision to return to the boxing ring presented many obstacles along the way. My daughter Aniya was barely a year old, while I was lost in contentment with my desk job as a night security guard. Though my shift was from midnight to six am during the week, I still had a commitment to running eight miles a day along with four r...
All of these factors play a large role in Braddock’s decision when he is given a once in a lifetime chance of returning to the boxing world, if only for one more fight. Braddock rises to the occasion, despite his own health. The lesson that one can take from Braddock is to never give up and be relentless in ensuring a better future. Braddock never let his injuries stop him from bringing home a few measly dollars for his family. Even when his life is on the line, Braddock smiles and promises endless happy tomorrows to his children.
I had always had an odd passion for working out, even before I became a weightlifter. I endured years of volleyball conditions, all of which left me sprawled across the floor, drenched in sweat; however, I never complained. My muscles quivered, my heart raced, my lungs pressed against my ribs, and my body collapsed; but my mind was determined. However, I found myself alone in this sentiment.
"They (wrestlers) think they are indestructible. But I’ll tell you what -- those three athletes thought they were indestructible, too. And they aren’t around to talk about it."Wrestlers believe that it is mind over body; they can accomplish anything and nothing bad will ever happen to them. So, LaRosa’s behavior on that fatal day in November wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for many college wrestlers. He was wearing sweats over a rubber suit and riding a stationary bike in a steam-filled shower room. His body temperature reached 108 degrees. He was trying to make weight for his match the next day, and wrestling’s rules did little to discourage such dangerous practices. The logic in wrestling is to make the lowest weight you can in the weigh-ins, which are 24 hours before the match. Then you can replenish and rehydrate your body over the course of the 24 hours between the weigh-in and the match. This will give you an advantage in the competition because you really will be bigger and stronger then most of the wrestlers in that lower weight class.
The winner of the fight wins money. While being in the ring fighting for not only money, but also dignity, the narrator had a feeling of hopelessness and being lost. The narrator tells us “Blindfolded, I could no longer control my emotions”. I had no dignity. I stumbled about like a baby or a drunken man.”
Gillespie, Eleanor Ringel. 'Cinderella' magic: Sweat-and-tears Depression years can't keep a good boxer down. In: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, GA, USA), Atlanta Newspapers, Vol. 57, No. 154, 3 June 2005, h1+h9, (NP)
When we first arrived I’d thought we’d taken a wrong turn and went to a traveling gypsy convention by mistake. The whole field outside the school was filled with tents of various sizes and colors. 200 wrestlers, about thirty of which were girls, filtered about the area. As my soon-to-be teammates and I headed to the first practice, anxiety gnawed at my stomach like a dog with a bone (FL). I wanted to impress everybody, and prove that I could make it in this sport. Before we started, the coach patted me on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back all right.” he told me. I smiled and nodded. At least one person was looking out for me.
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
I don 't know if you have ever been close to an Alzheimer 's patient but it 's confusing. It 's scary. It 's sad. It 's a slow, painful way to leave for everyone involved. You say goodbye long before the body leaves and your new normal becomes seeing someone you love look at your face with a certain empty look that 's hard to explain. There 's no longer the fire and life in their eyes that you once used to see. There is however, moments of clarity. In the midst of the confusion, you see a small light in their eyes for a few minutes. They remember you. They love you. You get them back for that few minutes. It all too soon silently slips away and the light disappears followed by the question "Who are you?". You smile back and explain and every time its a little bit harder. When their physical being is gone you tend to think back to one of two things. One, you remember the days
Being a professional boxer didn’t do much for his mental health because he says he would feel on top of the world and yet so lonely at the same time after a fight. Therefore, he suffered not only the physical demands, but the mental demands in the professional arena of the sport.
One of the most important keys to be a successful athlete, Don Haskins said in the movie, is to have discipline. A major ru...
So, I got ready for my next match, which was against Jeff Petro from Wray, CO. As we warmed up in the same corner, I looked at him with some fear to tell you the truth. This guy was ripped, ...
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, echoes through my head as I walk to the middle of the mat. "At 160lbs Aidan Conner of La Junta vs. Rodney Jones of Hotchkiss." All I can think of is every bead of sweat, every drip of blood, every mile, every push up, every tear. Why? All of this: just to be victorious. All in preparation for one match, six minutes. For some these six minutes may only be a glimpse, and then again for some it may be the biggest six minutes of their life. Many get the chance to experience it more than once. Some may work harder and want it more than others, but they may never get the chance. All they get is a moral victory. Every kid, every man comes into the tournament with a goal. For some is to win, for some is to place, others are just happy to qualify. These six minutes come on a cold frigid night in February at a place called the Pepsi Center. Once a year this gathering takes place when the small and the large, the best of the best, come to compete in front thousands of people. I am at the Colorado State Wrestling Championships.
Everyone has a story, a pivotal moment in their life that started to mold them into the person they are today and may even continue to mold you to the person that you will become, I just had mine a little bit earlier than others. When I was three years old my brother became a burn survivor. It may seem too early for me to remember, but I could never forget that day. Since then, I have grown, matured and realized that what my family and I went through has been something of a benefit to be and an experience that has helped me in deciding what I want to do with the rest of my life.
As the season progressed, competition started getting fiercer. I was up against girls running at a 5A level, yet, I was able to hold my own. Finally there came a tiny light at the end of the tunnel; it seemed as though I was getting closer and closer to accomplishing my goal. Along with my undefeated title came a huge target painted on my back. I religiously checked "Rocky Preps" every day to see if the competition was gaining on me. It seemed that every time I had improved, there was someone right behind me, running their personal best too. I trained during the weeks before regionals like I had never trained before. Each day my stomach became more twisted with knots that looped around every part of my stomach. I don't think I had ever been that nervous in my whole life.
My father is a mathematics teacher and everyone presumed that I also have a bright mind like my father. But the truth was quite bitter. Even though I was brought up with all the facilities a child could get, still I was an average student. This was my parents’ deepest despondency. I was a student with good knowledge and memory, but my indolence always dragged me to average standard.