Personal Narrative- My Life as a Student, Athlete and Christian
“I knew this was bliss, knew it at the time.” These words of Eudora Welty, although expressing her feeling from devouring book after book, can also be applied to my life. While not relating to my literacy, Welty’s lexis nonetheless conveys my own feelings after learning the significance of hard work. I’ve put excess effort in performing the roles of a student, an athlete, and a Christian. Success and growth in each component of my life has taught me the value and necessity of a strong work ethic.
Going through grade school, achieving ‘A’s meant relying on studying rather than my intelligence. Though not staffed “gifted” like fellow classmates, I was still driven to gain the approval and attention of both my teachers and parents. This motivation kept me focused on completing homework assignments and preparing for tests. In other words, I had no room for slacking off. This challenge to be a superlative scholar is similar to Eudora Welty’s trial of going to the library: “I was willing; I would do anything to read.” She illustrates her commitment to the challenge of reading. Likewise, I was willing to put in as much effort as it took to pull off straight ‘A’s. Moreover, receiving report cards with straight ‘A’s only furthered my ambition. The recognition gained from repeatedly accomplishing that feat proved that hard work did pay off. Continued success as a student has fostered my dedication to maintaining zealous work habits.
Furthermore, a love for sports coupled my desire to work hard to start a multi-talented sports career. Once again, I found myself seeking the attention of somebody, this time my coaches, in order to stand out from the rest. While coaches ...
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...rvice. After three more WorldChangers trips, this passion to be a servant to others has grown to have a deep effect on my work ethic, influencing me to do the best job I can when helping others in order to show God’s love to the fullest. As John Hope Franklin claimed, “I would use my energies to make me a better person.” With the wisdom acquired from experiences like WorldChangers and from fellow brothers-in-Christ like various youth pastors, I’ve gained a purpose behind the efforts put into my hard work.
Fortunately, life has taught me that it is better to rely on studying, practice, and God rather than your own intelligence, athletic skill, or luck. No matter what area of life, success takes a little bit of hard work. The many people and events I’ve encountered throughout my years have “provided a sound basis for my attitudes and conduct from that day to this.”
It’s the triumphs as well as the defeats, that I will remember most about my life when I look back in thirty years. If I can look back and say, “I didn’t think I could ever accomplish this, but I gave it my all.” Pursuing the next challenge along with being a well-rounded, compassionate person will allow me to consider my life a success in thirty years. Nothing in my life emulates this attitude towards what I will consider a success, in terms of pushing my limits, in thirty years, than my current pursuit of collegiate level sports.
Throughout my life, my work ethic, my mental strength, and the skills I have learned, are largely because of my athletic background and all of the things I have gone through with them. To be good at sports, one does not have to
Both on an off the field, my enthusiasm and motivation to obtain a goal is a trait that I am very proud of. I have faced many tasks where a leader had needed to step up and I am always willing to do so. I am also willing to get help when I need it. If I can’t complete a task by myself I do not mind asking a classmate, teammate, friend or a teacher for guidance. By bringing that openness and leadership to University of Charleston’s Athletic Training Program I believe that I can also attribute to the University of Charleston’s Mission Statement “to educate each student for a life of productive work, enlightened living, and community involvement.” By bettering the Athletic Training community by providing care to our Athletes I believe that I will be a great addition to the Athletic Training
However, this is not really a direct correlation to the coach’s effectiveness in a particular sport, being that there are many other factors in coaching a team other than game records. The coach’s job is to enhance the athlete physically, socially, and psychologically, winning is only considered a by-product of that job (Gillham, Burton, & Gillham, 2013). Gillham, Burton, and Gillham (2013) focused on developing a Coaching Success Questionnaire-2 to allow a means of evaluating other aspects of a coach’s interaction with their athletes as both a research and coach development tool. A sample group of athletes at the varsity and club level ranging from ages 18 to 25 was used to develop the questionnaire by asking their perceptions of their coaches.
I have been a four year letter-winner in volleyball and basketball. Athletics have been a crucial part of developing my character and work ethic. In sports, you must work together with your team to reach your goals. Trust and communication skills are vital and are tested every day. The failure and setbacks I have faced through sports have helped me to believe in myself and have the self-confidence that it takes to be successful in athletics and in life. As a senior captain of the volleyball and basketball teams, my leadership has improved tremendously as high school has progressed. Being a leader holds me accountable and I aim to be a role model for younger teammates on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
Imagine juggling the stress of graduating high school and the stress of embracing parenthood at the same time. “In 2009, six pregnant teens allowed MTV to film their pregnancies in the hopes that youngsters watching the resultant show--16 and Pregnant-- would learn from their mistakes and wait to start families” (Dockterman 1). This is the reality for many teens today. According to the March of Dimes, about three in ten teenage girls become pregnant before the age of twenty. (Slocum 1). MTV hosts many different tv shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. In broadcasting the lifestyles of young teenage mothers, these shows also allow others to see the struggles that the young teen mothers face preparing for and caring for a baby. While many
Each game, my passion grew. Each team, new memories and lifelong friends were made. Sports sometimes make me feel disappointment and at loss; but it taught me to be resilient to a lot of things, like how to thrive under pressure and come out on top. Being the team captain of my high school’s football and lacrosse team showed me how having a big responsibility to bring a group together to work as one is compared to many situations in life. Currently playing varsity football, varsity lacrosse, and track I take great pride in the activities I do. Staying on top of my academics, being duel enrolled at Indian River State College, working three nights a week, and two different sport practices after school each day shaped my character to having a hard work
Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Pregnancy and Childbearing Among U.S. Teens." Online. Internet. 29 Mar. 1999. Available
“Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it,” (Lou Holtz). Anyone is capable of doing anything they set their mind to as long as they are working towards that goal or aspiration. If you motivate yourself, you will see the positive outcome of your hard work and dedication. You have to remember to encourage yourself no matter if you fail or know you’ll succeed. Track and Field has been beyond meaningful to my life. Not only has it taught me many valuable lessons, but it also helped unearth potential I didn’t realize I had. Track and Field is my sport because challenging myself and my body
Children having children, this is an all too familiar phrase that has become a popular adage among people in today’s society. But as popular as this phrase maybe, it does not even begin to scratch the surface that lies beneath the complex issues of teenage pregnancy. There are many adverse concerns that encompass teen pregnancy, to which society has even developed its own views upon. Concerns that develop from adolescent pregnancy can have negative impacts for teenage parents, children, and even society. According to Furstenberg, “In 1995, in his State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton singled out teenage childbearing as “our most serious social problem”. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.), “In 2012, there were 29.4 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19, or to simply put it an estimated 305,420 babies were born to females within this age group, which ninety eight percent of these births had taken place outside of wedlock” (See Table 1). Even though there has been a decrease in the number of teen pregnancies over the years, the number in the U.S. still ranks the highest when compared to other developed countries in the world (Deborah, n.d.). Communities everywhere need to come together to develop strategies that focuses on reducing teen pregnancies in the United States.
Introduction The concept of a coach is nothing new in a culture that celebrates sporting events and athletes with religious fervor. In order for sports teams and individual athletes to compete at a high level and to obtain great success, there must be an individual with the ability to bring out the best in the athlete and forge a comprehensive unit that is composed of other like-minded athletes; that individual is referred to as “coach.” Coaching, however, is not just for the realm of sports, but has a place within any organization that seeks to draw out the best qualities in others in order to attain a shared goal. Coaching seeks to partner with an individual to release potential that has been buried, so that the individual may aspire
“People are remarkably bad at remembering long lists of goals. One may have learned this at a professional level when trying to get my high-performance coaching clients to stay on track; the longer their lists of to-dos and goals, the more overwhelmed and off-track they got. Clarity comes with simplicity.” As a child he always looked at being able to play or coach a sport at the professional level. For the reason of me just loving the game of Basketball. Also i know it will make an impact on lives because people look up to you and the money in make will give back to communities and change lives around you. The career of a Professional Coach is a challenging and fun career,because of the level of competition and it’s a dream job. The research will describe the career of
"Superfund Provides Communities with Significant Human Health, Environmental and Economic Benefits." EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. .
Coaching, however challenging, is a great way to influence the lives of others while also building their character. For as long as there have been sports, there have been people teaching the sport to the players and making them better at it. Coaches must have certain qualities in order to obtain success. One must also look at a coach’s motivation for his job, his passion for what he does, his methods for coaching, and how he became a coach in order to fully understand him. There are many questions someone may want to ask a coach about his profession if they are interested in coaching. Some questions would include: Why did he choose this as a profession? How did he get into coaching? What does one have to do to get a job as a coach? How does a coach become successful? I aim to answer all of these questions and more in my paper.
I never really thought about where my life was going. I always believed life took me where I wanted to go, I never thought that I was the one who took myself were I wanted to go. Once I entered high school I changed the way I thought. This is why I chose to go to college. I believe that college will give me the keys to unlock the doors of life. This way I can choose for myself where I go instead of someone choosing for me.