A difficult situation that challenged me and made me reconsider my values was deciding between quitting football or quitting cross country. I have been in my school’s cross country team and track and field team since freshman year. Rising through the ranks and making a name for myself as one of the school’s fastest runners and captain of both teams. Along the way, I had caught the attention of the head track and field coach, who also happened to be the football coach. He had asked me if I was interested in joining the football team. Reluctant at first, I ended up joining because I wanted to earn my triathlete patch for the varsity jacket, I planned on purchasing. I had no idea how football worked, but since I was promised varsity and a small role, I …show more content…
When practice was over, I returned to school to fulfill my boy’s league duty and work in my school’s bookstore. I would work until it was time to practice for football. I would practice until about 6pm and walk home to arrive at 7pm. Throughout the whole day, I would not eat. This way of life carried on for a few weeks until I began to feel the effects of fatigue. I came to the conclusion that I needed to quit one, eliminating the possibility of earning the triathlete patch. I decided it had to be football because it was what was causing the most toll on my body. Quitting, however, was the hardest thing for me to do because I have not quit anything before. It took me a few days to muster up the courage to do it. One day, we did yoga before practice. At the end of the video, the yoga instructor had said “What you want, may not be what you need.” It was that phrase that convinced me that even though I wanted the triathlete patch, I do not need it, especially if I was destroying my body in the process of getting it. When I quit, however, I felt so ashamed. I could not face what I have done, even though the coaches understood why I had to
Beginning as a freshman I started every game never, but to sit on the bench unless there was a major problem. This repetitious cycle mirrored itself over and over again until there was a problem, physically, with my body. I had felt a pain in my back that ran down my leg for some time, but no one other than me knew of this pain. I am a very strong willed and determined person, not letting pain stand in my way. The pain started to vaguely effect my everyday activities, such as walking across Wal-mart which put me in agonizing pain. The only way I played basketball with this pain was by focusing on the goal I was out to achieve.
To stay on the JMU cheer team or to quit was a very hard decision that I had to make this past month. Knowing I had leadership responsibilities as a third year veteran on the team made this decision extremely difficult for me. I had to consider all the parties involved which consisted of myself, my teammates, and my coaches. Several factors fell into play when deciding what was best not only myself but for my team as well. The first and most important factor I had to consider was my physical health as I have back problems that requires annual back procedures in order to be able to cheer. A relatively new factor in my decision making progress was the hiring of the new JMU cheer coach, which was extremely difficult for the upperclassmen to adjust to. My last few personal factors that played a role in my decision consisted of getting a job and focusing more on my school work. Next I had to consider what was best for the cheer team. I knew as an upperclassmen I needed to support the cheer program to help keep it strong and consistent during the coaching transition. This was hard to do when several other upper classmen were quitting the team due to this change. I also knew I had a responsibility to teach the incoming freshman new skills the same way the juniors and seniors taught me when I was a freshman. Not only did my team need me but I also took into consideration the contract I signed when making the team my freshman year. After taking everything into consideration
I loved everything about the sport, knew everything about the sport, and simply wanted to be physically involved with the sport. I signed up for my local football organization and greatly anticipated the start of the season. My first season our team finished undefeated, winning each game with ease. I played offensive line and enjoyed every play, finally being a part of the sport I loved. My coach at the time admired my hard work and dedication, repeatedly telling my fellow teammates that we should all aspire to have a work ethic such as my own. At the end of the season, my coach suggested I practice to become a quarterback. A quarterback is usually one of the skinniest players on the team, a trait I certainly didn't have. If I were to be a quarterback, I would have to lose at least thirty pounds and practice almost every day until the next season. As crazy as the suggestion seemed to me at the time, I gladly accepted the challenge and almost instantly began to work to become the best quarterback I could
My first week of school, everyone encouraged me to join a club or a team. Of course I did not want to, until I heard we had a track team, and even then I did not know if I wanted to pursue it. In my mind, debating if I should dedicate myself to track was a hard decision. I was about to not only give this sport my time but also nothing but
Although therapy deemed very challenging, I’m thoroughly engrossed in watching the inner workings of the trainer building me to be strong again. During the rebuilding process I’m able to absorb several factors of how the human body works as well as notice the psychology required to strengthen a patient. Hard to admit, but during the recovery time the onset of struggling to maintain a positive attitude can become prevalent. Being sidelined from sports weighed on my psyche and negatively affected my grades as well as daily demeanor. This is where the mind strengthening from the trainer and having a strong faith truly came into
Sadly, my family was going through financial struggles, forcing me out of the school zone I was destined to attend. When I discussed the situation wih the high school coaches they told me they would pick me up from my new house and take me to school every day; with the condition that I’d play football for them all throughout high school. Even though this was illegal I continued to go ahead and accept the offer. My first year of high school was so exciting that it went by in the blink of an eye. Sophomore year came and the clock ticked closer and closer to when everything would change. I started in varsity as a corner back but soon would have big shoes to fill as the team’s quarterback. Not only did this require skill and hard work but the ability and qualities of a leader as well. Ultimately, playing this position helped me acquire traits that would soon be necessary for success. That year was tough for us because the majority of the team consisted of inexperienced players, however the coaches knew I would be the one to lead the
In 2014 I was determined to make the high school soccer team. Every day at 8 am at the beginning of a dreadfully hot August morning, I would get to the turf fields for 4 hours and participate in “hell week”. After a long week, I made the JV team. I was never put into the game and felt like my hard work was put to no use. My sophomore year rolled around and I tried extra hard to impress the coaches. Anything and everything was a competition to make it to the top. By the end of the week, we all gathered around the paper that had names of the players who made it. I didn’t make the team. After tears and telling myself to move on, I went to the field hockey tryouts. I knew nothing about the sport and was terrified that soccer wasn’t my go-to
“Be Prepared… the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.” (Robert Baden-Powell). Track season was getting ready to start and I was excited for it because I love to run. This was my first year in high school so this would be my first time to get to be on a high school track team. I went to the first practice, which was conditioning day, and ran as hard as I could. No matter how hard I was hurting or sweating I keep running and finished in the top group every time. Practice comes to an end and coach calls up runners individually and tells us what we are going to be running. He calls me up and I am just knowing that he is going to say the 200 or 400. To my disappointment he tells me I am going to be running the 300 hurdles. I hated the hurdles so to myself I told myself I wasn’t going to practice hard because it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wouldn’t practice hard so I got put on JV. I won all the JV races in the 300 hurdles so that just pushed me to not want to practice even more because I could win without practice. District track meet rolls around and Trey one of the varsity runners gets hurt so coach moves me to varsity. In my mind I am thinking this is going to be easy I haven’t lost a race on JV so I won’t lose on varsity. The intercom comes on and calls out for my race. It was time to go win.
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
As the captain of their sports team walks by, an outsider may admire them and their athletic appearance, without even knowing the hidden battles beneath the surface. Athletes may appear to be living a physically healthy life, yet that’s not considering the mental aspect. These athletes are constantly competing not just against their opponents but also against coaches' expectations, teammates, and even mental health disorders. Day in and day out, athletes give up their normal lives and become absorbed in excelling at their sport. Pressure to succeed for not just themselves, but everyone around them begins to weigh them down.
...h school I wasn’t a great player. Re-involvement came fairly quick for me because a short year later, this year as a matter of fact, I was asked to be a coach for a local high school team. I was honored by the offer and of coarse I took the opportunity. The fact that my father was the head coach probably had something to do with it, but I was just ecstatic to be back on the football field again, even though I wasn’t the one playing. With this coaching position I’ve experienced a lot of new relationships. From meeting a whole new group of players to other coaches it’s been a learning experience and I’ve already built new friendships that I know will last a long time. But the most important relationship I believe I have built because of this experience is a better relationship with my father. In the past we have had our differences but because of football we’ve been closer than I think we’ve ever been before. Football has proven to me to be worth while. It has taught me dedication, determination, teamwork among others. Football has given me an identity of being a part of team and friendships I will have for a lifetime, especially with the person that means the most to me… my father.
It was my last chance to play the game I loved, and the sport I had put so much time into over the past ten years. It seemed unfair that all the time I had spent in the weight room, completing speed and agility drills, and practicing in the gym may not pay off. It forced my coaches and me to make some tough decisions over those few months. Throughout the season, I missed numerous practices and even a few games.
This made me question if I had what it took to continue. There was a good amount of self-doubt, but rather than quitting, I evaluated what I was gaining from doing this tough work. And I realized that although I’m underperforming, I can transform my struggles into something more beneficial. There was one particular workout I did with the rest of my teammates that was sub-par. Everyone across the board struggled, and the trainer we were working with expressed that.
According to Sood, S., & Puri, D. (2023), the mental health of athletes is increasingly given importance, whereas student-athletes experience twice as many mental health problems as athletes. This evidence goes on to show that student-athletes experience colossal amounts of stress that can destroy their lives now and long term. The pressure that student athletes face can go far beyond just their mental health. A common mental disorder that athletes can experience is body dysmorphia and body-related image problems. There are many different instances for this case, such as a wrestling or football coach asking a player to gain weight, or a track coach asking a runner to lose weight in order to win an
I had played on the volleyball team all through my junior high days, and was a starter on the “A” freshman team when I reached high school. As a sophomore, I couldn’t believe it when I got the towel thrown in on me. I was devastated when I was cut from the team. Volleyball was my life; I absolutely loved the sport. How could they do this to me? Everyone told me things would turn out fine, but how did they know? A close friend of mine wrote me a letter stating, “I know that right now it is hard to accept the paths that God has chosen for us, but I am sure whatever you decide to do with what has been thrown in your way you can surpass everyone else”. I thought about what that really meant, and decided she was right. I had been thrown something I was not sure what to do with or how to handle, but with a little advice from my brother, Chris, I decided to take a risk and try something new. I chose to become a member of our school’s cross-country team.