When you feel trapped your life revolves around finding a solution to freedom, but when you feel this way about a sport you dread every second that you spend; because, you are not only wasting your time but also the team’s. Quitting football was the toughest exploit I have faced in my life because I felt that I wasn’t just walking away from a team, but from a family that had fought with me, struggled with me, and accepted me. I couldn’t handle the principle of giving in and would’ve stuck it out for 2 more years, but ironically, it was my coaches and their daily harangue of “If you’re not 100% invested in this team, you are more destructive than not being here at all,” that evoked an epiphany that I was hurting my brothers by not giving my all; I could either find my drive for football again or give it up forever and focus on my true passion: wrestling. I searched internally for guidance and ultimately answers to my dilemma. Finally, when I could no longer convince myself I held the passion for football anymore, I realized for the good of my brothers my …show more content…
I was going to look my coach in the eyes and explain why I would no longer be continuing my football career. When it came time, I was pacing outside his office waiting for him to return after practice. He invited me into his office and to take a seat, which I did graciously as to appear more calm than the hurricane of emotions going on inside me. I was always an emotional player, something I believed that made me an effective player, but now it was being utilized against me because I could barely get the words out, all I could think was how I was letting my brothers down. Ultimately, the message became clear; he was very understanding that football was no longer what I was interested in and he appreciated that I respected the team enough to talk to him in
A change from a self-determined engagement in a sport to a much lesser degree of self-determination is a common theme among athletes’ burning out. In other words, as the true passion and love for the game fades away, the perceived costs of sustained engagement begin to outweigh the rewards afforded by the sport. After time passes, the inability to handle the negative appraisals can lead to such harmful outcomes as physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced accomplishment, devaluation, and then complete dropout of the sport (Holmberg and Sheridan,
Entering my final season of AAU basketball I knew I had set myself up for a roller coaster of emotions, whether it was from the night of my first practice, the weekend of my first tournament, or my first time on the road with my new team. This was because a lot was on the line this season, and I strived to make this season my best, and most enjoyable. This is mostly because this was the final year getting the opportunity to put on my red and black jersey every tournament. It was my last season traveling around the country with my teammates every weekend with one goal, to win, and it was my last season to improve my skills all around, in an attempt to further my basketball career into college. During the first few practices I was nervous for how the season would go because I noticed my coach was a lot harder on me than he was to my teammates and I did not know how to take that at first.I was not used to to his coaching style of being loud, in your face, and tough, or his emphasis on "perfection" because on my past teams I was used to being the best person on the team, and my coach rarely had negative criticism for me, so I took his intense coaching style terribly.
I had little to no motivation for a while and thought that maybe wrestling wasn’t the sport for me. I had shown promise in practice but as soon as I got on the mat for a tournament or duel I just drew a blank. I wasn’t executing any of the techniques I had learned after so many repetitive drills. I wasn’t the only one that had faced such miserable losses but it felt like it. My teammates helped me through my rut by giving me additional advice during practice and being in my corner while I wrestled matches. It was a great feeling knowing that I had people who had my back whenever I needed help. The wrestling team was a close knit group that dealt with all our problems together. We worked hard and played hard together till none of us could go any further. We were each other’s motivation, rivals, and family on and off the mat. If I had any doubts about a match my team thought the exact opposite and made sure that I understood why they believed so. But what made us a strong unit was the fact that we had similar goals and values. None of us wanted to lose and planned to make it past districts. We all wanted to take home hardware not only for our own self recognition but also to bring back a trophy to put on our principal’s desk who just so happened to love the wrestling program about as much as our team. All of us valued the effort that was put into every early morning practice so no one looked down on each other. The connection we had as a team made my experience wrestling all the more worth
From a young age, my parents have always focused on teaching me to be the best person I can possibly be. Life skills, discipline, and good morals highlighted the long list of qualities my parents believed I should practice and aim to perfect. However, the most important thing to realize and accept, according to my parents, is that life will not always go how you want it to go, and that one can never dwell on the past. Being a football player, I had always heard that high school football was politically based, that the coach's favorite players would be given more opportunities than others. Upon hearing such assertions, I had trouble believing this to be true, that the best player deserves to start regardless of the popularity of the athlete. Despite my initial perspective, when I finally worked my way to a spot on the varsity football team, I realized that high school football was not what I thought it was,
...kills, I can always count on my second family to support me through it all. Multiple times when I was feeling my soccer skills weren’t up to par and I wasn’t good enough, my coaches consistently encouraged to keep practicing and training myself to become a better player. They didn’t let me quit because they knew I could become better if I gave it my all. The encouragement that I receive from my soccer family is so greatly valued because I know they are choosing, out of love, to support me.
“If at first you don’t succeed try , try again.” At the age of six I was starting to play football. The game was a hard hitting running and commitment. I was six years old at the time now I’m fourteen a freshman in high school a lot has changed.
Perseverance, dedication, and discipline, these are the qualities that have been instilled in me throughout my training. My sport requires failing repeatedly until consistency is found in perfection. Therefore, perseverance proved crucial as I attempted skill progressions and difficult routines. Dedication was essential whenever I watched others miss practice for social events. I didn’t recognize the immediate benefits of my deep rooted commitment until months and years later; now I have applied this devotion to every aspect of my life.
General Purpose: To persuade Specific purpose: To persuade my audience that the NCAA should change the football playoff bracket. Thesis: The NCAA needs to change the way the division one football playoff bracket is set up. Introduction: There is an obvious problem if teams are undefeated and only get a bowl game, and not a chance to even show that they are the best team in College football.
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
Baseball was my life for fifteen years; learning values and tracing favorite memories back to my baseball journey make me grateful for these experiences. However, after a year of playing baseball in college while battling an injury, I decided to alter my goals; ultimately choosing to leave baseball behind. Finishing out the school year and anticipating what I might expect in the future left me feeling lighter; I believed I made the right choice. While on summer break, reflecting on my decision and thinking about my next journey, I became uncomfortable: I was no longer athletically active; I was no longer dedicated to a team, and I did not anticipate the search to find myself would leave me feeling uneasy. My fresh start began by transferring
Playing football has given me the opportunity to meet new people and make new friendships that will last a lifetime. Those friendships are made in the hot summer workouts, when everyone is tired, hot, and thinking about giving up, teammates are right by their side motivating them. After a brutal beginning of the season players are scraped and bruised and during mid-season practices, some players may think that the team doesn’t have any chance at being in the playoffs. Teammates unite together and remind each other that if everyone works together, everything will fall into place. A good team involves also being in good physical shape. Players are banged up and have little annoying pains, but that doesn’t stop a good team so the conditioning doesn’t stop. Everyone has to do it, but being on a team that helps motivate each other, it helps the pain feel more tolerable. In any sport you will be thrown into rigorous situations and being with your teammates and sticking together through it all will not only make the team better, it also will help bring you closer to your
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.” Football players of all ages push themselves harder than any other athlete. Kids dream of playing in the pros, and they select their favorite player as a role model. Middle school and high school provide aspiring kids their first stepping stone to achieve this dream. As time passes on, their level of play increases due to the guidance of coaches. Unknown to these growing children are the consequences of play that catch up with these former role models when they retire. Football players have long been considered the epitome of athletic character as players push themselves to the max in an attempt to reach the pros while building
Then, three years ago, I broke through those walls. My conscious urged me against it, ran through all the “what ifs” of the situation, as usual, but this time I couldn’t help it. How can one ever truly test his abilities if one is too afraid to even take any initial risk? So, one cloudy, brisk Saturday morning, and joined the football team. Immediately after the first practice, the option of quitting crept its way into my mind. But how could I ever reach my goals if I couldn’t take on a high school sport? There will be thousands of students in college competing with me, professors looking to make scholars, not dropouts. If I couldn’t face this, I couldn’t face them. So, I endured practice after practice, game after game. Every day, I had to rebuild the courage I had to walk out on the field that first day to step out on the field. I was weaker, smaller, and less apt at the game than man of the guys on that team, but I the constant threat of fear couldn’t hold me back anymore.
...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.
Throughout a persons life, they are faced with different obstacles, and different challenges of all different types. My life in particular has been full of up and downs related especially towards my soccer career. In the novel The Pact, three boys, George, Rameck, and Sam are faced with many obstacles throughout their lives, where they must learn to overcome and achieve great success on their own will power. Essentially, I have done the same thing. My soccer career has been one of my most difficult life challenges creating the person I am today. I was always taught that soccer was to be about the love of the game and that it should be fun. Unfortunately, I faced many obstacles that I needed to overcome before I could truly love the game for what it was worth. I grew and continued to love the game, knowing little at the time of the obstacles I would be faced with, and would need to overcome.