I REMEMBER IT LIKE it was yesterday. It was a Thursday, after lunch and recess. I had just got done with my math class as I heard my teacher say, “Okay kids, put your stuff away and get in line. It is time to go to gym.” As I heard this, I got super excited. The boys and the girls both went into their separate bathrooms and changed for gym. I changed very quickly, and hurried to class. My friends and I talked for a few minutes because we had gotten their before all the other kids. Once the rest of my class got changed, our gym coach, Coach as we refer to him, had us stand in a line and divided the class into two teams. I didn't know what we were doing . . . until I saw another kid bring out a bin of dodge balls. There were mat walls set up, so I knew this was some sort of game where we can hide. …show more content…
“Don't try to take too many balls at once, you need to be able to run and throw the balls.” We walked out on to the court; my heart beating fast, as my hands begin to shake out of fear and the sugar rush starting. My team was given green little head bands, so we can tell who is whom. The whistle was blown to start the game. I rush to the middle line and grab as may balls as I can, then hide back behind the wall. I could hear one of the kids crying like a baby because he was so scared. I was never good at these games; I had never been so scared in my life, but I was not going to tell anyone that. All of a sudden, I could hear the footsteps of the other team, and our team captain told us to stop and be
Growing up my parents ran a little lake on the outskirts of my hometown of Shelbina here in northeast Missouri. I was the "tough" one out of my family by the time I was in the ninth grade I could use two weed eaters at the same time and pick up the back end of a golf cart. At 5'3 and wearing size 16 I was big girl and was often made fun of by my peers. I wanted to be something other than the "fat girl" at school. So I became stronger than an ox and used that to my advantage. My high school coach seen me one day bench pressing a picnic table and begged me to join the weightlifting program. I excelled at the class and became known as "Pipes" I went from being the chunky girl to being the girl that was respected for my bench pressing and squats. My coach believed in me and that was all I needed to continue to do my best. That year I made a C average except for weightlifting where I got an A and earned the respect from my peers and my coach.
Fourteen years of my life. Fifty two weeks of my year. Five days of my week. Four hours of my day. This is what I have given to the sport of gymnastics. Friday night football games. After school clubs. Sleeping in on the weekend. This is what I have sacrificed in pursuit of my passion. Perseverance against adversity. Dedication throughout hardships. Discipline in body and mind. These are the qualities this sport has engraved into my being. There is not a time I can remember when I was not involved in gymnastics. When I reflect on the milestones of my life I don’t reminisce on the loss of my first tooth or a move to a new house, but instead I recall my first trip to nationals and mastering my back tuck. Gymnastics is the foundation of who I
The time on the clock was 4:30 when the doorbell rang, fifteen minutes early. My three teamates were extremely anxious to get to the Center. I opened the front door and to my surprise the whole team was outside in their cars. They were all spiffed up in their shirts and ties, determined to win the game. As I threw my equipment in my friends car I was hoping that the next time I put it in there I would have a championship medal hanging around my neck.
Over the last 8 years I have been in the positions to learn many different skills and ways of approaching various situations. My interest in as an Exercise Physiologist intern with Henry Ford Health Systems I assisted in cardiac rehabilitation and exercise stress testing in addition to providing patients' education for proper physical activity and event lifestyle modification as a weight management consultant. Since finishing the internship I have been a practicing personal trainer since 2007 working with many types of clients from the everyday working mother keeping in shape to the athlete trying to reach the next level of competition. Recently, I finished a summer internship with the Central Michigan University Strength and Conditioning Department.
Our All-Star team made it to State which was held in the warm July sun down in Terre Haute, Indiana. Pete, a short red haired kid was my best friend at the time, he would play second base and I would be the shortstop, we were the best two players on the team and we always had each other’s back. Before our first game at State, Pete and I always did our handshake but this time it felt more special because we were both so hype and caught up in the moment that all I remember him saying was “It’s your world. Get on base and let me hit you in, let’s go!” I was always the number one hitter and Pete was number two, the best two baseball players, so we were the ones carrying the team. To start off the game, I hit a double off the wall, pointed at the dugout and my teammates went crazy. The families in the stands started chanting, and it felt like I was on top of the world. Next batter is Pete, he gets a fastball over the plate and belts it into right field, I score and start clapping and our team is going ballistic as we started the game off to a quick 1-0 start. We all thought we had this game in the bag. After the top of the first we were on defense. Our best pitcher was on the mound and everyone in
During my four years of high school I believe that my involvement in sports has helped me become a better person in life. I participated in varsity basketball and Track & Field all four years and my experience in both sports has taught me life lessons that I can carry with me for the rest of my life.
At times, stories about other people better shape the story, or identity, of someone else. In my case, the story of how my sister was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal syndrome did just that. The event happened when my sister, Kaya, was 2(making me ten). After a whirlwind of tests done on Kaya, we were finally getting answers. Even though we were not ready for the impact the results would have on our lives, we were ready for the resolution to all this chaos. Everything went down in a dull meeting room that was multiplied throughout the hospital. The oversized team of doctors were waiting in the room when we arrived. The situation made me uncomfortable knowing all those people had access to every little detail about my sister’s medical records.
Once upon a time, I qualified for the Tae Kwon Do State Championships, to go to the Tae Kwon Do Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. It was my second year at the Jr. Olympics, and I was competing in two events. Sparring and forms. Forms has always been my favorite, partly because I was pretty good at doing them. Sparring was okay. I guess.
Throughout high school, I branched out and made attempts to witness different types of work, culture, and mentality. Generally, I wouldn’t consider myself too athletic, but I could imagine I could keep up if I needed to do exercises or do activities as part of a group. This all changed when I started my first sports conditioning experience. Doing this conditioning was a humbling experience. I fell behind and quickly got exhausted.
On March 23, 2016, I thought my life was over. It had been a long time coming of course, but once the day came, so did the realization of reality. I began to doubt everything I had worked so hard to figure out and the decisions I spent so long forming. Now, no one ever said it would be easy to leave gymnastics after 12 glorious years, but nobody warned me it could be this hard.
It was November 1st and it was the day of my last volleyball game. I ran into my friend Eri and we started talking about the game later that day. It was against Tunkhannock. They were the best volleyball team from our area, and wouldn’t you know it on our senior night we had to play against them. Senior night was the one night where the seniors were recognized, whether they were good or not. The whole day the team was joking about how much we would lose by against our rival team. In a game to fifteen we thought we would end up owing them points.
I am only the fourth person of many generations of the Green-Belt family to graduate from an institution of higher learning. The other three? My siblings. My mother was the first to attend college, she attended Johnson C. Smith University on a full swimming and diving scholarship. But, did not graduate because the program was cut, and growing up poor there was no money for her to finish school. I followed her foot steps, becoming a student athlete. Athletics paved the way for me. Giving me the opportunity to travel, meet people, and gave me the opportunity to receive my education at an Honors College. The more I grew as a student the better I grew as a leader for my team. I was able to leave behind the negatives that came with growing up in
I used to go to the gym on a regular basis; then, due to our finances, my mother cancelled our family membership. Giving up on working out was not an option because I had been exercising my whole life. In frustration, I went out to my backyard. I tried thinking about where else I could go to continue training my body, and after seeing a variety of items lying around everywhere, I realized that I did not need to go anywhere. Everything I needed was right in front of me. I quickly transformed my backyard into my gym. Cinder Blocks and buckets of water functioned as dumbbells. Old heavy logs that were sitting and collecting dust became bars to bench press with. In place of a treadmill, I used a long strip of grass that ran across the side of the vicinity to do sprints. I made heavy workout rope out of a hose that I filled with sand. After converting many other ordinary objects into exercising equipment, it became clear to me that there is no machine or gear in the gym that I cannot recreate in my backyard.
As a child I was always healthy and extremely active, be it running around the house or playing with toys, it seemed like I was always busy. I was a strong willed child and as such I could always make friends easily, I feel as though I was smart for a child but my parents may disagree. At this point in time I had not started school or working but spent most of my days with my grandparents or learning from watching television. As a child I had no comprehension of religion but I had no worries as a child so I guess you could say I was “at peace”. I always had friends no matter what age I was at i'm a strong people person and you could tell even at one year old.
Adding exercises into one’s daily routines can change their whole lifestyle. Many people look at exercise as being something just for people who want to lose weight or to become muscle bound, but there are a great deal of benefits that can be received from exercising regularly. Of course gaining muscle and losing fat are the two most popular reasons that usually attract people to the gym, but they make up a small part of the potential benefits that can be achieved with exercise. There are several ways in which I have benefited in my life from exercising regularly, besides just making me bigger and stronger. It has made me become more organized, helped me make better decisions, and motivated me to take on new challenges in life.