Personal Narrative: My Involvement In Sports In My Life

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.

I believe that my involvement in sports has prepared me for real life situations and has impacted me in a positive way. One lesson that I will be able to carry with me is staying positive during difficult times. There were plenty of rough times during the seasons when I was not performing to my fullest potential or having conflicting moments with my teammates but I learned that I should use the these difficult times as a motivation. I learned

that even though those tough time can be very stressful, I should always faith that it will get better and never give up. Participating in sports has also taught me time management and taking care of my responsibilities. Being a student athlete I always had the mentality that academics came first and I needed to make sure that not only did I exceeded on the court but also in the classroom.

During my four years I was a student of the International Baccalaureate program at my school, and I had to study even more than an average student to make sure that I did well in these rigorous courses. I knew that due to the excessive amount of work I had to manage my time well between games, practices and study time. By being in the IB program and athlete also expanded my work ethics and has taught me that hard work,effort and dedication pays off in the end.There were plenty of times when I was too tired to do my homework and I had to set time aside to make sure all my work was completed. Another life lesson that high school sports has taught me is that I should always lead by example because you never know who is watching you. During my senior year of basketball I was given the opportunity to be a senior captain, I’ve never had such a major role such as that before in my life. I was very nervous and unsure if I was the right person for that position because we had a very young team and a lot of underclassmen that needed someone to look up to. Being a captain taught me to be considerate, patient, motivating and open-minded. I was able to learn how to lead by example and help my

teammates be able to develop some of those character traits also. Sports has been involved in my family for generations, whether it's watching it on television or playing together. Beginning with my grandparents all the way down to my youngest sibling, we have been participating and sports ever since we’re younger. Sports has brought my family closer together and we have built a bond that no one can break and we are all very supportive of each other no matter what. My parents has given all of their children an opportunity to play which sport we would like, and we are always there at each game cheering each other on.
I do not know where I would be today if I did not participate in sports during my four years of high school. I believe that it is truly helped me in life remain focused to reach my goal which is being able to play at the next level in College and I am proud to say that I have recently committed to play at Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC. After my freshman year I finally realized that I will never get another opportunity to play high school sports after I graduate so I need to take seize the moment and make the best of it. These four years has been the best four years of my life and I was given the opportunity to not only gain knowledge that will help me throughout life but I also gained relationship with people that I consider my family and I will not trade that experience for the world.