Division 1 Ice Hockey Character Analysis

Rosabeth Moss Kanter once said, “Confidence isn't optimism or pessimism, and it's not a character attribute. It's the expectation of a positive outcome.” The quote explains how having expectation of a positive outcome sprout from the idea of confidence. If one has confidence in his or her performance, he or she will be able to stay optimistic through the toughest of challenges. Being recruited is an up and down process because there is constant failure and achievement. Confidence, resilience, and appreciation allowed me to stay optimistic through my challenges of being recruited to play Division 1 Ice Hockey.
The main way I was able to stay optimistic through my recruiting process was having confidence in my performance every time I stepped on the ice. As a fierce competitor, the most difficult challenge I faced was that my expectations were always high. I constantly felt as if I was failing …show more content…
What sets the great athletes apart from the rest is failure, and how they handle it. An optimist athlete uses the failure as a learning experience, and grows from it. Vince Lombardi said, “It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.” I have failed in every way in hockey, and in other sports, but that’s what set me apart from the other athletes. I took failures personally, and attacked them at full speed. For every team I didn’t make, I worked twice as hard and made it the following year. A great example of this for me is when I was cut first round for my section team in 8th grade. I didn’t give myself anytime to feel bad, and got right back to practicing. This past summer, not only did I make my section team, I continued through the next three tryouts and made USA U18 National Camp. I never lost hope, even when I faced the failure and challenge of being cut. I picked myself up, stay optimistic, confident, and resilient, and never lost sight of my goal of making the team next