Personal Narrative: I Found Myself And The Best Person

Improved Essays
I wish I could say that I found myself and the best person I could be through sports, however that just did not happen. My childhood was filled with trying practically every sport and I just could not find my passion in any of them. The variety of sports that I tried and failed to commit to allowed me to realize qualities about myself that made it easier to manage them when I was growing up. Through sports I discovered that I am indecisive, uncoordinated and fragile.
For most people, sports made working with others and managing time easier, but with as many sports as I tried I was not able to commit to anything to find this to be true. Injuries made me afraid to continuing practicing or playing those sports and I was too uncoordinated to do
…show more content…
I did really well and entered into a few horse shows but then my horse got spooked when I was riding and I got thrown off and was too afraid to get back on again after that. Then one of my friends convinced me to try cheerleading. I felt as though cheerleading would be the one sport that I would able to commit to and not change my mind about. I had stuck with it for years and I enjoyed everything about it. From nailing new stunts to sideline cheers at football games to going to Disney for Nationals there was always something to look forward to. I tried out for varsity when I was a freshman and after being an alternate for a week or two I was on varsity. I had finally found something that I was passionate about to stick with. That is until I attempted to throw my back-handspring without a spotter holding me and broke and dislocated my fingers. For those that are unaware, a back handspring is when you propel your body backwards onto your hands in a handstand and then spring up from that in one fluid movement. I didn 't think that that would be the end of my cheerleading career until I sat on the sideline at all the football games and I got bumped down to junior varsity. Now that was not the end of the world I was planning on building my strength back up with my stunting and tumbling while my fingers healed until I sprained …show more content…
I would have liked to have found a sport that impacted me in a positive way like it does for most people, however I think the lessons I learned about myself were just as valuable. I have struggled with my inability to commit and it has transcended in all aspects of my life. It is hard to deal with and makes little things infinitely more difficult, however, since I discovered this about myself through sports at a young age it makes it easier to manage. Through sports I also discovered that I am also uncoordinated and fragile. I seemed to always be the one that was one dance step behind and always tripping over my own two feet. This made it really hard to succeed in many of the sports that I decided to try. I was hopeful that I would be able to find something that truly spoke to me that I would stick with to get better at but that just never happened. I stumbled and I struggled and since I am not one that easily commits to anything I found it easier to just

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In the past four years, I have had many experiences with family, friends and an extreme amount of clubs, activities, and home life occasions I am involved in. But in all honesty sports have taught me a lot about people, life and even myself. I have been a part of many teams in my lifetime and played several abstract sports, but at Summit Academy High School the sports are very unique. There are mixed attitudes towards the teams, players and coaches that you would not see at any other school. But I like to call them obstacles and challenges.…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When it came time to choose what sport I wanted to do I chose wrestling, because as Dan Gable eloquently said “Once you’ve wrestled everything else in life is easy.” When I first started wrestling I was lazy and disinterested. I tended to float through life not putting forth my best effort. I soon realized wrestling and anything else I decided to do would require massive amounts of dedication; it caused me to reevaluate myself and what I wanted to do with my life.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I believe sports gives so much more than what others who just observe the activity. Personally I’ve gained more than I could’ve have from sports than school that I can apply to the life I will start when I graduate from high school, and what I learned from playing many sports like wrestling, football,…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Determination without limits Ever since I was 10 I've been immensely involved in cheerleading. Even though my cheerleading routine is only two minutes and thirty seconds long we practice eleven months of the year and roughly 10 hours a week. I'm now 17 ,and I put seven years of hard work and determination into cheerleading. Without Cheerleading, I would never be in the successful position in my life that I'm currently in. Cheerleading taught me about teamwork, leadership , and perseverance , lesson that helped me succeed not only school but in life.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Quitting the sport I loved had made me realize that I need to start setting more goals for myself. Before my injury, my goals were mostly just about gymnastics. Now I have to set different goals in real life, which is for the better since I cannot do gymnastics forever. Before my injury gymnastics was all I thought about and I also did much better in school, but I was also more stressed. Gymnastics has taught me so much, especially patience which is why I did so well in school.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Almost everyone will meet, or has met someone in college that has significantly changed their lives. For me, it didn't take long at all for me to meet that person. I met her on our second day of college of our first semester, basically my second day of my entire college career. I didn't realize it right away, but over time I noticed that she was really changing my life. I would have never met this person in high school because first of all she lives in a different town, but even if we did live in the same town, or even went to the same high school, I still would have never known her because I didn't really branch out and make a lot of friends back then.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I now do not have a problem speaking in front of people or leading a team to achieve a goal. It allowed me to be bold in myself and know that anything is possible if I set my mind to it. Along with that, it gave me self-appreciation; I am proud of my accomplishment, but I am also proud that my hard work paid off with a state championship. Sports allow you to be able to look back to the past and see that your hard work did not go to waste. Children need that more than ever because growing up with the technology we have now, many of them sit at home all day on their mobile or tablet device instead of getting out and working hard.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crab Analogy

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How sports have impacted my life is it always gave me a time away from studying and gave me something fun to do. The sport I’ve played since 3rd grade was soccer. What soccer did for me was help me get out of reality of this world. I come from a community where drugs and alcohol is “normal” having at least 2 hours away from my reservation really helped me stay aways from the Crab Analogy. “Washington is gripped by crab-in-the-bucket syndrome, and there's no cure in sight.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    - Personal Statement For as long as I can remember I have always loved sports. Most children are naturally playful, but for me, my desire to be active stretched well pass my childhood years. In elementary school I was a part of a little league baseball team, in middle school I ran track, and in high school I became an even more diverse athlete by joining the baseball, basketball, and soccer teams. It was during that time when I realized my passion for sports medicine.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sports Influenced My Life

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I really just grew up playing sports, I never really thought about not playing them as a child, it was in my DNA. As a child I was always watching sports on TV, so a big influence in my life has come from viewing sports as well. Playing sports has really influenced my life since age 12. I have learned and gained so many experiences from sports that have helped me in life. Learning to work with a team, learning how to compete, and learning how to communicate successfully.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My sophomore year came around, and all I wanted to do was make the varsity team, unfortunately, I was put on the junior varsity team, which was not bad at the time, I kept my starting spot which made it fun throughout the season. Offseason came around and the head coach kept me after a workout to tell me I was a projected starter for the varsity team the upcoming season, this fueled me to work harder. Unfortunately, I ended up tearing my ACL during one of the practices, I knew I was not going to have a chance to play anymore, I was sent to the doctors and the only alternative was to operate, my family chose not to. My only option then was to either quit or rehab and hope for the best, I began my rehab the remaining months of my sophomore year and throughout the summer leading up to my junior year. I chose not to quit and continue playing, knowing the consequences.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I have dedicated fifteen years of my life to one sport, gymnastics. Throughout the years, there have been countless times where I just wanted to give up. But above all else if there is one thing that gymnastics has taught me, it would be that no matter how many times you fall down, it is always worth it to get back up and try again. With a sport like gymnastics, you literally fall flat on your face when attempting new skills. And you do not just fall one time, you fall fifty times in a row.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sports was a huge part of my life from the time I was three. I was competing at world level and learning that training payed off. Sports was one of the first things I was responsible for, to take…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    School is one of the most defining parts of a person’s life. It is where a student picks who or what he/she wants to be in their life, as well as the place to get tons of new information to succeed. Certain moments and activities during school can be life defining experiences. A student’s involvement in sports is one of these moments mentioned earlier. Sports can contribute so much more than just physical activity.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    I encouraged, directed and befriended everyone the best I could. It is rewarding to see the player you helped teach the fundamentals to, score the game winning goal in the championships. Sports have had an irreplaceable impact on my character. Coaches, teammates and supportive parents have all taught me these lessons. But my family is by far the most supportive group of people in my…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays