The moment you decide that you want to play the game of football, your life changes forever. At least mine did from the first time I strapped on my pads. I think Vince Lombardi reflected the essence of football in a small collection of words, “people who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” The biggest part of the game is teamwork, a concept that I was introduced to early on, but we’ll get to that later. The first time I strapped on pads was in the hot August sun at 12 years old. At the time, I was the smallest player on the field. I could tell that nobody really respected me, but I didn’t really blame them. I had poor football mechanics, size, and knowledge of the
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My eighth grade year, however, presented much more competition and pressure. Again, despite my small size, I found a way to sneak into the starting lineup. My first game that year really taught me how tough and fearless you have to be to play football at a high level. The first half of the game we were outscored by twenty-eight points. I knew this was partially because of me, I was running routes in a very indecisive manner and did not show a lot of confidence. Moreover, I was intimidated because all of the opposing players were substantially larger than last year. However, at that moment I thought to myself, “I need my teammates to believe in me and show them that we’re here to fight”. The second half I played with a relentless and confident mentality. I remembered how fearless Wes Welker was despite being the smallest player on the field. The second half I courageously took the field and scored three touchdowns for my team. Consequently, we did not win this game; but, I was forced to take on an underdog mentality. I thought about this game the other day and realized how much of a turning point that was in my life. My personality changed from passive to more confident and strong-willed. No longer was I somebody to hide in the shadows or be in the back of the crowd. I now truly believe in myself and that I could do anything that I put my mind to. In effect, I am a versed at public speaking and communication because I have confidence. It seems that if I never gained that confidence, my communication skills would not have developed as much. Also, my underdog mentality has also stayed with me through the years. Whenever someone states I cannot reach my goals, I work at it until I can. As an illustration, in one year’s span I went from not making the JV baseball team to an emerging pitcher at the varsity level. This is an example of what hard work can do. If it was not for
My eighth grade year, however, presented much more competition and pressure. Again, despite my small size, I found a way to sneak into the starting lineup. My first game that year really taught me how tough and fearless you have to be to play football at a high level. The first half of the game we were outscored by twenty-eight points. I knew this was partially because of me, I was running routes in a very indecisive manner and did not show a lot of confidence. Moreover, I was intimidated because all of the opposing players were substantially larger than last year. However, at that moment I thought to myself, “I need my teammates to believe in me and show them that we’re here to fight”. The second half I played with a relentless and confident mentality. I remembered how fearless Wes Welker was despite being the smallest player on the field. The second half I courageously took the field and scored three touchdowns for my team. Consequently, we did not win this game; but, I was forced to take on an underdog mentality. I thought about this game the other day and realized how much of a turning point that was in my life. My personality changed from passive to more confident and strong-willed. No longer was I somebody to hide in the shadows or be in the back of the crowd. I now truly believe in myself and that I could do anything that I put my mind to. In effect, I am a versed at public speaking and communication because I have confidence. It seems that if I never gained that confidence, my communication skills would not have developed as much. Also, my underdog mentality has also stayed with me through the years. Whenever someone states I cannot reach my goals, I work at it until I can. As an illustration, in one year’s span I went from not making the JV baseball team to an emerging pitcher at the varsity level. This is an example of what hard work can do. If it was not for