College Essay
I realize that it is necessary to risk failure in order to gain success. Over the years, playing sports has taught me what it takes to succeed. From months of tough practices, I have gained a great work ethic. From my coaches and fellow teammates, I have learned to work well with others in a group, as it is necessary to cooperate with teammates on the playing field and off. But most important, I have gained self-confidence. If I fail, it doesn’t matter if they mock or ridicule me; I'll just try again and do it better. On the first day of freshman practice, the team warmed up with a game of speed tag. The players were split up and the game began. During the game I noticed that I didn’t run as hard as I could, nor did I try to evade my defender and get open. The fact of the matter was that I really did not want to be thrown the ball. I did not want to be the one at fault if I dropped the ball and the play didn't succeed. I did not want the responsibility of helping the team because I was too afraid of making a mistake. That aspect of my character led the first years of my high school life. I refrained from asking questions in class, afraid they might be considered too stupid or dumb by my classmates. However I continued to practice and every day, I went home physically and mentally exhausted. Yet my apprehension prevailed as I continued to fear getting put in the game in when a player was injured. I was still afraid of making mistakes and getting blamed by screaming coaches and angry teammates. Sometimes these fears came true. During my sophomore season, my position at backup Wide Receiver led me to play in the varsity games on many occasions. On such plays, I often made mistakes. I received a thorough verbal lashing at practice for the mistakes I had made. However, I did not always make mistakes. Sometimes I made great plays, for which I was congratulated. Now, as I dawn my senior year of football I’m faced with two starting positions.
The coaches have always said before games that nothing is impossible; I know that now. Now, I welcome the challenge. Whether I succeed or fail is irrelevant; it is only important that I have tried and tested myself.
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