Admissions Essay 2 Figure skating plays an important role in shaping my character and building skills for the future. Being able to perform gravity-defying jumps and spins on a thin blade requires more than just talent—it involves dedication and perseverance when in the face of adversity. As an athlete, I interpreted the saying “practice makes perfect” as pushing past my limits and training for several hours. Unfortunately, I ended up injured because I was pushing myself too hard and not resting. Two summers ago, I had suffered a back and knee injury that were major setbacks to my progress. I was under the pressure of preparing for the lead role in my skating rink’s adaptation of the Nutcracker and my Novice skating tests. During my sessions, I focused on my weaknesses and spent several hours a day practicing my jumps. However, training multiple hours a day and repeating that process …show more content…
My new mantra for life became “Train harder and smarter.” My new mindset allowed me to achieve long-term success while not compromising my health and encouraging self-destructive behavior. The perfectionism and diligence I had developed after years of training translated into my schoolwork. My hard work and attention to detail allowed me to maintain high marks throughout high school; however, it made me obsess over results by putting too much pressure on myself and getting frustrated when my grades were short of my expectations. As a result, I found an efficient way to structure my studying so I could get good grades while enjoying the process of learning and not burning myself out. Figure skating taught me how to recover from failures in my everyday life by not letting them define me and accept that there are no shortcuts to success. Keeping a positive outlook on life has helped me set clear goals, be less critical of myself, and produce better results than