Jake Merlino
Mrs. Maniscalco
English 3
5/5/23
Narrative Rough Draft
I’m now in my junior year of high school and I have just finished my 3rd year of high school football. From a young age, I fell in love with playing football, from playing pickup games with friends to playing on an organized team for my high school. It wasn't until I began weightlifting that I truly began to appreciate the dedication, discipline, and work ethic required to excel in this sport.
My weightlifting journey began when I realized that I needed to improve my physical strength, size, and endurance to become a better football player. At the start of my sophomore year, I began a dedicated weightlifting routine that consisted of exercises such as squats, deadlifts,
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My AirPods and Beats have been very important in my daily workout routine and have helped me motivate myself to keep going and working out. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t listen to music during my workout.
In one year of working out, I've almost doubled the weights that I began working out with which was definitely past the goal that I set for myself. For example, I put on around 20 lbs throughout my journey and my muscles have grown and my body is way more toned than before. My junior year of football has been my best year getting a lot of playing time on the field and making the starting roster and excelling on the football field. The work I've put in the weight room has paid off tremendously feeling way stronger, more explosive, and quicker. As I have become stronger physically, I have also gained more confidence in my abilities as a player. This has translated to my performance on the field, as I am now more willing to take risks and make more aggressive plays as a safety on defense. Furthermore, the discipline and focus that I have learned in weightlifting have carried over to my approach to