It was awesome when my sister’s cheer team Synergy got first place at her cheer competition and won a trip to Orlando, Florida. Then we went to The Mall of America and went to the amusement park and road rides. Then later we went to dinner with all the girls on the cheer team at Dicks Last Resort, i would recommend going here if you're ever at The Mall of America. For the reasons above this trip to The Mall of America was totally amazing.
“You two, get the ball down the pool and take a shot, just make sure it’s inbounds, don’t worry if you miss the goal, Kenzie will get the rebound.” My coach has barked these orders on numerous occasions throughout the year and it has never failed to give me a little thrill inside. As an athlete that tends to go unnoticed, getting acknowledgement in such an offhand way is pretty exciting. It shows me I have a place on the team, a job that my team depends on me to do. Water polo is a very difficult sport.
The race would start at 8:30 and we needed to be ready to help any swimmers who needed us. The event kicked off with swimmers leaving the beach at Sandy Point State Park and all the preparation culminates in the next 2-3hours of idling and adjusting position, like finding the right fishing spot, to stay where we were most needed. There are, understandably, no boats with any moving gear allowed anywhere near the swimmers, so if a swimmer needs help a kayaker tows them out to a boat. Most folks don’t need medical help, they just recognize, like a marathon runner, they won’t be finishing this year. We stay ready and vigilant, trying to stay stationary throughout the race.
The Thursday night lights beamed down on me as kickoff approached. It was the last game of the 8th grade football season and the last chance to make my mark on a personally rather ordinary season. We were playing Celina, a team known to be a powerful opponent. I was on the kickoff return team, playing on the far left side of the field and on that particular night we were set to receive the kick. The referee’s whistle pierced the warm and soundless autumn air.
I ran in my middle school’s track team for two years. I ran the mile, one hundred meter dash and triple jump. Out of all the events I participated in I absolutely despised the mile, I hated the aftermath the most. The feeling of my lungs burning, legs aching from the long run and the heavy asthmatic breathes. Although the mile had several cons, I loved the challenge and I was too stubborn to quit.
In life, even though we are told not to do so, a lot of us “count our chickens before they hatch”. We make assumptions on things before they happen because we believe that if something seems so likely, it will happen. Well, that is what my Liberty High School cross country team did my sophomore year. Going into the year, we not only knew we were going to be strong, we thought other teams were going to be weak. The top teams from the state finals the previous year had all lost most of their key pieces.
“Unfortunately, Jack, there will not be many opportunities for you this year.” Seconds after being told I had made the varsity baseball team, I did not expect my coach to so bluntly tell me I would be spending more time watching the game than playing it. Our state ranked team had a pitching staff full of Division 1 commitments and future MLB draft picks, and I was being told I did not measure up. The bench became my best friend.
It was the moment I had been practicing for. I was finally going to try out for my middle school cheer team and hopefully make it. I was so excited I could barely focus on my classes that day. I had run through all of the steps at least 50 times that day. I had always wanted to do cheerleading and this was my moment to do it.
West High School’s softball team has opened a new chapter in my life. If I could go back to my freshman year I would have played for West. All the rumors people have heard about Coach Saladino are not true, he is honestly such an inspiring person. Playing softball for West has given me friendships I will never forget, the ability to play with the most robust players, and the new skills I have learned from such an amazing coach. Playing for West High School’s softball team was one of the best decision I have ever made.
Nothing hurts more than being excluded. I learned this the hard way my sophomore year. This is a story about my high school lacrosse team. Most of my friends are on the team so we’ve become very close after playing together since the seventh grade. We play lacrosse in the backyard almost everytime we’re together.
I watched as the batter stepped up to the plate. My coach pitched the ball and BAM! The softball hit me right in the knee! My softball team had a tournament coming up for Minnesota schools.
The start of my freshman year was a thrilling experience for me. To start out my freshman year I made the schools Varsity soccer team, a huge accomplishment for me. However, I was naïve to the coming situation to myself. I was on the path to continuous harassment from teammates as I was surrounded by seniors. Many of the seniors had egos, full of themselves in every aspect possible.
Last year I became captain on the Soccer Varsity team of my high school. Being captain isn’t just being the head of all the girls, but is doing the best for the team. My goal was to work as a team in and outside the field, and working together to win and have fun. But my conflicts with certain girls were getting in the way, because how can I expect them to do a certain thing if I’m not setting an example. I chose to talk to those girls, set things straight and set an example to my teammates.
Through the four years as a high school cheerleading coach, I developed a new cheerleading program by promoting events and secured sponsors for team expenses, all the while infusing the essence of team work in the members and improvising their techniques. By coaching I have developed strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, in addition to good observational and motivational dexterity. These skills will allow me to effectively schedule sessions, communicate successfully with clients, clients’ caregivers, supervisors, and clinicians. Coaching has enabled me to identify errors and provide realistic feedback, therefore this skill will enhance my performance with my clients by identifying problems and developing solutions to enhance the correct behavior.
There is a bond between me and the girls on my synchronized swimming team. I stand in the center of an intricate web, ropes tying me to all twenty-five girls. Some of the connections are loose, providing enough slack to allow independent movement. Others are tightly wound, connecting me to my teammates completely. As my swimming team’s captain, I have gained awareness to my team’s deeper level of relationships.
