Scholarship / Scholarship Essay on How High School Sports Influenced you [8]

Sports are a big part of culture in the United States and across the world. It influences many people in different ways. For me sports helped influenced my character. During my four years at Mahwah High School I have been involved in many clubs. But my involvement in sports has benefited me the most. I have been a three sport athlete since my freshman year. Running cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. My participation in these sports has taught me the values of teamwork, self-confidence, and respect. These values helped influence my character in my high school years and will also help me in my college years and with my career choice in my future.

People think of track and cross country as individual sports, but it isn't. In order for teams to win meets, athletes must perform at their best level and place in their events. As a captain for the indoor track team, I had to demonstrate teamwork in many ways. I would always make sure each team member was able to complete the workouts. If a teammate was struggling during the workout, I would use positive encouragement to help him complete the workout. During the workouts I would push myself knowing my teammates where watching hoping they would do the same and eventually reach their full potential in the sport. When runners' teams excel, they all win. Their best efforts, combined with those of their teammates, grow into something far greater and far more satisfying than any an individual could have achieved alone. Teams make the runner a part of something that matters. They are the fountain from which all rewards will flow.

Self- Confidence is an important value that I have learned through my involvement in high school sports. I use to be nervous before running in meets, but through experience I have learned to be relaxed. Being relaxed has helped me perform better in meets. When I am relaxed I am confident that my performance will be successful. Even through unsuccessful meets, I have learned that in every sport there is always going to be a couple of struggles. After an unsuccessful meet I would work harder in practice hoping I would have a better outcome next meet.

Respect is another value I have learned through my involvement in sports. In order for a successful season an athlete must respect: their coaches, teammates, and their opponents. It is necessary to respect the coaches because they are the people who help the athletes reach their season goals. Coaches are beneficial to a teams success because without them athletes wouldn't know what to do during practice. Like coaches, teammates are as important to a team's success. My teammates were an important part of my success. During practice I always had someone pushing me, which helped me get the maximum results that made me run faster. Respecting your opponents can also help your character. First of all it shows sportsmanship which is a positive characteristic. And if you are lucky your opponent will share tips/ strategies that may benefit you. Through respecting my opponents I was able to make new friends from different teams.

All of these values are essential to any career. Working in a career is like being on a sports team. Teammates are like co-workers and coaches are like supervisors. All of these values will help me in my chosen career of public relations/marketing. In order to be successful in both of these careers, it is necessary to learn these values. Both of these careers involve interaction with team members and potential clients. These values will also help me in my college years. I will be interacting with people who I have never met before. And with these values I'll be able to meet new friends just like I did in my involvement in high school sports.

Undergraduate / work hard, find the best in each other, and live with confidence. [6]

Coach Carty inspired people to work hard, find the best in each other, and live with confidence. Explain how these values have influenced you with respect to your goals and aspirations or your educational and career objectives.

During my four years at Mahwah High School, I have been blessed to have a coach that has shared the same goals as Coach Carty. His name is Coach Pasek, as a coach he inspired my team to work hard, find the best in each other, and live with confidence. I used to think he was only using these goals to make my team better athletes, but later I learned that these values were supposed to make us better individuals. The values will influence me later in life mainly with my educational and career objectives.

The value of finding the best in each other is the foundation for making any team or club successful and enjoyable. I have had at least have one friend in all of the clubs and teams I am currently involved in. With that friend I was able to experience the ups and downs of that co- curricular activity. For track I would lead by example by pushing myself in practice knowing that my teammates were watching me, showing that they could do the same and reach their potential in the sport. My chosen career of marketing/public relations involves Coach Carty's value of finding the best in each other. In order to be successful in public relations one must master the tools of image management. And in marketing it helps to be a good leader and team player who can understand people.

Living with confidence in sports is important, and is the best way to improve it is by having a positive self image. Coach Pasek was able to teach confidence to his athletes through practice sessions. During the cross country season would tell us that the more you put into practice, the more confidence you build up. And having confidence will make you run faster in meets. When I first found out that the team usually ran 3 miles in practice, I was scared because at that time I could barley run one mile. Through hard work in practice my endurance improved allowing me to run three miles with no problem. Living with confidence is an important value for any career because a manager will only hire someone who is confident.

Hard work pays off is not just a saying it's the truth. The great Michael Jordan said this about hard work "I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come." This has been true about my experience with sports. Although I felt exhausted after the workouts given in track practice, I would still go to the weight room and work on either upper body or lower body strength. I also gave up Saturday mornings and the spring break for track practice while most people wouldn't. In order to be successful in either marketing or public relations one must have strong speaking and writing skills. However I'm below average in both of these skills, but I am willing to work hard to overcome it. Both careers excite me because they involve helping a person or a company to be successful for having an appropriate image. The hard work doses not stop there. Next year I will be attending Bergen Community College because my parents are unable to afford tuition from Seton Hall which was my first choice school. I'm determined to work hard there and hopefully transfer into Seton Hall. Coach Carty's values helped me mature into a young man in high school and will continue to benefit me in the future.