Undergraduate / Application to The University Of Mary Washington 250-500 words [3]

Essay to University of Mary Washington

I play Ultimate Frisbee, a sport falling somewhere between Soccer and Football that involves two teams and a flying disc. Having been involved with sports since I was young, I was disappointed that the high school I had chosen to attend had none. After two years of supplementing my need for sports with recreational soccer, baseball, biking, and snowboarding I decided to make a change. I got together with a couple of students and we organized a team, practices, a coach, and we trained for the local high school Ultimate Frisbee league.

We played, and we lost. We lost by margins small and large, but we always lost. Throughout this impressive streak of failure, and despite all odds, we had a great time. By the end of the season we were solidly in last place. I would like to say that in post-season play we cohered into a powerhouse of skill and grace, going on to win the championship. Unfortunately we lost our first couple games and ended our season the way we had started it; but to my surprise one of the tournament managers approached our coach and presented him with a large trophy.

Unlike other sports, Ultimate Frisbee is based around a core idea known as "Spirit Of The Game", the belief that integrity and fun should never be sacrificed for competition; it is the player's responsibility to referee the game and preserve fair play. Our team had exemplified this, never being sore losers, and often hanging out with the team that we had just obliterated us on the field. We had maintained our integrity and earned the respect of all the other teams over the season. Our competitors had unanimously nominated us for the spirit of the game award.

I feel our current culture suffers from a lack of principle, everyday people are willing to bend their morals to attain their goals. This is reflected in almost every facet of our society. People download music they haven't paid for, Politicians accept money from special interest groups, and wars are fought in resource rich lands for questionable causes. As in the story above, I am not satisfied with state of things, so I seek a change. My academic interest focus on politics and international relations because I believe that our leaders must change before the populace will follow.

I realize that I am an 18 year old with grandiose ideas, but in college I want to develop a comprehensive understanding so that later in life I can institute change. I don't want to add to the problem by becoming an activist against this or for that, my goal is a shift of political perspective. I play ultimate Frisbee, and as foolish as it sounds, I want to change the world.