SimonUF
Nov 1, 2012
Undergraduate / 'Wrestling helped me' - Experience essay prompt - UF [2]
In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service.
The scent of sweat, blood, and chlorine filled my lungs. The rush of blood flowing towards my abdomen, feeding the torment at the core of my stomach left me craving for more, the desire to be triumphant over anyone who faced me. I wish I could say the same about my opponent yet I felt no remorse. For once in my high school career, I finally knew what it meant to be under the limelight. The blinking lights encompassed the gym; the roaring crowd engulfed me like a wave breaking on the shore of a beach. The many hours sacrificed after school finally paid off. My journey through wrestling completely affected my high school experience. Wrestling transformed me into a completely different person with morals, in my opinion, of which every adolescent should carry into adulthood. An idol of mine, Dan Gable, once said, "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy." The hours I put into wrestling has made my faith with this statement stronger each day.
Wrestling helped me transition many of the values I learn on the mat and apply them to real life situations, whether they are social, educational, or even some that only I could overcome. I had a lack of self-confidence coming into high school and influenced the way I work with others and even view myself. Training everyday opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not weak, that I don't need to take the vulgar abuse from anyone! I look back each day and realize how self-pity did not solve any problems. The self-confidence that I gained from training hard every day opened my eyes to the fact that anyone can become more confident with themselves.
Wrestling has also provided me with a family that will carry me through my darkest hour. I wasn't the best wrestler, but my team put a lot of faith because they saw my potential. Losing really brought down my morale but I didn't give up and worked harder each day. One day, we wrestled our high school rival and I was very nervous because I didn't want to let my team down. As if fate made a turn for the worse, it was decided that I would be the deciding factor between walking through the school as champs, or leaving the gym with our shoulders slumped. My team cheered me on even though I was losing. It was heartbreaking but they wouldn't let up. The moment my opponent got out of position, I capitalized on his mistake and pinned him. I couldn't believe it, I won the match and I carried my school to victory. It was one of the best moments in my life.
These past four years have definitely impacted my personality as a whole and have gone hand in hand with my academic success. The one key factor that changed my persona as a whole would be the value of self-discipline that I learned on the mat. Constantly removing pain from the equation and being motivated to train under no excuses changed me. Coming into high school, I was lazy and unspirited. My grades were trash, and every time I applied myself to my studies, I quickly lost focus because I saw no point to my work. As my high school career progressed, I can stick to anything that I am assigned. I have no problem studying for a test or doing a 10 page paper due two weeks from the assigned date. IB did have a part in making the process easier but ultimately, it was wrestling that carried me through my struggles.
Looking back at what Dan Gable said, I can't think of anything that better describes the life lessons learned through wrestling. I transitioned into adulthood very smoothly and all the life lessons with the supplement of IB workload has prepared me for the road that lies ahead. It feels great to say that I am a responsible adult and it will impact greatly my experience at the University of Florida. Thanks to wrestling, I'm not scared of the leap between high school and college and I'm excited to start a new page in my life.
In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service.
The scent of sweat, blood, and chlorine filled my lungs. The rush of blood flowing towards my abdomen, feeding the torment at the core of my stomach left me craving for more, the desire to be triumphant over anyone who faced me. I wish I could say the same about my opponent yet I felt no remorse. For once in my high school career, I finally knew what it meant to be under the limelight. The blinking lights encompassed the gym; the roaring crowd engulfed me like a wave breaking on the shore of a beach. The many hours sacrificed after school finally paid off. My journey through wrestling completely affected my high school experience. Wrestling transformed me into a completely different person with morals, in my opinion, of which every adolescent should carry into adulthood. An idol of mine, Dan Gable, once said, "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy." The hours I put into wrestling has made my faith with this statement stronger each day.
Wrestling helped me transition many of the values I learn on the mat and apply them to real life situations, whether they are social, educational, or even some that only I could overcome. I had a lack of self-confidence coming into high school and influenced the way I work with others and even view myself. Training everyday opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not weak, that I don't need to take the vulgar abuse from anyone! I look back each day and realize how self-pity did not solve any problems. The self-confidence that I gained from training hard every day opened my eyes to the fact that anyone can become more confident with themselves.
Wrestling has also provided me with a family that will carry me through my darkest hour. I wasn't the best wrestler, but my team put a lot of faith because they saw my potential. Losing really brought down my morale but I didn't give up and worked harder each day. One day, we wrestled our high school rival and I was very nervous because I didn't want to let my team down. As if fate made a turn for the worse, it was decided that I would be the deciding factor between walking through the school as champs, or leaving the gym with our shoulders slumped. My team cheered me on even though I was losing. It was heartbreaking but they wouldn't let up. The moment my opponent got out of position, I capitalized on his mistake and pinned him. I couldn't believe it, I won the match and I carried my school to victory. It was one of the best moments in my life.
These past four years have definitely impacted my personality as a whole and have gone hand in hand with my academic success. The one key factor that changed my persona as a whole would be the value of self-discipline that I learned on the mat. Constantly removing pain from the equation and being motivated to train under no excuses changed me. Coming into high school, I was lazy and unspirited. My grades were trash, and every time I applied myself to my studies, I quickly lost focus because I saw no point to my work. As my high school career progressed, I can stick to anything that I am assigned. I have no problem studying for a test or doing a 10 page paper due two weeks from the assigned date. IB did have a part in making the process easier but ultimately, it was wrestling that carried me through my struggles.
Looking back at what Dan Gable said, I can't think of anything that better describes the life lessons learned through wrestling. I transitioned into adulthood very smoothly and all the life lessons with the supplement of IB workload has prepared me for the road that lies ahead. It feels great to say that I am a responsible adult and it will impact greatly my experience at the University of Florida. Thanks to wrestling, I'm not scared of the leap between high school and college and I'm excited to start a new page in my life.
