Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.
Back and Forth. And, back and forth. And back again. I stood watching the ball go back and forth over the net, and occasionally out. The ball would then be retrieved and passed back to the server for the back and forth ritual to begin again, until I called "out." That was my job; I was the "out" person, the lines judge at the Special Olympics Tennis Tournament. Once the match was over, the court was cleared and a new set of players would begin.
Because I had line judged on some many courts, every player blurred together in my memory, except for one. She was 5'4, lanky, with blonde hair, and a sweet smile. Her name was Hillary, which she told me repeatedly throughout the match. It was not her tennis ability that inspired me, she was no Serena Williams. In fact she was just the opposite; her serves would float across the net, her ground strokes resembled lobs, and her net game was non-existent. However, she had a quality that most tennis players do not possess. When most tennis players are down in game score they mentally quit the match; they quit running down balls and their ground strokes get weaker. When Hillary was down in game score she continued to play her hardest. She would jog in place energetically at the baseline waiting for a serve, chase down every ball even though they were beyond her reach, and run to get a ball if she hit it into a net. Hillary lost, but when it came time to shake hands, she walked up to the net with a proud smile on her face. It took me awhile to realize why she was smiling, but then I realized it was because she gave the match her all. Hillary had played the best tennis she was capable of playing and in life that is all that is asked of her; that is all that is asked of me. I learned in the face of adversity all that is asked of me is to try my hardest, and live in the moment. Carpe Diem.
Back and Forth. And, back and forth. And back again. I stood watching the ball go back and forth over the net, and occasionally out. The ball would then be retrieved and passed back to the server for the back and forth ritual to begin again, until I called "out." That was my job; I was the "out" person, the lines judge at the Special Olympics Tennis Tournament. Once the match was over, the court was cleared and a new set of players would begin.
Because I had line judged on some many courts, every player blurred together in my memory, except for one. She was 5'4, lanky, with blonde hair, and a sweet smile. Her name was Hillary, which she told me repeatedly throughout the match. It was not her tennis ability that inspired me, she was no Serena Williams. In fact she was just the opposite; her serves would float across the net, her ground strokes resembled lobs, and her net game was non-existent. However, she had a quality that most tennis players do not possess. When most tennis players are down in game score they mentally quit the match; they quit running down balls and their ground strokes get weaker. When Hillary was down in game score she continued to play her hardest. She would jog in place energetically at the baseline waiting for a serve, chase down every ball even though they were beyond her reach, and run to get a ball if she hit it into a net. Hillary lost, but when it came time to shake hands, she walked up to the net with a proud smile on her face. It took me awhile to realize why she was smiling, but then I realized it was because she gave the match her all. Hillary had played the best tennis she was capable of playing and in life that is all that is asked of her; that is all that is asked of me. I learned in the face of adversity all that is asked of me is to try my hardest, and live in the moment. Carpe Diem.
