Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are?
It was my first wrestling match of my freshman year. My hands were sweating, knees trembling, and heart beating furiously. As I was sizing up the person standing directly in front of me, there were a million things racing through my frazzled mind, everything short of confidence, it was the fear of losing. Beyond the hard exterior facial facade I masked on to prove to my opponent that I was unafraid of him as I locked eyes with his, I was actually terrified. As I waited for the referee to blow the whistle to commence the match, extreme thoughts raced through my head. 'Will I pin him or will I be pinned? Is my opponent a stronger or weaker wrestler than I am?' But the instant the whistle blew, my anxieties subsided and my wrestling instincts quickly took over. The next thing I knew I was in for the biggest fight of my life.
It was a rigorous training to get into the fitness and shape that wrestling required. Our wrestling team had practice after school everyday of the week. It consisted of a variety of skills we all had to learn, including takedowns, pins, mental attitudes, strength development, etc. There was also a lot of drilling and plenty of live wrestling. The bare minimum of keeping up with our daily routine practices always left me exhausted. I almost believed that I couldn't do it. The countless times where I had to push myself to the extreme limits of my capabilities whether if it was finishing that last push up or pull up or taking that one last takedown short of my victory in a wrestling challenge when all of my limbs trembled uncontrollably, sweat that cascaded down my face, or my body screaming back under the exertion and stress, it really tested my physical and mental core capacities.
Besides the intense training I had to undergo in obtaining the best possible fitness, I was also training to change my mentality, the way I was thinking when it came to wrestling. Even when my body burned from exhaustion and fatigue and my mind urged me to quit, I never relented or gave up; I continued on. I was always striving to do more than what was required. There is a saying, "once you have wrestled, life is easy." My undying effort I put into wrestling has shown me the value of hard work and determination, that with both I could accomplish anything. In staying strong, it has positively shaped me into becoming the champion wrestler and person I was.
Even until today, I could still remember the first match I competed in. The outcome of the match resulted in my victory. But even if circumstances were different and I may have lost, I knew that I worked hard in getting where I was at and my determination never deterred for a second and that's all that mattered to me. The values that were instilled in me while being a part of the wrestling team, I hope, will continue on with me in my dreams of pursuing an education if I am accepted into your college.
Word count: 523
Any feedback or commentary is greatly appreciative! Thank you!
I think this essay is very comprehensible and addresses both your physical and emotional strengths through it. Here are some advices:
- First two paragraphs both begins with "It was". I don't know if it's on purpose...
- Your conclusion is not really strong. Don't write "If I am accepted into your college"
- "...it has positively shaped me into becoming the champion wrestler and person I wasam.
- There are several grammatical mistakes.
If you read it over, I think you'll find a lot of things :) Good luck!
