Topic: Describe an experience that had a significant impact on you and shaped your character.
It is August 24, 2008. My dad pulls up to the front of ***** High school, only to find out that the pool is at the other entrance. Terrified that I am going to be late for my first high school practice, I grab my makeshift sports duffel, which is an old YMCA bag, and carelessly slam the car door shut.
"Have a great first practice; show your coach what you've got!" My dad yells in the distance as I frantically stumble towards the pool. As I open the glass door, I am immediately greeted by a wave of chlorine and two energetic older girls in Speedos.
"They must be the captains," I think to myself. Who else could have that kind of confidence and energy on the first day of practice? I am already jealous of their skill, poise and self-assurance that I so clearly lack. In the distance, I hear my new coach yelling at a girl who didn't have her paperwork filled out correctly. Cautiously, I unfold my own clearance forms and hand it to a captain instead, crossing my fingers there are no mistakes.
August 21, 2009. Today I walk into the pool with my head held higher. A summer full of early morning practices, wet hair and sore shoulders has prepared me for the season, and I am excited to show my coach how much I have improved. Determined to make a good start, I muster up the courage to say hello to my coach, though I am still deathly afraid of him, and then go to chat with the other sophomores.
August 22, 2010. I arrive to practice early, eager to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while. I proudly swing my new Speedo swim bag over my shoulder and walk over to the pool. That same, comforting scent of chlorine I had missed over the summer greets me, and the warmth of smiling faces reminds me of why I love this sport.
The pressure of being an upperclassman sinks in as I look around at the younger swimmers, and then at the seniors, realizing that I am merely a year behind them. I find my coach in his office, chat with him about his summer, qualifying times, tough meets and so on before getting in the water. This year I am ready to get best times, even if it means swimming double practices, before and after school, six days a week.
August 23, 2011. My coach texts me this morning reminding me to be at the pool an hour early to make sign-in sheets, print out team rosters, and be there to greet the team. I arrive with the other captain, prepared for our last season. We have our team suits picked out, order forms ready, and so much team spirit. I can't help but feel nervous though. It is almost the same kind of nervousness I felt as a freshman coming through those same doors four short years ago. Worried that I might not live up to my coach's standards, my teammates' standards, my own standards, I try to tell myself that if I look confident, I will be. I remember how far I have come since then. Freshman year I would have had no idea that I would even be able to complete a 500 yard freestyle race, let alone finish sixth in the district. But then again, I would have never thought that I would have had four years of perfect practice attendance, or that my own team would vote me as their captain and Athlete of the Week either. I begin to realize that I did live up to everyone's standards, including my own. With a genuine smile, I walk towards the door in my brand new Speedo, ready to make this team as great of an experience for others as it has been for me.
Actual: 650
Required: less than 650
It is August 24, 2008. My dad pulls up to the front of ***** High school, only to find out that the pool is at the other entrance. Terrified that I am going to be late for my first high school practice, I grab my makeshift sports duffel, which is an old YMCA bag, and carelessly slam the car door shut.
"Have a great first practice; show your coach what you've got!" My dad yells in the distance as I frantically stumble towards the pool. As I open the glass door, I am immediately greeted by a wave of chlorine and two energetic older girls in Speedos.
"They must be the captains," I think to myself. Who else could have that kind of confidence and energy on the first day of practice? I am already jealous of their skill, poise and self-assurance that I so clearly lack. In the distance, I hear my new coach yelling at a girl who didn't have her paperwork filled out correctly. Cautiously, I unfold my own clearance forms and hand it to a captain instead, crossing my fingers there are no mistakes.
August 21, 2009. Today I walk into the pool with my head held higher. A summer full of early morning practices, wet hair and sore shoulders has prepared me for the season, and I am excited to show my coach how much I have improved. Determined to make a good start, I muster up the courage to say hello to my coach, though I am still deathly afraid of him, and then go to chat with the other sophomores.
August 22, 2010. I arrive to practice early, eager to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while. I proudly swing my new Speedo swim bag over my shoulder and walk over to the pool. That same, comforting scent of chlorine I had missed over the summer greets me, and the warmth of smiling faces reminds me of why I love this sport.
The pressure of being an upperclassman sinks in as I look around at the younger swimmers, and then at the seniors, realizing that I am merely a year behind them. I find my coach in his office, chat with him about his summer, qualifying times, tough meets and so on before getting in the water. This year I am ready to get best times, even if it means swimming double practices, before and after school, six days a week.
August 23, 2011. My coach texts me this morning reminding me to be at the pool an hour early to make sign-in sheets, print out team rosters, and be there to greet the team. I arrive with the other captain, prepared for our last season. We have our team suits picked out, order forms ready, and so much team spirit. I can't help but feel nervous though. It is almost the same kind of nervousness I felt as a freshman coming through those same doors four short years ago. Worried that I might not live up to my coach's standards, my teammates' standards, my own standards, I try to tell myself that if I look confident, I will be. I remember how far I have come since then. Freshman year I would have had no idea that I would even be able to complete a 500 yard freestyle race, let alone finish sixth in the district. But then again, I would have never thought that I would have had four years of perfect practice attendance, or that my own team would vote me as their captain and Athlete of the Week either. I begin to realize that I did live up to everyone's standards, including my own. With a genuine smile, I walk towards the door in my brand new Speedo, ready to make this team as great of an experience for others as it has been for me.
Actual: 650
Required: less than 650