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
Cautiously, I unfold my own clearance forms and hand them to a captain instead, crossing my fingers there are no mistakes.
August 21, 2009. Today I walk in to the pool with my head held higher.
But then again, I would never have 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.
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.
Great essay! Have fun in school and good luck!
:)
