2002 Olympic Experience for U Washington

B) Tell us a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

In 2002 I was invited to dance with "The Children of Light" in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. Although it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that gave me the honor to represent my state, practice for the event involved a lot of hard work and dedication. All the time and energy spent paid off during performances and I learned lessons from the experience that have shaped and added to the person I am today.

There were exhausting evening rehearsals that lasted from five to nine at least three times a week from November to February; in the cold and snow that Utah winters brought, it was not always easy to travel from my house to the center of downtown. In addition, I still had to be committed to my other activities outside of rehearsals. While eagerly preparing for my grand moment at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, I learned to plan to take care of my homework, violin practice and Chinese school without missing rehearsals; I later used these planning skills to handle my AP tests and violin lessons in junior year. I learned the need for planning but more importantly, I gained a sense of accountability and punctuality. I knew that if I came to rehearsal late, my group would have to wait for my costume change, and everyone would end up staying longer than they had to. And despite long practices there was no excuse for being late with school work or missing violin practice.

As the date of the Opening Ceremony drew closer practices became longer and more frequent. I found it harder to be persistently energetic and lively when I had been practicing for hours in the cold with nothing but hot chocolate for fuel, but I the drive I had to keep up the performance gave me the motivation continue. With persistence and my goal to shine at every practice my skills as a dancer grew and assets that would make up my character grew as well.

When I first walked into the stadium stage the sights and sounds awed me. In the dark of the night the crowd's small flashlights shone brighter than the stars. I thought back on the hours of rehearsals (and hours of cold) and it made me proud that I had not only made it to the stage but had learned something from the experience that would add to the foundation of a successful being. I had not only gained the opportunity to open and close for an event watched by the world but had also gained something in myself. It was during the months of rehearsals that I learned skills that allowed me to become a more mature person and gave me the confidence that I could take any obstacle and pass through hurdles in life with proper planning, timing, and drive.

With the skills that I gained from my participation in the Olympic ceremonies, I know I will be a good planner as well as a punctual and responsible student. I have carried these lessons throughout my life beyond my preparation for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and hope to use them to contribute to my college and community of people I will be "dancing" with.

Snaps for anyone who read the whole thing sorry its long
thanks!

Thx for revising my essay! ~ returning the favor ;)

All the time and energy spent paid off during performances, and I learned lessons from the experience that havethe lessons learned have shaped and added to the person I am today.

I learned the need for planning.butM ore importantly, I gained a sense of accountability and punctuality.
You can split these two sentences to create greater emphasis on the lessons learned.

AndD espite the long practices, there was no excuse for being late with school work or missing violin practice.
I think "And" is unnecessary because "despite" is already a strong transition.
Actually, I think it would make more sense to write "Even though the practices were long"...usually after an dependent (subordinate?) clause with "despite", the following (or preceding in some cases) clause is positive

I also think that you should focus on what you learned from this experience rather than how grueling the practices were.

Aside from that, this topic is very interesting (such an amazing opportunity)!