In past years, my high school swim team has never designated two individuals to be team captains. However, this year my coach decided that our team needed a girl and boy who could step up and lead the team when necessary. As team captain, I believe that it is important that we give back to our community as a team. Not only are we taking time to volunteer, but we also grow closer to the people on our team. So far this school year we all woke up as early as five o’clock in the morning to set up for and volunteer at the Plano Balloon Festival 5K/1K. I was partnered with three other swimmers and we were assigned the task of directing runners along the course. Although, I think everyone’s favorite part was handing out water cups and medals to the
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Show MoreThe race would start at 8:30 and we needed to be ready to help any swimmers who needed us. The event kicked off with swimmers leaving the beach at Sandy Point State Park and all the preparation culminates in the next 2-3hours of idling and adjusting position, like finding the right fishing spot, to stay where we were most needed. There are, understandably, no boats with any moving gear allowed anywhere near the swimmers, so if a swimmer needs help a kayaker tows them out to a boat. Most folks don’t need medical help, they just recognize, like a marathon runner, they won’t be finishing this year. We stay ready and vigilant, trying to stay stationary throughout the race.
A team in Concord, Calif., has had a win streak of 151 games. North Atlanta High School 's team can barely pull off three wins this season. The Spartans have had plenty of perfect seasons. North Atlanta closest time ever in the school’s history was to getting a perfect season was going 7-3 in 2010.The team from California doesn 't know the meaning of defeat. North Atlanta barely knows the feeling of winning.
In life, even though we are told not to do so, a lot of us “count our chickens before they hatch”. We make assumptions on things before they happen because we believe that if something seems so likely, it will happen. Well, that is what my Liberty High School cross country team did my sophomore year. Going into the year, we not only knew we were going to be strong, we thought other teams were going to be weak. The top teams from the state finals the previous year had all lost most of their key pieces.
West High School’s softball team has opened a new chapter in my life. If I could go back to my freshman year I would have played for West. All the rumors people have heard about Coach Saladino are not true, he is honestly such an inspiring person. Playing softball for West has given me friendships I will never forget, the ability to play with the most robust players, and the new skills I have learned from such an amazing coach. Playing for West High School’s softball team was one of the best decision I have ever made.
I watched as the batter stepped up to the plate. My coach pitched the ball and BAM! The softball hit me right in the knee! My softball team had a tournament coming up for Minnesota schools.
“Unfortunately, Jack, there will not be many opportunities for you this year.” Seconds after being told I had made the varsity baseball team, I did not expect my coach to so bluntly tell me I would be spending more time watching the game than playing it. Our state ranked team had a pitching staff full of Division 1 commitments and future MLB draft picks, and I was being told I did not measure up. The bench became my best friend.
At times, I might seem quiet, or not the best cheerleader out there, etc, but I am really trying hard behind the scenes to become a better cheerleader and finding ways to help make our team wonderful. Being not only a cheerleader, but a captain means way more than sidelines, ball games, sporting events, pep-rally’s and leading your team. It’s how you appear to the community and how you are as a student and person. You want someone smart, responsible, and dedicated to be the very best person they can be. How you appear outside of cheer represents your team and your school.
Last year I became captain on the Soccer Varsity team of my high school. Being captain isn’t just being the head of all the girls, but is doing the best for the team. My goal was to work as a team in and outside the field, and working together to win and have fun. But my conflicts with certain girls were getting in the way, because how can I expect them to do a certain thing if I’m not setting an example. I chose to talk to those girls, set things straight and set an example to my teammates.
Nothing hurts more than being excluded. I learned this the hard way my sophomore year. This is a story about my high school lacrosse team. Most of my friends are on the team so we’ve become very close after playing together since the seventh grade. We play lacrosse in the backyard almost everytime we’re together.
Participating in high school soccer has taught me many life lessons, of which “determination” was the most important. At Fleetwood High School, soccer is a highly respected sport. As a freshman, I competed against many talented upper classmen for a spot on the team. Being one of the youngest players trying out was intimidating, but it forced me to establish a goal for myself. I was determined to, not only make the team, but to make the varsity team.
It was the moment I had been practicing for. I was finally going to try out for my middle school cheer team and hopefully make it. I was so excited I could barely focus on my classes that day. I had run through all of the steps at least 50 times that day. I had always wanted to do cheerleading and this was my moment to do it.
It was a cold November morning and I was racing in the 2014 Florida Swimming State Championships preliminaries. After training hard for a year, I was confident I would achieve my goal of making US Junior Nationals in the 200 individual medley. How could I not? I gave everything in practice, every day, and I was hopeful my hard work would pay off.
It was in fourth grade when I started playing golf frequently. I would always run off into my backyard, drop my ball in the giant divot I usually play from, and start hitting the ball towards my golf flag. It was just a hobby at the time. I wasn’t super serious about trying to go to tournaments, nor was I trying to become like Tiger Woods. I just wanted to play the game.
When I was eight years old, I joined the Shaker Sharks swim team. I was put in the lowest group and struggled to swim even a 25. I considered swimming a hobby at best, not even realizing it was a sport. Two years later, my family and I moved to Solon. I switched teams to join the Solon Stars Swim Club.
Tuning out the noise, I tucked my head under the water, staring at the pool’s tiled floor. Nearing the wall, I lifted my head to gather a breath of air before my flip turn to start my second lap. Looking up, I saw five of my team members at the end of my lane cheering for me. With a renewed energy from their excitement, I turned and continued the race. After the race was over and I was out of the pool, I took my hard-earned ribbon and scurried back to where my swim