Stacy Book Scholarship Essay

I discovered one of my passions by participating in a sport I swore i would never do: cross country. For the majority of my life I had played competitive soccer and it was part of my identity. I loved the feeling of sprinting down the field towards an attacking forward for the sole purpose of helping my team and I never wanted to give that up. Entering my freshman year of high school, I joined a soccer program that was filled with pressure to win games, and although I had a great time during the season with my teammates I sensed that something wasn’t right. My parents and friends knew the struggles I was going through with soccer and they all said the same thing, “why don’t you try cross country?” My answer was the same each time, “I would never even consider doing cross country, that's not going to happen.

For me, cross country isn’t just a sport to add to your extra curricular activities, nor is it an “easy” sport to join just because you want to be considered an athlete. Cross country is way more than that. It is a lifestyle. It is waking up every morning at 5 a.m., running countless miles until you can’t feel your legs anymore, having no days off, and having to sacrifice plans with your best friends because you have practices and races every weekend. I saw dedication every time I saw my sister grit her face with determination as she forced herself through the finish line.

I'm a triplet; I was the third triplet born; I weighed 3 pounds at birth; I am the third "Ronald Moore"; I earned the number 3 spot on my high school tennis team; I was considered number 3 on my high school cross country team; and I received a 3 year varsity award my senior year in all of my 3 sports in high school. I’m sure there has been other events where the number three has been there with me but these are the most major ones that have affected me. The number 3 is an integral part of who I am. Being a triplet has affected my life in multiple ways. Having two sisters that are the same age as me has made a big impact on my life.

I played against Ashley, a senior who was out last year because of a knee injury, first. She played really well, but I think that I won only because she was not warmed up yet. I played each girl, and I won four and lost four. I was unsure about whether or not this would be enough to stay on varsity or only play for the LaCrosse game. I remembered what my mom said earlier about loving me no matter what, and I realized that whether or not I got on varsity, I was still doing what I love and it did not matter either way.

One incident I can recount when I experienced failure was when I joined Cross Country. Since, I can remember I have always excelled at everything I did, from my academics to dance class to music lessons. When I entered into my freshman year of high school, I decided I would to join an athletic team in order to keep myself occupied outside of academics. I figured joining a sport would be another good attribute to add to my resume. Initially, my mind was set to join the soccer team.

Throughout my life I have been told, find something that you enjoy and find something that will benefit you as well as others. I really have not taken this statement to my heart until I got the opportunity to sit down with Candy Vander Wal, athletic trainer at Shiloh Christian School. The whirlwind of all the games that take place at the school, I had never realized what role Candy played a part of and all the hard work she does to help student athletes. Once we started to talk, I began to realize that, although I am only a senior in high school, I could see myself enjoying being an athletic trainer someday or just entering the sports medicine line of work. During our conversation, Candy taught me that finding something you enjoy can benefit not only you but others too.

All of my life she has played the role of worst enemy and best friend all at the same time. She has always been involved with gymnastics so ever since I was born I have been dragged to gymnastics meets and forced to watch the same four routines repeatedly. I used to be incredibly jealous of how much attention she got from my parents and how successful she was but I got over myself and moved on. If I ever have a problem or am looking for advice, I know that she will always have my back. I would say that each year we get a little bit closer and friendlier towards each other.

This past season I was on the junior varsity team. In the upcoming season I will be playing on the varsity team. These teams prepare myself for my future because they help me learn how to collaborate with others.

I made it in the cutting horse division and to do so I had to be one of the top four girls in the state of Oklahoma. Although nationals didn?t turn out as well as I had hoped it was an honor to have competed against the best in the world. Making it to nationals was not easy. After countless hours of practicing I began to feel confident with my horse and myself but then the unthinkable happened.

When I first thought about how soccer impacted my life, nothing really came to mind. I was that kid who mostly looked forward to the end of the game snacks and bringing around the goal jar. But when I actually began thinking about more about playing soccer I realized that soccer was the first place where I was fully submerged into something completely new. I learned how to make friends, how be a leader, and how to have good sportsmanship. These are all things that have made me into the person I am today and it all began on the soccer field.

“Her Christian faith resonated with me and my family,” Dobson said. “I cannot always bring up my faith in a public school setting so it allowed for a unique opportunity.” Dobson knew Watson had a love for the 1,500 meter and after training her for just eight weeks she ran faster than she ever had in five

Being a NCAA Division II athlete during my time at American International College was blessing in disguise for me. Many people do not look at Division II college athletes in the same light as Division I athletes. Interestingly enough, unlike Division III college athletes, DII are held to the same standards and rules as Division I. We have to maintain a certain GPA, we cannot work more than 10 hours a week, we are drug tested on a monthly basis, and we endure two-a-days on a daily basis. Going into college, athletics were always first priority to me; but after being a regular starter on my soccer team entering my junior year, my priorities were completely reversed.