One of the most important things I learned outside of the classroom was what it meant to be a successful athlete. I experienced my first sporting endeavor when I was a three years old. I have enjoyed sports activities since that early age, although no one would have considered me a star player. What kept me practicing and participating without being the one of the number one players was knowing I was a successful athlete.I am a successful athlete not because of a time, a score, a place, or a homerun. I am successful because of my contributions to the team. One of these contributions is my flexibility with my coaches. I am willing to add events as needed even when they are not my favorite events. For example, my track coach asked me at a meet if I would run the 3200. I normally did not run this event, but without a second thought, I said I would. On the swimm ...view middle of the document...
One illustration of this ability was when one of the girls on my cross-country team had a broken arm. As I was running, I could see she was in pain. I slowed my pace to keep at her side. She told me not to hurt myself by running at her pace. I was concerned about my teammate, not about advancing my own training. We finished the run together.Being a team player also means being a good sport. It is important to me to congratulate my teammates and opponents at the end of each event no matter the outcome. I missed going to District finals in track by a split second in the 800. I was disappointed but I congratulated my opponent with genuine emotion. I kept my positive attitude and I vowed to myself not to lose another sprint to the finish. I know that good sportsmanship has become a part of my moral code.Katherine F. Krueger 324-80-2727 My coaches and teachers have told me that I have strong leadership abilities and a positive attitude. My coaches know I am reliable. I would get my relay teams together and ready to go with time to spare. My goal was to be a good role model for other team members through my conduct on and off the field. My positive attitude helped me to achieve this goal. Even when I was disappointed with the outcome, I would smile because I knew I did my best and sometimes others are just faster. This attitude helped to encourage my teammates in their events.These are the reasons I feel I am successful as an athlete. I have learned why there is the cliche "Winning is not everything", because I learned far more from being part of a team then I ever learned by winning an event. What I have learned during my athletic participation should serve me well in my future and knowing that should have been enough satisfaction for me. However, the greatest honor I received in high school was recognition for the lessons I learned while being part a team. My track coaches presented me with the "Unsung Hero" award for my positive contributions to the team. At that moment, I experienced being one of the stars of the team and it felt great.
