Double the Flips, Double the Problems by Clay

Double the Flips, Double the Problems by Clay - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

Patience, pop, grab, look, and commit. “This trick is simple,” I tell myself. Nervousness rushes through me on this sunny day, but I am confident. “I can do this,” I mutter to myself. After receiving the all-clear from my friends, I take a big jump forward for speed, head towards the takeoff, and jump. As I start to open up after the second flip, the landing meets my board, and I am riding away from the smoothest double backflip imaginable. A wave of success and relief fills my brain as I ride down.
I started snowboarding nine years ago, and by the time I was 11, I joined Snowboard Club Vail, a competitive training program. I progressed quickly, learning spins, rails, and then flips. For some reason, I was set on doing a double backflip, a relatively simple trick but meaningful nonetheless. Training started by perfecting air awareness and flip speed on a trampoline, then trying it on an airbag in Mammoth, California. Unfortunately, the bag blew away, leaving me with one successful attempt. In the following seasons, I tried many times to no avail, even coughing up blood after one violent fall. However, my resilience and belief in myself led to stomping the trick, proving that with determination and hard work, I can achieve any goal I set for myself.
The double backflip is a personal embodiment of my progression and passion for snowboarding, but also my perseverance and courage. The double backflip was a tremendously lofty goal, but the fact that I learned the trick proved my excellent progression. The deep passion and commitment for snowboarding will carry over in my studies and beyond college. From grasping complex content to meeting new people, I will face hardships, but the persistence I practiced in snowboarding will allow me to achieve my goals and learn new skills. In college, I will challenge myself to master course material, create connections with fellow students and alumni, and immerse myself in a new social scene. It is through these challenges that I grow, both in snowboarding and in life. Lastly, I am extremely excited to be attending the Leeds School of Business in the fall and I cannot wait to be in Boulder!