A Team Impact by Lindsay

A Team Impact by Lindsay - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

At 15 years old, all I wanted was to be 16 and have my hands on the wheel. The Drive: Sardis to Fairview to Randolph Road. I would dread asking a senior to drive me home the whole practice. I often thought of that small card with my name and address that would allow me to feel the wind in my hair. But instead, I would have to settle for an uncomfortable 8-minute drive home while thinking: "I hope she doesn't think I'm an awkward freshman" or "I hope she can't smell the odor coming from my sweaty, soaking wet, basketball sneakers." She had bleach blonde hair and was someone I looked up to all season. Her friends had nicknamed her "Goldy." She led the team in a way that made everyone go quiet and listen to the wise words that followed after the "listen up." I wanted to be just like her. Throughout the 8-minute drive, we would talk about the exhausting 6 AM practice that morning and how the coach handled the drama. Never once did she complain or say anything negative about it, always positive. She was a captain, but little did I know what that role actually entailed.
At 16, hands finally on the wheel, I dreamed of being 17 and done with school. I missed the seniors who had driven me home. I looked up to them and longed for our small chats about how to handle being a student-athlete. As the new basketball season approached, I was voted captain. I thought it was just a cool title and meant you could tell the team what to do. But then I remembered Goldy. She was a captain, and everyone loved her. We were getting a new coaching staff, and we needed someone who would be the rock of the team. I decided to do my best to be the leader our team needed. As a captain, I would offer rides home to the freshman; Sardis, Fairview, and Randolph roads would guide us. Sometimes the car was used as a therapy session to listen to teammates rant about how hard practice was. Then we rolled the windows down, cranked Kenny Chesney, and let it all go. Activities such as driving my teammates around to grab a quick bite or shorts trips to Walmart helped the team become a family.
Now, as a 17-year-old senior reflecting on the past 12 years of school, I drove this route myself, rode shotgun, or took the back seat. I used to rant in the car to my teammate about the coaching style or a bad play during practice. Now, I have a quiet car ride of reflection on that practice, school that day, and how I could make a better play. I have grown in leadership qualities, and I now am the senior driving home freshmen. We have meaningful conversations about our future, how the team can improve, and how to be a better student-athlete. I have grown in my ability to realize my mistakes instead of complaining about them, I should change them, make them better, and be a leader. Now, it may not have been the drive that taught me this, but the drive symbolizes the improvement in my character, the ability to act as an example for my team, and the impact I had as a leader in my school. So, thank you to my Jeep Grand Cherokee for listening to our cries, rants, and God-awful singing, and thank you, to Sardis, Fairview, and Randolph roads for guiding me home.