learning life lessons one kick at a time by Madolyn

learning life lessons one kick at a time by Madolyn - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

My name is Maddie Williams and I will be graduating from Lenoir City High School in the spring of 2020, not only with a successful academic record, but also with an athletic accomplishment that very few females can say they have. I am the starting place kicker for my high school football team, which, for three years now, has impacted my life in ways I never saw coming and has been one of the most life-changing decisions I have ever made.
I also play goalkeeper for a competitive club soccer team as well as for my high school, but a UCL tear in my elbow freshman year sidelined me for an entire year, stripping away the thing I love to do most. While recovering and trying to retake the soccer field, I decided I wanted to kick for the football team, as it was one of the few things I could actually do while recovering from my elbow injury. At first, it was very difficult, not only physically, but being a female in a male-dominated sport came with its own set of emotional challenges, but I did everything the guys did. I did the same conditioning programs, the same workout programs, and participated in the same rigorous practice schedules. Naturally, I didn’t feel accepted at first, but that just made me work that much harder, pushing my limits and proving myself to everyone, players and coaches alike. My football experience has taught me a great deal about life, particularly how to be tough, disciplined, focused, and how to compete, which are skills that I will use for the rest of my life. Whether it’s on a football field, in a classroom, or with my career one day, nothing in life is given, you must earn it and work hard for it, knowing you get out of something what you put into it.
Over the past three years, this experience has also taught me how to be a leader, as well as a follower, which are both important in life. Being a leader is about more than just influencing people and calling the shots, it’s also about encouragement and how to know what’s best in a situation. I’ve learned that being a follower is also a great quality, because it teaches you how to respect and listen to others. In order to become an effective leader, you must first learn how to follow. I experienced this first-hand as I progressed through my football career. I first had to learn how to listen, observe, and encourage others from the sideline before I was the one taking the field under the lights on Friday night with all the pressure, knowing my team was counting on me to put points on the board. My football experience has also taught me about sacrifice and that there are no shortcuts in life. You must be willing to make sacrifices and put in the effort to get the results you desire, and to truly get the results you desire you can’t take shortcuts when things get hard. Perhaps above all else, football has taught me to finish something that you have started, even when it gets tough. After my first year, I was hesitant to do it again for a number of reasons, but in sports, and in life, you have to finish what you start and, ultimately, it’s worth it in the end.
I never imagined that a sport I was never supposed to play, by cultural standards, would end up changing my life in such a meaningful way, teaching me many life lessons, all because I decided to branch out and try something new.