Accomplishment I am most proud of by Oswaldo

Accomplishment I am most proud of by Oswaldo - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

I am very proud to have won first team all district during my junior year and first team all district and an honorable mention in the conference my senior year playing varsity soccer. These awards come after previous seasons of fighting for a spot on varsity, fighting for a spot on the starting 11 squad, and injuries that prevented me from doing that. Coming in as a freshman I was given the opportunity to show what I could do during a friendly game and show my coach that I am committed to do my best everyday. I showed a good performance in that friendly, but as a freshman on varsity, I had competition with the older, stronger, and more experienced players. My coach saw attributes in me which were young and had potential. I also recognized these attributes and continued to work on them all season long. Come sophomore year I had really tuned my skills for the good and have a view on what I had to do that season. Then came along an injury that some rough and dirty player afflicted on my leg. This injury caused me to miss the rest of my sophomore varsity soccer season. From there I had a lengthy road to recovery ahead of me.
I worked really hard that winter, spring, and summer of my sophomore year to prepare for my junior year. I was determined to get back to where I was and to continue to further advance my skills for that season. I was focused to help my team the most I could. As the season played out, I was always a first pick starter and captain for my team. I was a center back (Center defensive player) and quite a few coaches and refs came out and complimented me on how I played after games. My goal for that year was to be recognized and earn an honor reward. This would be more difficult for me to do because as a defensive player, you really do not have many stats like goals and assists to help you be noticed as a threat to the other team. Because of this, when we received news about the rewards and who won, I was called up to receive my first team all district award and I felt happy and proud of what I have done all season to get to where I was to receive that award. Then comes senior year. Every senior athlete would want to go out with the best season they have ever had. And that is how I felt. I wanted to be the best and do what I do best. I wanted to be seen as a threat to the other team trying to attack and trying to defend. Unfortunately, early in the season I had another injury. This time I had a sprained MCL. When the trainer took my off to the side and started to compare my knees and bend them, I felt and seen my right knee was a lot more loose than my left one when the trainer bent it. I was scared for the rest of my season. Fortunately it was a grade 2 sprain which meant I would most likely be able to play during the post-season tournaments. I did miss out on at least half of my conference games. This really damaged my goal of receiving a honor for my conference. Also, that year schools were added to the conference so that really damaged my goal. When award came in and we sat to receive them, I really only had hope to receive a district award. When our coach started calling out the conference awards, our goal scorer received a first team and for me, sitting out half of my conference games and being a defender, I did not expect to receive anything. But then, my coach called me up to present me with my award. I wasn't a first team but it was an honorable mention. My goal was to at least receive a district award. I was beyond surprised and proud that I actually receive this honor. That day I walked away feeling proud of myself because I met my goal of getting first team all district and I received an honorable mention in a bigger conference and having been injured. I cannot express how I felt that day and how accomplished and happy I felt after those years of hard work physically and mentally.