Participating in athletics has shaped my character in many ways. I have done two season of track & field. During the first season, I was primarily a thrower. I always struggled to understand why everyone else was always so good at throwing compared to me. Seeing everyone throw the shot put farther than me definitely made me very mad since I would always see kids who were a lot smaller than me throw the shot put a lot farther than me. It caused me to forget about form and just throw as hard as possible. As I was doing this one practice, I ended up hurting my rotator cuff. Although I didn't know exactly what it was that I hurt, I had bought a shoulder brace to try and help with the pain that had come from the injury. I continued to throw throughout the rest of my first season, fighting through the pain in my shoulder. The following summer, I finally said to my parents that I wanted to get my shoulder looked at. After going to the doctors, I found out I have a really weak rotator cuff. Even though I still worked out during my physical therapy, I had to end up stopping because it was just making the pain worse. After my physical therapy, I was able to get back into lifting, but I had no drive to do so. It caused me to have a very irregular lifting schedule, and I was having a hard time finding the energy and will to go. I had lost a lot of strength from the shoulder injury, and it caused me to almost hate the gym. I began to think that I was never going to be enough for anything or anyone. It took over 2 months of on and off training to get myself back in the gym full time. Whether it is feeling down one day or feeling physical pain, I have learned how to push myself, whether I am in the mood or not. I have learned that a bad lift is still better than no lift, and it doesn’t matter how hard you go if you only go a few times a month. In my community, we are a very sports driven town. Growing up, I loved to play sports while in grade school, but I slowly fell out of it and began to stay home playing video games. It wasn't until my freshman year that I started working out and it was my sophomore year that I joined track & field. I have seen many of my classmates in the basketball gym during the off season, shooting hoops and training to get better. It has made me realize that a sport isn't something you only train for during that season. It is something you have to be dedicated to to achieve your full potential and leave everything you have on the track, court, football field, etc. After my first year of track, I realized that running was something I used to love doing when I was a kid. So three months before the track season started, I began to run to get in shape. I would work out in the weight room and finish my day with running a mile and then working on block starts with my teammates. Track has shown me that it takes a lot of time, effort, and even friendship to be able to find your true potential and be the best you can be.