Sunday, July 31, 2011

How to Use Sports to Get into College... Besides Playing Them

To you, this title may seem contradictory. How can you use sports to get into college without playing them when you get there? Yes, the obvious, number one way to get into college using your sport is by being recruited to play at said-school. But what about the rest of us? What about those of us who don’t really want to play a varsity sport in college (which is a whole other issue of itself, or a whole other blog…)? What do we do?

Well, I’ve been thinking about the answer to this question ever since I decided that I didn’t want to be an Olympic soccer player after freshmen year (because like all young athletes, I wanted to be a super star, a professional soccer player. I mean, what little kid, who likes sports, wouldn’t want to be made rich and famous by simply playing them?). Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with…

Firstly, just having a four-year commitment of any kind on a college application shows dedication and passion. Playing your favorite sport, and sticking with it even when your high school courses give you ten pounds of homework each night (for homework might as well be measured by how heavy it makes your backpack), shows a college that you persevered and are not a quitter. Also, you indicate that you are involved in your school community by merely having four years of a sport on your application.

If you are a captain of your team, you are exemplifying leadership qualities (which we have been told, from day one, is what colleges want to see. I mean, how many times have my parents tried to convince me to become class president? Numerous times. Even when I tell them that our school doesn’t really have class presidents? Still, they continue to insist I start my campaign). However, if you are not the leading sort, or simply because not every upperclassman on the team can be captain (as much as you all want to be), do not fret. For I have a couple more ideas up my sleeve.

If you like to write, you could write for your school newspaper’s sports sections. You’d get to show colleges your passion for the game through writing, and also add an academic extra-curricular to your app. Well done!

And lastly, for those of you who don’t like to write, well, you’re going to have to. Those daunting college essays that you have been dreading to write need to be finished, and you’re not sure where to start. What could you write about that shows a college who you are, but also makes you look good as well? Write about your sport! Tell them the lessons you’ve learned about the importance of teamwork and giving your best effort in every game, match, or meet.

No matter what your angle, there’s always a way to make your high school sport season worth the time and energy that it takes to compete.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Playing Like a Tomato

If you ever want to make a quick friend, offer a redhead sunscreen. This weekend, I got fried. Charred, Sizzled, and Super-baked (without Pam sprayed on the tray). Now don’t worry, I clipped my coupons and got 2 free bottles of Aloe with the one bottle of sunscreen I bought at Walgreens (ironic deal, I know). And everyone’s always nicer when you’re sunburned. My friend suggested I soak in milk, and the lady in the beauty department at the mall gave me free lotion (score!). But despite my best efforts, I can’t deny the fact that my skin is the color of a ripe tomato or a freshly painted fire hydrant (the one that the dog hasn’t peed on yet, I hope).

Although my friends and the lady at the mall have been sympathetic, my coach was not. Well, he was, but not to the degree of letting me skip practice. Which I suppose, is understandable. Because I wasn’t sick and wasn’t injured. But how well can I play when every time I bend my arms or knees, my skin crinkles? And not in the, oh-how-wonderful, I’m-unwrapping-a-candy-bar crinkle way, but in the utterly painful, hey-my-skin’s-not-supposed-to-crinkle way. Yes, I should’ve remembered to put on sunscreen. And to make up for it, I wore a long-sleeve shirt and sweats to practice (which quickly came off, because, as you guessed, it was sweltering hot). But how can I play my best when I’m hobbling around the field trying not to bend my knees? I felt like I was Frankenstein’s wife after being dropped in a pool of red Kool-Aid. And while this sounds funny now, at the time it was awful. Because when you’re sunburned, you’re not only reluctant to bend your joints, but also in the worst attitude ever imaginable. When I’m sunburned, it takes all of my energy to keep from cussing at the sun. If it were a bit closer (and if that didn’t mean our imminent end on earth), I would have surely socked the sun in the face by now. When not sunburned, I’m one of the cheeriest, happiest people I know. But once my skin turns that dark shade of red (akin to the Hulk’s dusky green), negative energy drips from my pores and I only speak in angry grunts. (Well, not actually. But how legit would that be?)

As an athlete, sunburns are some of the worst injuries you can get (from the category of injuries that you’re allowed to play on, of course. Compared to sprained ankles and torn ACLs, I’d definitely pick the sunburn). Now how you use this story is up to you. You could read this entry and think, ‘What a good idea! We’ll sabotage the other team by stealing their sunscreen the day before game day, and then lure them into the sun with candy and popsicles!’ (I hope you aren’t thinking that though, because that would be a bit bizarre.) Or you could read this entry and think, ‘Wow, note to self: put on sunscreen before I go to practice today.’ Or I suppose you could read this entry and think nothing of it at all. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t burn, I’m jealous. But you don’t have to pay attention to this entry. Go on with your perfectly sunburn-free day, and enjoy your unburnable skin. However, as for the rest of you, please wear sunscreen!