Personal Statement
As a collegiate student athlete, I aspire to be excellent. I have a firm belief that excellency is not something that comes and goes in a person. If I want to be an excellent student I also must be an excellent athlete. Hard work is a universal principle that I strive to uphold every day which I believe separates me from most other potential recruits. I am a self-motivated student athlete who has a strong belief in teamwork. Even in cross country and track, which may appear to be an individual sport, teamwork is extremely important. During hard workouts, it's the runners that surround you and feel the same pain as you that push you to finish strong. I know that I am one of those athletes that pushes those around me to better themselves and therefore better the team. Although teamwork is important, so is being able to push yourself when no one else is around. I once ran a 17-mile race called Imogene Pass that was 10 miles up a mountain and then 7 miles back down. That is where I really discovered the necessity of mental fortitude. It was after going 8 miles uphill, with no support system around me, struggling to take another step forward because of how much pain I was in, that I strengthened my mental fortitude like I never had before. There was no prize for me at the end, but I finished that race knowing that I could do anything I put my mind to.
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