Personal Statement
My dream is to wrestle and/or play football in college while pursuing a degree in Education. I have played football since I was 9 years old but have only wrestled since I was 14 years old. I love both of these sports immensely and spend the majority of my free time working out and preparing for the seasons.
I am one of two players on my football team that play both offense and defense. I start on offense (Tackle) and although I haven’t played defense since middle school, my coach asked if I could go both ways. I play defense (End) when we get behind, which seems to be quite often. Because of wrestling, and the amount of work put in during the off-season, my stamina is high and I have been comfortable going both ways.
Wrestling has become my passion in the last couple of years. I started as a freshman at 182 and although my record was less than desirable (7-28), I found a strong bond in my team. Since then, I have moved up to 220 and stayed. My sophomore year, I went 32-16 and placed 2nd in the conference. My junior year didn’t end the way I had hoped, but it was still a successful year (45-8). I won my region and placed 7th in the State. I could easily wrestle Heavyweight, but I believe the 220 weight class is more difficult and I would like to prove myself to others. I spent the summer at the following wrestling camps – Iowa, Jeff Jordan, Appalachian State and NCSU. Also, in October of this year, I won the Honey Badger Wrestling Tournament and I wrestled in the Super 32 where I went 2-2 after playing both ways in a football game the night before.
The most inspirational person in my life is my grandfather. He is 75 years old and continues to coach football and wrestling at a rival high school, South Iredell. He is in his high school’s Hall of Fame, County Hall of Fame, NCHSAA Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Hall of Fame. His love of these sports is unprecedented and he continues to make me want to push myself even further. When no one, including myself, believed that I could do it, he did.
One of the most significant events in my life happened at the beginning of my senior year. My father, who had been sick for half of my life, suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. Life is difficult enough, but I had let his illness get the best of me and I didn’t always put forth my best effort when it came to school. I went into my senior year with a positive attitude that grades were going to come first. When my father passed, that became even clearer. My grades are the best they have ever been in high school this semester and this trend will continue in college. I want to be a positive role model for my younger siblings.
I hope you will consider reviewing my profile and reach out to me.