Personal Statement
Before the age of 10, I was known as Big Ben because of my athleticism and passion to play baseball and football. If there was a ball around, then I was throwing it even when I was not supposed to be! And, many (including myself) did not believe I would ever make it through school, let alone college; attending school was very tough for me in many aspects. Through the grace of God, good teachers, supportive parents, and baseball we discovered I had double vision entering the 4th grade. After an intense six-month vision program, I obtained 1st-time peripheral eyesight and strengthened my vision to finally see one image instead of seeing two images. Finally, more than 10.5 years old, I received a doctor's release to pitch. To date, I have 20-20 vision with no corrective lenses. Literally, I have been blessed by God with the miracle of corrective eyesight.
Now and always, my happy place is when I am on the mound whether I am the starting game day pitcher, the relieve, or the closer. I truly enjoy all aspects of the game of baseball. I was blessed with the challenge as the starting 1st baseman at Metro Christian Academy last year as a freshman, and I maintained my position again this year. Playing for Coach Foster and Coach Clyburn is humbling and rewarding as they mentor us to become men of God while strengthening our baseball skills and knowledge. Playing with BBA during the summer is extremely satisfying because Coach Matt Moore honors and respects the game by building us up for future collegiate play.
But, what most collegiate coaches may not expect is I spend my pass time "tinkering". My parents graciously share their garage with me, so I can have a shop where I work on cars, motorcycles, lawn equipment, computers, watches, etc. I enjoy flipping motorcycles and cleaning watches for extra cash. It is hard to find a 9 to 5 job in the summer while playing baseball, and tinkering is more fun anyway, so now, people call me Handy Benny.
My mom and I work on home improvements and projects together during the summer in between our trips to antique shops to find treasures while dad works long hours when we are not at baseball tourneys. My dad and I enjoy hunting and fishing together and watching westerns and military movies when we can find the time. I am very close to my sister, Abby; she is 15 months younger than me, and she is our full-time football and baseball student athletic trainer at Metro. My older siblings (Mindy, Kent, and Wesley from Dad's previous marriage) also live in the Tulsa area. Our big family gets together as often as we can despite busy schedules. But, I do find time to go mudding with my buddies in our jeeps on the weekends. And, my mom tolerates 1/2 dozen teenage boys at our house nearly every weekend!
Ultimately, I would like to pitch and play baseball in college to help my parents pay for my college as they have sacrificed so much for Abby and me. I don't want "just a degree" though. My dad is an electrician and my mom is a chemical engineer, and I want to follow in their paths and earn an electrical / computer engineering degree. My dad now works as a turnaround coordinator at Holly Refining Company, and my mom teaches math at our high school. They work very hard and support us in everything we do. Of course, I would be ecstatic if I were to have the opportunity to play MLB, but realistically, my pitching and my academics can help fund my college engineering education, and we will go from there.
Thank you for your time to read my personal statement.
God Speed - Ben Simpson
