Personal Statement
My name is Luke Law and I have always loved athletics and sports. I’ve played football, baseball, basketball and track and while I love competing in all these sports my favorite is football. I believe that I first became interested in football when I was in elementary school and I played flag football for my area rec department. Ever since those first days on the flag football field, through the years of recreation football with pads, through middle school and now into high school my love for football has continued to grow. Currently, I am a starter on my varsity football team as a sophomore. I start at the following positions: wide receiver, safety, long snapper and on special teams. I have gained valuable experience at an early age in each of these positions, and have been able to determine my strengths and weaknesses at these positions, in hopes of improving in areas where I may need to get a little better. An example of my getting better at a position is the position of long snapper. As this season began I had the opportunity to try out for this position. I’d never played the position of long snapper before, but I thought I could be pretty good at it. I won the try out and worked very hard to be as consistent as possible at the position. We had a very successful season this past year as we went 10-2 and even made it to the semifinals in the state playoffs. We scored 56 touchdowns as a team and I snapped 56 perfect snaps that led to a perfect record of extra point attempts for the season. I am very proud of my contributions as long snapper, and realize that it was only possible because of my willingness to try something new and my work ethic and practice at the position. My other positions were equally successful. I was able to catch quite a few passes throughout the season even several for touchdowns. And as defensive safety I had three interceptions and numerous tackles for the season. I even was awarded Player of the Game for one of our games this season for my outstanding play on defense and for a crucial interception I made that helped us seal the victory against the eventual state champs this season. On special teams I covered kick offs and punts, making many tackles and even returned a few punts and kickoffs for many yards helping our offense with good field position. All of my efforts on the football field this season was recognized by others as I was awarded All-Region Honorable Mention as a sophomore. I was truly humbled by this honor and want to do my best to hopefully achieve even greater awards and recognitions in the future.
I realize that I wasn’t able to achieve all of this success without some help along the way. Some people who have greatly influenced me along my journey are my parents, my hitting coach and my varsity football coach. My parents have instilled in me a strong work ethic. They make me work for things, not just giving them to me. And they help to hold me accountable for my actions. They expect the best from me and they give me their best in return. I can’t tell you how much money, gas, etc… my parents have spent taking me to football camps, traveling to baseball tournaments in the summer and just supporting me in every sport I play. They are my biggest fans and it means the world to me. My hitting instructor is Mr. Jeff Benton. Coach Benton coached me in middle school baseball and was an excellent hitting coach. He knows so much about hitting and can figure out when my swing might be off a little and can communicate to me how to correct it. I’ve loved his coaching style and loved how he could help get me back on track when I needed it. He taught me more than just a baseball swing though. He taught me about being consistent, how to break things down to their simplest form, and how to work through adversity when things aren’t clicking the way they should. My high school football coach is Coach Rod Murray. Coach Murray has taught me more about things sports related than any other coach I’ve ever had. Lessons like how to be a great teammate and to support one another in good times and bad, how to deal with adversity when you face it, how to set goals for my position and how important determination is in the sport of football. All these lessons Coach Murray taught me as well as many more have helped me on the field and off to make me a better, player, student and person.
Not everything has been easy for me. I know that I am blessed with some God given athletic ability, but I’ve had setbacks along the way. As a baseball catcher one year I experienced a broken bone in my hand. I learned what it was like to be injured and how precious each moment in sports can be. I learned to appreciate my sports more because of this temporary setback I experienced due to injury. Also, this past season I experienced a tough hit that gave me a slight concussion. It was on a play where I was hit with friendly fire as a teammates knee struck me in the head as we both made a tackle. It rang my bell pretty good and I missed the remainder of the game. I was cleared for participation very quickly and in the very next game I took a blindside shot that was very hard. I immediately wondered if I was going to be sidelined again This hit inspired me though. It made me want to win the game even more and made me even more determined to make a difference. I wanted to prove to the other team that they could knock me down but that I was tough and wouldn’t stay down long. This game was probably my best of the year. It’s the game that I was awarded player of the game against the eventual GISA state champions. I think this game helped me realize how you may get knocked down in life and that’s scary. But with determination, grit and courage you can get back up and make a difference.
Lastly, I want to tell you all about my dedication to my academics. I realize the importance of an education and that I need to study hard and achieve my academic goals so I’ll be prepared for when sports and athletics end for me. I currently have an A average as a sophomore and I’m taking Honors and Advanced Level classes. I’ve been able to maintain honor roll status each and every semester I’ve been in school and I try to make my academics my first priority. That’s sometimes a little difficult with my busy sports schedule of football, basketball, baseball and track. But so far I’ve been able to maintain a healthy balance between my academics and athletics. I think this academic emphasis has helped me on and off the field. It’s helped me as I’ve learned routes as a wide receiver and helped me manage a baseball game as a baseball catcher. It’s also helped me realize that I want to go to college and pursue a degree all while I play collegiate sports. I know that won’t be easy and will be very demanding on my time. But I believe the study skills I’ve learned in high school will help me as I strive to achieve my dream of playing collegiate level football.
