Personal Statement
My name is Levi Hinkle-De Groot. I play basketball for Livingston Christian School in Brighton, MI. I've spent some time on varsity all four years of high school, and been in pretty much every role imaginable. My freshman year I only played in two varsity games and spend most of my time on JV. My sophomore I played half the season on JV and half on varsity. I led our JV to a fairly successful season with only a 6 man roster. I then played up on one of the most successful varsity teams our school has had in the past few years. Even though I didn't play a ton of minutes, I saw what it took to win big games and got to watch and learn from the leaders of that team. I became a starter on varsity my junior season, but we didn't have as much success as the year before. We only had 9 players, and only one of those players had ever started on varsity. That season I learned what it takes to turn a season around. This year, my senior year, I was voted a unanimous captain, and get the chance to lead a talented roster. I believe my wide variety of team roles gives me good experience and helps me be a better leader. I have also played every position except center in my high school career, so I am very versatile.
Being at a smaller school like Livingston Christian has also provided me with opportunities to lead teams in other sports. I helped start our soccer program my junior year. I was elected a unanimous team captain in both seasons, and led the team in goals both seasons. We were winless our first year having a team, but my senior year we had a new coach and ended up with 5 games. I began to run cross country and track my senior year also. It was the first year my school offered those programs, and I really liked the coach who was starting the program. I started out with no competitive running experience, but by the end of the season I qualified for states. Leading those teams were another great experience that have helped to shape me as a leader. My school's sports program also has a tradition of giving out an award called the "Falcon Award" to one athlete each season. It is an award for showing Christ-like behavior, leadership skills, teamwork, a good attitude, and having a hard work ethic. Personally, I have won this award in 5 different sports seasons out of my 6 total seasons so far. I believe this also shows my willingness to be a team player and that I will always be the hardest worker on the team. Even if I'm not the most skilled or athletic member of the team, I will always give 110% of what I have to help the team.