Personal Statement
My name is Justin Duffy, I am aspiring to become a better runner and a better person with each passing day. Not a day goes by where running does not cross my mind and I'm happy that is the case. Running is my passion and I will do whatever it takes to run competitively at the collegiate level, but I can't do it alone.
I am a coachable candidate because I recognize that coaches have a program and a clear vision for their athletes. I don't think there are any college coaches out there that want their athletes to run slowly. I know my coach will want the best for me. I am more than willing to follow the training plan and put forth maximum effort on a daily basis to get exactly where I need to be.
When I started cross-country my freshmen year of High School, I didn't even qualify for the freshmen team. I won't disagree that I was slow, but I didn't let that stop me from working hard to become better. The body achieves what the mind believes and I chose to believe that if I employed proper work ethic, goal character, and accountability amongst other qualities, I could become something great.
These qualities apply to my academics, too. I always take the most challenging courses available to me (i.e. AP classes) because I believe it is important for me to represent my values across the board, not just in running.
Progression is everything, and if in my high school career, I can go from an end-of-season 19:25 5k (2015) to a 15:39 5k and 9:34 3200m (Current), who can say I can't be coached to do something amazing in college. I look forward to speaking with you.