Whether it involves trying a new sport, asking a question in school, or gaining the courage to meet new people, hesitation is a harsh reality in high school. It can be challenging to take that extra step and try out a new experience, especially when it’s outside the social norm or your social circle.
As a freshman, I thought baseball would be the only sport I would ever play, as I had played it my whole life up to that point. As I matured, I realized that I had the ability to push myself beyond the one sport I knew so well.
Wanted to try something with more contact, I decided to try football in my sophomore year. Immediately, I fell in love with this new sport, and I played it throughout the rest of my high school.
Doing this opened up my world to a whole new group of guys that I bonded with, fighting on that field every Friday night. This jump-started my transition out of my comfortable shell.
Going into my junior year, I faced great uncertainty in my baseball career. The lacrosse coach also approached me, giving me another hard decision.
Knowing the opportunities football gave me, I made the hard decision to put down the baseball bat after 12 years and pick up the lacrosse stick for the last two years of my high school. While it was hard not to play with the guys I grew up with, lacrosse introduced me to another great group of people with whom I had a blast ending my sports career.
Committing to new things is a great way to expand your life experience and meet new people.
“When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump. Otherwise, you end up staying in the same place your whole life, and that I can’t do,” Abel Morales, a character in the film A Most Violent Year, said.
Off of the playing field, I also became more confident in my abilities in the classroom. Specifically, this could be seen in my ability to produce work for the Purbalite.
When I first started writing for the paper, it was my sophomore year, and tracking people down to interview, especially adults, did not come easily to me. In my second year on the staff, I wrote some good stories, but I hadn’t reached my full potential.
This year, I brought it all together. I found myself jumping on those Remind texts that Mr. Harrison sends when something needs to be something done for the newspaper. I also achieved my first solo Best of School Newspapers Online writing award for a story about hunting that I wrote, which required me to interview a Pennsylvania game warden.
Limiting my hesitation overall allowed me to grow in high school, and it has given me a good push into the next chapter of my life.
