WHAT SPORTS MEANS TO ME

I can’t imagine my life without sports; I just know that I would be a completely different person than I am today if I hadn’t participated in athletic competition at an early age. First, I am a pretty shy kid. I have been shy my whole life and I didn’t have much confidence in myself, but sports has made a dramatic change in me. In sports when I was younger, I was good but I didn’t think I was good enough to play a lot and start for my team although I usually did just that. Again I just didn’t have any confidence in myself.

This past summer I worked very hard and earned my spot as starting middle linebacker on the freshman team and was later promoted to varsity at Bishop Luers High School. Starting on the team and then playing on varsity a little really boosted my confidence level and let me know that I was just as good as the other guys on the team. I then joined the Bishop Luers wrestling team, which has the reputation of being one of the toughest sports at Luers (which I agree that it is). Many kids try it, then quit because it is so grueling.

Well, I stayed with it and it really changed me and boosted my self-esteem because I knew that I had done it the whole season. I had gone to all those punishing practices and I was tough enough to complete it.

Also, athletics has made me realize that teamwork is important both on the field and off. Being a freshman and going to my first year of high school made me very nervous about what it would be like. I was scared that I wouldn’t end up making a lot of friends and meeting people from other schools. However, at football practices and conditioning over the summer, I really got to know friends that I’m sure will be with me all through high school. Being part of the team gave me a second family whom I could actually greet on the first day of school. It’s not hard, for example, to have a special connection with the football players and the wrestlers whom I spent every day with going through those same grueling practices and working out in the weight room and that’s exactly what we formed. The whole team stuck together; we all are great friends and we talk to each other every day even though the seasons have ended.

Finally, I know that sports has given me the mental and physical discipline I will need to pursue my goal of a career in the military. First, the physical conditioning of football, soccer and wrestling will be a real contribution to my military career; with the help of playing these sports, I am in the shape I need to be in to succeed in the military. Second, the mental toughness of sports has allowed me to succeed in the classroom as well. I make myself take Honors classes and push myself to get on the Honor Roll. Right now I am in all Honors classes and this semester I achieved an 11.0 GPA which put me on the High Honor roll. If I expect to assume the responsibilities of becoming an officer in the military, I know that I need to be disciplined in all areas of my life and I know that success in the classroom is as important as success on the field.

In conclusion, athletics has made a dramatic impact in my life. It has impacted me in my self-confidence, my physical body and made me more mentally focused on school and my future goals.

 

Bishop Luers High School is proud to announce that sophomore Colin Brodmerkel is this year’s recipient of the Applebee’s Academic All-Star Essay Contest.

The contest was open to all boys, freshmen through seniors who attended the Woodson-Fabini Football Camp. The requirements to enter were two letters of recommendation, third quarter report card, with no grade lower than a B and an essay on “What Sports Means to Me.”

Brodmerkel won a $5,000.00 college scholarship, a trip to Oakland, California, along with his parents, to attend the Oakland vs. New York Jets Monday Night Football Game with a half-time on-field appearance, dinner with Rod Woodson, a tour of ESPN, along with sightseeing in San Francisco.

Brodmerkel is on the honor roll, plays football, volleyball, and wrestles. He is an alumnus of St. John Baptist Catholic School in Fort Wayne.