Familiar Paper Essay, Research Paper

A wise woman once said, ?An athlete with a winner?s attitude makes commitments, a loser makes promises.? This is one of the most important lessons I have learned. A very remarkable person taught it to me. A woman to whom I owe a lot. Someone I look up to and admire greatly. This wise woman that has changed my life for the better is Mrs. Heidi Balicki, my Varsity Volleyball Coach. Over the last two years I have gotten to know her as both a coach and a friend. Her philosophy of always working hard and having the attitude of a winner is something that will always stay with me. She once told me that I had the attitude and mental strength of a winner. I have always kept her kind words close to my heart. Throughout my volleyball seasons, her words have impacted me immensely and helped me to get through many difficult times.

Not only did her words affect me, but her personality also left its mark by influencing and changing my life. I can see the shock in your eyes right now. You are probably thinking ?Is it realistic to say that a mere high school volleyball coach could have that great of an impact on her athletes?? The sarcasm in your voice is very clear to me. But it?s true, Balicki did in fact change my life and make me a better person. How? you ask. Well, it is impossible to answer that simple one word question with a simple answer. So I?ll say just this, Mrs. Balicki gave her all to help me succeed and in the end she made me a remarkable athlete and a better all-around person. She succeeded not only in her duties as a coach but also in her loyalty as a friend.

When she first took over the position of varsity volleyball coach, her words meant very little to me. For I was a stubborn snobby little girl that would not allow others to tell me what to do. I can still remember the day I first saw her. It was a beautiful June morning. The sun was still shining and there was happiness in the air. The first summer volleyball practice was about to begin and my teammates and I were warming up. When all of a sudden, a very strange sound was heard. The sharp piercing sound of a whistle. I quickly spun my head around to see who was behind such a noise. To my surprise, woman about five feet, seven inches tall with poofy blonde hair walked through the gymnasium doors. With her nose pointing straight up to the ceiling and her stern posture, she walked to the center of our little group. As she slowly walked, twirling her whistle in her hand, one could just see the confidence beaming out of her. She looked into each one of our eyes and spread fear throughout our hearts. Then, she firmly told us that she would be our new coach and that she was determined to make us a better team.

Two words come to mind every time I see Balicki: confidence and dedication. The confidence to excel at anything you do and the dedication to allow yourself to advance. Balicki showed her dedication to everyone when she left her position as JV Volleyball Coach at Brunswick High School to fill the shoes of the Varsity Coach at Royalton. When she first came here, she saw a bunch of girls with work standards much lower then her own. However, when she got to know me a little better she realized that I shared her same work ethics. I like herself wanted to excel and wanted to dedicate myself fully to volleyball. The desire that had always been inside of me was one that she understood also. So together we worked endless hours in hopes to improve not only my volleyball skills but my mental toughness as well. She made me work for hour?s day in and day out. She encouraged me to fight the fatigue at times when I wanted to give up and continue training. She demanded that I perform to my potential at all times. She believed in my abilities and in turn I believed in hers.

Her dedication and confidence was passed along to me. The confidence that once beamed from her now began to beam from my very own body. I began to resemble that cocky, nose in the air person I had once regretted. However I soon realized that those characteristics were not ones of a snob but simply the qualities of a person with confidence. They were the traits of a person who believed in herself and was not afraid to let others see her great confidence. They were the characteristic of one that loved herself and was proud of who she was. After understanding all this, I realized that these qualities were ones that I was honored to possess. I also realized that I owed my new found confidence all to Balicki. She was the one who taught me to believe in myself and to be have courage. For this I owe her more then words can express. With my new attitude on life and volleyball, I have become a person that I can be proud of. She has given me a gift that will forever be with me. For this I am extremely grateful.

?One day volleyball will be the most famous sport in the world, maybe you will be the reason why.? Throughout my volleyball season, my hero and my motivation, Mrs. Balicki, repeatedly said this to me. I always knew that it was a little far-fetched but she made me believe in it. By believing in this outrageously exaggerated phrase, I allowed myself to be believe in me. In the end, it all paid off. For I earned many honors and awards from various people and places. From the Pain Dealer?s Player of week to the MVP of the Betsy Zimmerman Tournament, I earned my share of fame. The reason that it all paid off is that I had Balicki by my side the whole time. For she was my rock, my anchor, my friend. Without her love and encouragement I would not be where I am today. Maybe I didn?t change the world like Balicki said I could, but I did change a little part of it. That little part is what I know as my world. The world consisting of my family and friends. To me, this is the only world that matters.

Bibliography

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