Personal Statement

I was four years old when I went to my first hockey game. My dad was playing for his Fire Department’s team in a charity game against the Washington Capitals Alumni team. The rink was packed and atmosphere was electric-it was so impressive. After warmups, my dad (the firefighter’s goalie) came over to the glass where I was standing and tossed me a puck-I was hooked! Although the play by the firefighters was pretty slow compared to the Capitals Alumni team, who skated circles around them, I had found my sport. Today, I play for the Richmond Generals (U-18) and for my high-school, the Woodgrove Wolverines (Northern Virginia High School League) but started with that puck when I was in preschool.I have been affected by many influences growing up but none more important than the ideal of service to others. The activity that I am most proud of is a group called the Lovettsville Minions. Our town has a bunch of events throughout the year to bring people into town and to help the businesses thrive. While these are great and make our town fun; other than attending,there was no way for a teenager to participate or help out. I spoke to my dad and he told me to take the lead and start something myself. I came with the Minions as a way for teens to engage in their community by helping out at all of our events. It tapped an area of the community that wasn’t being used to make our town better and it has become pretty successful and a lot of fun.We usually field over 30 teens to the major events and handle most of the needed logistics which helps keep our town’s events all volunteer. The Minions group has given me experience in leadership and hard work but most importantly it has allowed me (and many other teens) to serve our community. I have learned so much from sports: how to be mentored and the importance of mentoring others, that I must be accountable for all my actions, to set goals and to work towards them, that there is no substitute for hard work, that the team comes first, that self-discipline is key to becoming better, and finally, the understanding of the importance of leadership. I have enjoyed the bonds that teams create between individuals and that is one of my favorite parts of hockey-the teamwork. Teams become a family of sorts and as such we always have each other’s backs. We also push each other to get better and I have learned how to push myself.What “Rocky” is quoted as saying is very appropriate, "it's not about how hard you hit, but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."I have had to work to very hard in my hockey career and have gotten “hit” quite a few times.The most important of these setbacks was this past year when my long-time travel hockey club did not field a U-18 team and I was left to find another team. As a goalie, it is much harder to break into a new club but I made it my goal this spring to find a new team so I could continue my hockey career at a high level. After being offered a slot on the Richmond Generals, I chose to join their club even though it is 2 ½ hours from my house. This is putting quite the strain on our family but my parents have always helped lead the way for me.I have always been impressed with the members of my teams who had risen up to become leaders. While I as a hockey goalie cannot wear the “C” or the “A” of the Captain or Assistant Captains, I have certainly learned the importance of leadership and have worked hard to develop those skills. Specifically, I have learned that to become a proper leader you must follow properly first, and by following you will know how it is to be a follower.I am looking forward to leading my two teams, the Richmond Generals and the Woodgrove Wolverines, during the coming final year of high school. I am excited about my senior year  and look forward to getting good grades and moving into college on the right foot. I would like to study mechanical engineering in college and expect to move on to graduate studies in aerospace and astronautical engineering.I will continue my hockey career in college and hope that you will consider me as future goalie for your team. I will work hard for you and help make your team the best it can!