What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
The cold metal stick feels familiar in my hands. I exhale, and begin my dodge. I fake left, temporarily setting my imaginary defender off balance, split right, extend my arms, and, with every fiber in my body, rotate my shoulders and launch the ball into the white net, hearing a satisfying swish. I run back to the bucket of balls sitting in the grass, pick another up, and begin the movement again.
I am ranked in the top 200 players nationwide, invited to the most prestigious tournaments, competing with the best players nationwide, but I spend at least one hour outside of practice daily to drill my fundamentals. As Malcolm Gladwell claims, repetition is the key to mastery, and while I have not yet reached his gold standard of 10,000 hours, I continually hone my craft: about 3,330 hours worth. Lacrosse has taught me the most essential component of success: work.
When I first started playing, coaches just wanted me to be a physical presence. However, I learned that technique separate the best players from the rest. I constructed a routine for myself, including thousands of repeated motions. My ability skyrocketed, and I was soon invited to some of the nation’s top recruiting events.
Additionally, I have been able to transfer my individual achievement to a team setting. In many cases, when teams are full of star players, the team becomes dysfunctional, but as a captain, I have experienced and helped in creating a tight-knit brotherhood. The nature of the game forces us to work together as a cohesive unit or risk failure.
Lacrosse for me is not a means to win recognition or awards, but a game that I love that allows me to manifest my creativity. Bliss is found not in receiving praise for my work, but in repetitively throwing a ball against a wall, waking up early for morning weight room, and playing with my team.