Hello all,
first off, thank you very much for taking your time to read my post, I greatly appreciate it.
I am writing my UC essay for prompt #2 right now and just did a very rough draft. If any one is willing to read it and critique it, I would be very appreciative. It is about skateboarding, and I fear I say skateboarding way too many times. Anyways, here it is:
Pushing Through My Challenges
Constantly falling, spending hours throwing myself to the ground, feeling the blood drip down my body - this is the feeling that keeps me going. As my wheels roll across the ground, I prepare to attempt the trick yet again, filled with more desire to land the trick than before despite all my previous harmful falls. It does not matter to me whether one hundred people are watching, or this satisfaction is only going to be remembered by me - I want the satisfaction of finishing what I started.
Growing up in a community where skateboarding is a big part of the culture, I first stepped on a skateboard at the age of one. Skateboarding has been a part of my life since I can remember; skateboarding is my passion. It is one of the activities I do that can take my mind off things that upset me or stress me out; therefore, I feel very confident in myself when I skateboard. However, out of my desire to become exceptional in skateboarding, I have faced many failures and hardships. Like with any other activity that one loves to do, for one to progress, he/she will inevitably fail. Failure can come with pain, sorrow, embarrassment, but it is how one is changed by this failure that transforms his/her future. When I am skateboarding, to land difficult maneuvers that require talent to achieve, I have to maintain perseverance in order to achieve what I am attempting to do.
Sometimes the trick I will be attempting to land will get a group of people to start watching, waiting on me to roll away so they can partake in the excitement and satisfaction of accomplishing something that was fought for. Other times, I will be by myself, skateboarding alone with no outside encouragement to keep me going - yet this does not stop me. It is not the amount of congratulations I receive at the achievement, nor do I think of going to brag about my accomplishment to other people - the trait that I hold strong within me while trying to land a trick, despite the different situations, is my desire to persevere so I know I did not give up without a fight.
At times, I have to leave the spot I am attempting a trick because of various reasons - an injury, the day turns to dark, I have to leave, etc. However, it is my will to come back to the spot and persevere to land the trick that I take pride in. As I grew up trying technical tricks, learning to skateboard with friends, meeting new people, I have acquired the personality trait to stick with something until I finish it. I know I may not be the best at skateboarding, I know I may not receive any money out of my hobby, but skateboarding is my passion and when the day comes that I must walk away from my favorite hobby, I will walk away with a mindset to take on new challenges.