Benchwarming: College Admission Essay Sample

When one envisions winning a state championship, it’s not usually pictured from the bench player’s perspective. However, as the seconds ticked down on the game clock and I sat in my dry swimsuit on the sidelines, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic as the crowd behind me erupted and the eyes of every player on my team became wet, not just from the pool, but with joy.

Joining water polo my freshman year, I had never even seen a single game played before. As a transfer student to Troy, from a city 45 minutes away, I knew no more than a handful of other students and had simply signed up as a way to meet people. Years of competitive swimming had made me fast in the water, but throwing a ball and other players into the mix was entirely new.

Two years and countless rookie mistakes later, I finally made the Troy varsity team. The practices--three hours a day--were longer, and the stakes--our three-year record as league champions--were higher. Every day, the entire team began practice by emptying a full five-gallon water jug while treading in the deep end and our enemy, the timer, callous as plastic can be, showed us our daily improvement, or lack of. Those nights, I would collapse on my bed after finishing homework, exhausted both mentally and physically. Nights after games, on the other hand, were a different story. Despite my efforts, my lack of experience put me at a disadvantage against the seniors on the team and my playing time reflected that. It was discouraging, to say the least.

However, my opinion changed when our second-string goalie quit. Without her, our practices were unbalanced and we struggled to run the same drills as before. With her departure, though, came an epiphany. In each of our individual efforts, we inspire others to work hard to keep or earn a starting position. Without our competitive environment, we would never push ourselves to improve. I finally began to see my importance on the team and my efforts grew exponentially from there.

That season, we had a flawless league record and defeated a top-ranked team in a televised match and I know I contributed to both. I’m proud of my personal improvement and grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to learn from my teammates. I joined water polo initially to make new friends, but inadvertently gained maturity along the way.