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Regan Johnson

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd.4

6 March 2019

College Application Narrative Essay

What does one consider to be a challenge, setback, or failure? A few years ago, I was a

member of the Bradford YMCA Swim Team. I swam for several years and participated in

different events. At the beginning of this particular season, I set a personal goal to qualify for

Districts. Throughout the year, I worked hard to achieve this goal by practicing every day, along

with doing workouts outside of practice. Once this goal was accomplished, I was ecstatic and felt

all my hard work had paid off. I was excited to advance to a next-level meet, in a different state,

with exceptional athletes, and great competition.

Finally, when we got to the meet, I remember the competition was overwhelming. There

were hundreds of swimmers competing to qualify for States. I swam my individual event and

unfortunately, did not get the time I wanted. I was disappointed in myself, thinking I could have

done better, but I was looking forward to the relay. A few hours later, my coach informed me

that I would not be swimming in it. I was confused. I had qualified with my relay including three

other swimmers, expecting to race on the team. She informed me that because of my poor

individual performance in the previous race, she replaced me with a younger teammate. I was

heartbroken.
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Afterwards, when I met my mom outside the pool deck, she was confused as well. I

informed her of the situation, while holding back tears. There was no changing the coach’s

mind. The car ride home was long and quiet. Looking back, it was a time for me to think about

the day’s events.

After a year passed, and I had time to reflect, I decided to sign up for the team the next

season, searching for an opportunity to prove to the coach that I was not affected by her decision.

I wanted to be the best athlete I could be. I have come to realize that the experience taught me

lessons and helped me to grow as a person. The main lesson I took from this experience is to

never give up. Although this may have seemed like a major setback at the time, I came back the

following year willing to prove that I was a good swimmer and a strong teammate. Another

lesson I learned, is the importance of working hard to succeed. Going into the meet, I assumed I

was going to be on the winning relay, so I did not have anything to prove when I competed in my

individual event. Come to find out, when I did not do as well as I had hoped, I was disappointed

in myself. I had high expectations and felt I could have done better.

I learned a great deal from that day. It has encouraged me to always work hard, stay

focused, and remain true to myself. When I experience failure, I should learn from it, pick

myself up, and move on.