Determination
By Brittney Peacock
First Place
Determination. A word meaning youll do whatever it takes to accomplish a dream. My brother represents that word. He has ever since that game. That terrible game. The Mancos Blue Jays against the telluride miners varsity basketball game on January 17, 2012. It was just a loose ball. How dangerous can chasing after a little loose ball be? Jayden, my brother, proved that is can be dangerous. He went chasing after the ball, and in a matter of just seconds he was screaming caused by the pain in his left arm. Wait, everyone hold on! What just happened? Thats what went on inside my head as he made his way for the locker room. Then it hit me. He broke his arm. Again. The first broken arm resulted in a bad fall during a football game the previous fall. His arm just barely healed. But that was his right arm. Two broken arms in less than six months? Seems unlikely, but it happened. After reviewing the film I had taped, I saw that he was running after the ball, when he put out his hand to break his fall and the rest happened. You see that happened in the NBA all the time. But do they come screaming into the locker room with a broken arm? No! So maybe he just has weak bones. As his sister, of course I think this.
A few weeks went by and my parents, as well as the coaches, were all checking out his arm. But progress, if any at all, wasnt showing. Finally it was time to see the doctor again. See what he has to say. Unfortunately, his words werent, Looks like everything is healing very nicely! Your arm will be all better in a few weeks! What the doctor said I think scared my brother to death. Thats what I could see in his face anyways when he announced he would be needing surgery. How are you going to play sports if you keep getting hurt!? I didnt tell him that though. He just wouldve gotten mad at me. But I think the question was on his mind as well as everybody elses.
It took a long time for that thing to heal. Nearly two months actually. Before it was even done healing, you could find him after school on the basketball court shooting hoops with his right arm. He wanted to get back to playing again. He needed to get back to playing again. He was determined to get back to playing. So just about every day since his arm has been reusable, he is at the Rec Center playing basketball. Improving his game. No broken bones could take away what he loves and does best. Basketball. In fact, while Im sitting on my bed at home typing this essay, he (can you guess?) is playing ball. Sometimes I cant help but feeling somewhat jealous of how hard he practices. Again, I repeat, a little. Out of anyone else I know, he shows the most determination and I look up to that. I wish I had more of that. Because of the determination he shows, he truly will become a great player.
Teen Maze Essay
By Kyerstin McNutt
Second place
My sister Alicia is twenty-two years old. She has all of the required personality traits; wisdom, boldness, compassion, determination, honor and tolerance. Alicia shows wisdom by knowing right from wrong. She not only makes these type of decisions for herself but also helps others to make good decisions by setting an example in her own life of good moral decisions. She shows boldness by not being afraid to try new things, in college my sisters major was missions. She will leave our country to go and help other who are less fortunate and try to share the love of Jesus with them. She shows compassion by caring for people even when they go through their own tough times. She is always willing to listen and cry with you. My sister shows determination by never wanting to give up. Nothing can ever stop her when she is trying to go for a goal, once she even grounded herself for getting a B on a report card. She shows honor by always being truthful keeping her word. She never lets anyone down.
Alicia shows tolerance when times get hard. She stays calm and hardly ever gets upset even, while working with little kids in Sunday school or at church camp. She never gets upset when things dont go her way or the children dont follow instructions. Alicia has shown these traits ever since she found God and made Jesus her savior. Most people think once children are out of the house on their own that they are going to go out and have sex or get drunk. Not my sister she has never been drunk and still has her virginity. Which shows how much she loves God and that she has the wisdom not to lose her virginity, because, if you do before youre married to the guy who is not perfect for you, then you could be left alone with a baby. She has always been the type of person who wants to teach little kids about God. She always has, and has never changed that goal, which shows her determination. She always shows honor, she respects everything and anything life and she is always there for anyone. Alicia has a job working in a preschool, and has her Sunday school teaching job with kids as well. You need a ton of patience to work with little kids because, they are psychotic. She just works with them and has never gotten mad at them. She is now working with teenage girls and they have their own personal problems, teenage girls are very emotional. She works in Christian camps for teenagers and young kids which requires wisdom and patience. Because of her life experiences in the past she is able to help kids with different types of problems. She has forgiven those who hurt her because she is compassionate. She would never lie to people who are going through tough times which is also shows honor and compassion. When her parents got a divorce she had to be really brave. Parents going through divorces is a really tough thing. When our grandpa died she had to be really brave, he was her favorite grandpa in the world. Thats why I look to her for advice. She has knowledge from things that have happened in the past. She has honor and tolerance. My friends and I have always looked up to her for inspiration because she has always shown and given off all these things. She may be my only sister and not even my full sister but I do love her to death. I couldnt imagine my life without her. When I get older I want to be just like her.
