Internal Dedication
My hair is matted down under the hat that I have worn for the past four and a half hours. Sweat beads form along my hairline as I line up. I am on the 18th green of City Park Golf Course. My heart is racing as I take one last look at the 4.5-inch hole that I am trying to putt into. The past three years of dedication and practice have culminated to this moment in my life. I can feel my wrists stay firm as I take my putter and swing. It seems as if hours go by, but finally my golf ball finds its target and falls into the hole, as it lands it makes the un-replicable sound that only a golf ball can make as it hits the cement lining of the cup. This is the final tournament of the year and I am not only playing for myself, but I am playing for my team. I am a golfer, and this I believe. In a persons’ life, a sport provides one with the opportunity to learn an essential dedication that only comes from within. While interest and intrigue can provide a spark, only dedication can provide the fuel that keeps a passion alive.
We came in second that final day. I do not regret being the “first” loser; in fact I believe that it will drive me to devote my self even more to my sport. I will drive myself to focus more intensively. In golf, as in any sport, one must learn that success does not come over night, excuse my cliché but it stands to be true. What drives a person to try a new sport? Could it be something a friend suggested, or maybe even the billboard along the highway? Whatever causes a person to try something new, that initial drive won’t last for long unless the person becomes dedicated to improving their skill set. I think that we all have had something that seemed fun at first but in the end turned out that you realized you didn’t want to do the work needed to succeed. For example, when I was seven or so, I though that it would be fun to become a world famous “karate” kid; however this dream didn’t last for long as I soon realized that I had to do more that just buy the cool outfit. What I lacked was motivation and dedication to apply myself to make a conscious effort to learn what it really took to excel at Karate. I have since then found a sport that I can be willing to dedicate myself to. In golf, learning how to hit the ball well is only half of the game. The other half is mental. Even if you are the best player in the world, if you have no mental focus that dedicates yourself to your cause, you will never be able to play to the best of your ability. For example, when a person steps up to the tee, one may think that the object is just to see how far you can hit a golf ball, but what about the mental side of the game? How far will your next shot be from the green? What club will you hit next? Will your next shot be in the fairway, or in the rough?
Only dedication can teach you the nuances of a sport that can make you succeed. By participating in a sport, a person has the opportunity to learn a dedication that is essential for a person to be able to succeed in life.