As a child I was a big baseball fan, and I played baseball from the age of 5 to the age of 12. I never thought I would stop playing the sport of baseball, I loved it too much.
But then I fell in love with hockey.
My last year of Little League, I told myself, “Baseball is too boring. I want to play a sport that is entertaining.” I knew I wasn’t going to go far with baseball because I just wasn’t good. I took some time off from baseball to really figure out if I wanted to continue playing.
One night, I sat and watched a hockey game with my dad and after seeing how the sport was played made me realize that hockey was going to be the next sport I would play.
In the sixth grade, my middle school was trying to start a hockey team and I wanted to play on the team. At first, I was second guessing if I should play but my dad encouraged me, saying “I saw you lose the love for the (baseball) game … so try out for the hockey team.”
The following weekend I did. It was my first time playing.
The years went on and I never stopped. I still continue to play with either hockey friends or in a league. What the sport really did for me was teach me to never give up on anything that I love or am passionate about.
Playing hockey prepared me for Palomar College, with the hard situations hockey hands to me by making fast and good decisions. How it compares to Palomar is I have to make good decisions or else I won’t be able to transfer out.
Hockey taught me how to work hard. In school, I have learned that you have to take classes that prepare you for your career. With hockey, I played on teams that prepared me for the next level and really pushed me to do my best.
Hockey has helped me focus on my goals. In my professional life, I want to be a sports broadcast journalist.
When I play hockey, it reminds me that all of the ends and outs of the game are what lead to a win. Palomar helps me take the classes I need to take to transfer to a 4-year university and get a grasp if I really want to be a sport broadcast journalist.
And whenever I am stressed out, I can take my challenges to the ice.