Cover Letter

My literacy through the game of baseball has been an adventure and continuous dragged out story through my life. When writing my snapshots I felt as if the stories and concrete examples through the large picture was strong. Though I believe i had good examples I felt at times that my details could get a confusing to the reader. The biggest difficulty I had was figuring out how to write about a future event as a snapshot. I wanted to talk about how my life through literacy turned me into the person I am that choose my field of study at UN . I could

not decide if I needed to write as if i was in the future playing out a day or like a continuous long snapshot about me getting to my goal to become a !T. When writing my other snapshots though I reali"ed that the flow of my freshman year of high school was most detailed. I #ust felt as if I had the greatest amount of visuals as well as a broad understanding that the reader could pick up. $ut% I felt as if my middle school story never had a flow to it& I felt as if it was spacey and possibly confusing to understand. Through editing and proof reading I feel as if I could eventually turn all six snapshots into strong individual snapshots. I tried to go over the writings and clear up any possibly 'uestions I think the audience could 'uestion% but through time I feel like my examples are strong enough and I have good imagery of the events that I could transform any of these snapshots into anything possible.

(uring my youth% first year of machine pitch% a game continues to linger throughout my mind. hampionship game% more scared then ever% I walked up to the plate and was begging for

a hit. I #ust remember that ball coming in then me crossing the plate. )irst ever homerun I hit and more special then ever due to the situation of the last game of the year. I remember the roaring of the crowd% though its only machine pitch parents% and how that created my love for the game. Walking back to the dugout and seeing my mom% smiling at me and giving me the thumbs up during my youth was special. I walked back in the dugout thinking I was hot*shit while my teammates are all dapping me up with high fives% yet I clearly remember my coach saying% +,ood hit% Troy% but prepare for the field now.- .fter the inning% the game flourished with runs and the casual errors all young players make. /rrors consisting of bad throws% missed played groundballs% and pop*flys. We were winning by one run in the last inning% while they had no outs and the bases were loaded. 0ooking at my team% I saw the fear of defeat as well as the effort of competition. While I1m stationed at short% I think about how awesome it would be to end this championship game with a triple play% though in reality I knew there is no way this will happen. With all the doubt% that case #ust so happened. The kid hit a linedrive up the middle% I dove and caught the ball% stood up% tagged second% and threw it to first to end the game on a triple play2 My team and I did the unexpected to win that game and felt triumphant. .fter the glory% I got the casual% +.wesome play% Troy- and +,ood game-% and though it was nice to hear it I was thinking about my love toward baseball and thinking about my future talent I could gain through baseball and the skills I ac'uired.

3itting my teen years% feeling more important in my stage of life% I played for a really good ..U travel baseball team called the New 3anover Wildcats. 4ome of my best friends on there and #ust great times. Throughout the year% we won every tournament but one and had a insane record of something uncalled for. I remember the day clear as could be% my coach calls%

and says +3ey Troy% we got asked to go to Tennessee to play for a national tournament and was wondering if you were good to play in it. There is a limited number of teams from every state selected with over 56 teams going to be there.- .s huge of a privilege it was to be asked% we came to that tournament not believing we had a chance at all. Throughout the week we were there for this tournament and the numerous amounts of games we played% we placed in the winners bracket% setting us all the way to the championship game against 7irginia. I went into this game with more confidence then ever% knowing I was having M7! numbers for the tournament already I was confident. ,ame went on% I was more frustrated then ever due to my horrible play in this game with errors and strikeouts. In the last inning% my friend hit a walk*off hit to win the national championship in which we never dreamed of ever winning. (espite the whole team #umping in the air with cheerful feelings as the parents are screaming% Im happy% yet disappointed% with my performance. I remember looking over at my dad and seeing the disappointment in his eyes. I grew up being #udged only for the bad within my games instead of the good. I could not en#oy this awesome moment like my teammates due to the heavy load i carried on my back about my parents disappointment in my bad game. .ll those feelings changed when handing out the trophies and I got called out twice for first place and M7! for the tournament. I felt like my team was looking up to me as a leader and initial game*changer% as well as the thought that many states saw not only did our team win yet myself was the M7! of the whole tournament.

4eventh grade baseball tryouts were 'uickly approaching% and I had my high hopes due to previous accomplishments and being the top of talk with parents. I went into tryouts and remember the coach saying% +This is not a tryout for the players I1ve heard are good or who is

not% Im choosing my team based on your performance during tryouts.- I was sitting there think there was no way Im going to make it% thinking I was the best one there and so proud of it. Though in reality% I had the worst tryouts of my entire life. It was the day that the team was being announced% and I thought there is no way I did not make it% though my tryouts were bad. 8ust so happened though that I really did not make it. 0ater that same day% I had the coach as a teacher and he called me out at the end of class and wanted to talk. 3e said% +Troy% though I know how good you are and have seen you play% I had to stick to my word and base it on tryouts early and we both know other players had better tryouts.- I left that meeting with the saddest of feelings and felt as if I never wanted to play the game of baseball ever again. I recall the moment i walked in and had to face my father with the news that I did not make the team. That was the last ever moment talking sports with my dad% because within weeks he moved away with his new wife. I felt the betrayal from him not talking to me again% though I knew it was not because of baseball% but at a young age% I did not understand. This moment though made me reali"e I could become my own type of player and not have to worry about being #udged% which changed my game. I worked harder then ever to prove to myself I had talent% instead of playing for others9 #udgement. I was warming up in left field with my brother% getting ready to play a huge rival for our opening game. I was throwing the baseball back and forth% thinking there was no chance of me starting as a freshman on the varsity baseball team. While looking around% even though I knew there was no other freshmen on the team% I felt the feeling that I accomplished a goal I always wanted to achieve: the chance to be a freshman on the varsity team. I walked back to the dugout and looked at the lineup% not only was I starting in right field% but I was hitting second in the lineup% followed by my brother. I remember feeling honored to start my first ever high school

game against our rivals and at the highest level I could. ;nly being <5 years old% I was getting high*fives from seniors and #uniors looking for me to have a good game and help them toward the win against 0aney. I went out for the national anthem after my name was called out and felt so blessed to be where I was in my baseball game. The first play of the game was a pop*up to right field and I was more nervous to catch that ball thenI normally ever have. 0uckily after catching that ball% all my butterflies went away and I viewed this game as every other game I played. I did not even think about being looked at more then the other because I was the only freshman on the field starting& instead I felt like I forgot even the situation. The inning ended and I came up to my first at bat and hit a homerun right off the bat. What a way to start the year right= Thats what I thought% though my team was so stoked for me and the contribution to trying to win% it was a whole new style of play instead of self play it was team based. No one was looked at differently then others% all we cared about was winning the game. We ended up winning the game <*6% and my homerun was that reason for our win. .fter the game% I was acknowledged in front of the team by the coach% and got pats on the back from my brothers and all his friends and the teammates. 4enior night of my baseball career occurred and I was filling out forms for them to announce during my ceremony. I felt relieved that my high school career was coming to an end% but I was upset that my game was not going to be extended through college as I got offers for #unior colleges% but none that I would like to go to. I was out of school and took my nap and arrived back at the school for my pre*game dinner. My coach approaches me and says I1ve been waiting to tell you this% but you got >?6%666 from ;(U for a baseball scholarship. This was the best news I could have heard% yet later that day a miserable event was going to occur that I did not believe was going to happen. I told my coach I wanted to sign asap% because that was my

dream school. The senior ceremony started and my coach came up to me and was like you are catching tonight% which was a big deal because I was the (3 all year because of my previous concussions that in reality was suppose to keep me from playing all year. I went out on the field and went behind the plate% the third play in there was a first and third situation. I threw the ball down on a steal and the second baseman threw the ball back to tag out the runner coming home. 8ust so happened to be that the kid made full contact with me and there it was% the end of my baseball career. I received my fifth concussion and was sent immediately to the hospital. The doctors were working on me% thinking I had brain damage. I later got news saying I was unable to play again% and that I was lucky not to have internal damage from the situation. Not long after a video went on the news about my mishappened experience and re saw the play. I lost my scholarship% and we lost in the sixth round of the playoffs% a game from states.

7isuali"ation of a specific day lingers through my mind when I think of the future& the day I become a !hysical Therapist. The image drawn when I walk across the stage receiving my masters degree at a college Ive spent year of my life at. 0ooking around and seeing my friends and family with smiles on there face and a sense of relieve that I have finally finished. I will receive the feeling of accomplishment% because now I can start my degree and start the life I have dreamt of since a my high school life. I will flashback to my senior year of high school% that ended my baseball career and made me reali"e I wanted to help people through problems I once in'uired in my life. I will go back to the memories made at the University of North arolina at harlotte% and how I received the education there to allow me to be accepted into a graduate

school. I even visuali"e farther in life as I walk across that stage thinking about my wife and my kids& the life I will be able to build for them and how this is the first step in my life to become my own man and be better then my father. My thought process could only linger from then on% as I walked up to my family after the ceremony of getting my diploma% I received congratulations as well as hugs. Through moments like this is when you truly reali"e how much your family means to you% and how lucky you may be to have the family you have. .t least that was my case. The sight of my mom though% when I was talking toward her was the greatest of feelings% I had butterflies in my stomach as if I have never spoken to her. I walk up and give her the biggest hug because she has been there for me since day one. 4he was my role model% and I would not have been at this moment in my life without her.