First Place: “Winning The War Within” by Logan Eastman

Logan Eastman of Riverbend High School (VA)

 Wayne Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take”. My name is Logan and I am a kicker from Virginia. I have a passion for playing sports and play multiple sports throughout the year; football in the fall, wrestling in the winter, soccer in the spring and lacrosse in the summer. My favorite failure was 5 years ago. I will never forget turning down the opportunity to attempt a game winning penalty kick and I always think back to this when making decisions. I was playing a soccer game 5 years ago and it was 2-2 with 2 mins left in a game that would send us to the playoffs. My coach was looking for penalty kickers and asked the group if anyone was up for the challenge if it went down to that; no one raised their hand. So with no extra time left in the game he asked the best players to take them. He found two takers out of three and I still regret my decision to this day. I said no. I did not think I could/should take the shot because I was a younger player and was not as confident in myself as I am now. We ended up losing 3-0 in penalty shootouts. Although my shot would not have changed the result of the game, I have always considered that decision a failure. After that game, I was not sad but mad and annoyed with myself for not taking the challenge because I had nothing to lose by taking the shot.

I learned my lesson pretty quickly because in that league a year later we were in the same scenario as the year earlier. The second time, I said yes. I was the first of three to kick and I scored. Unfortunately the team lost that game but I didn't. It was a mental win cause I won the war of doubt. I am still learning from that because I realized the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging myself. I bounced back the next season when we were in the championship game where I found myself in the same scenario and I didn't hesitate. I immediately said yes I was the first one to be asked and with all the confidence and belief in the world I stroked it in the bottom corner to start with a lead 1-0 we ended up winning 3-2. That is where I really realized that I could do anything if I put the work in and if I believed in myself. With all of this confidence, I decided to use my soccer skills to help our football team. I was a long snapper the first year of ever playing football on the varsity team. Now I am the starting kicker. In the end it all comes back to if I would have ever taken the shot and made it to where I am now.

     This did not just help me in sports but in life in general. With this new confidence from that and other successes, it has led me to push myself more academically by taking rigorous AP and college level courses and trying out for and playing three varsity sports as a freshmen. What I also learned about myself is that I always want to learn from every mistake. Mistakes are just opportunities to learn and blowing a missed kick and not learning is useless. It is a meaningless rep and film if you don't watch it. Also. I feel like not believing in myself did not just hurt me but it hurt all of my coaches who saw my talent and watched me make my decision; they were not going to make me do It. All of my teachers, coaches, and loved ones want to see me succeed as much as I do and now I am past doubting myself. I can succeed and continue to succeed because once you get past that point nothing can hold you back. I started high school in quarantine and I came out with a 3.9 GPA and it was hard work and belief in myself. mad and annoyed with myself for not taking the challenge because I had nothing to lose by taking the shot.