- 18 Mar, 2021
- 0 Comments
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CommonApp Essay
Instructions
650 Words
As I mounted my motorcycle, a wave of unstoppable determination flooded me. This was my first day at a racetrack, and I was ready to show everyone what I could do. This was my passion; I had spent countless hours of research attempting to be the best rider I could be. I’ve worked hard academically all my life, and was never the type to pursue such sports. However, there I was, on a motorcycle ready to experience speeds well over speeds unimaginable on the streets. After riding to the starting line, I was ready to prove myself. I was put into the beginner group and was taking aim at any opportunity I had to excel and break free.
The screaming of engines filled the air as we took off. Our first corner approached, the sounds of knee pucks scraping against the ground filled me with fear. Paradoxical, isn’t it? I can decipher angular velocity and centrifugal forces with absolute ease, yet, in lieu of putting theory to practice, all I could hear was the throbbing of my heart beyond the din of the engines.
I knew the only way I would make it out of my group was to be faster than everyone in my group. I was two months into riding, fighting against people double my age who have been doing this for years. I took off, passing everyone around me, warranting my placement into the third fastest group. During my initial transition I ran off track three times, near crashing multiple times. I was far from the rider I wanted to be, and almost felt discouraged.
Race. Analyze. Race. Analyze. I persevered through this cycle, keeping pace with everyone in my group until I surpassed those around me. Although we may have started from very different levels, we finished in times down to milliseconds. I understood what it meant to achieve something you held as important, and every time they gave us a break, I spent time learning and applying things to my own riding.
With my race suit on, and my motorcycle ready to go, I took off for my last lap. Our last lap was a free lap against everybody who showed up to the track day, and I was pitted against professional racers. Not only keeping up with them, I passed a pro, and tailed another one until our track session was over.
Understanding what drive and determination can do for you changed my studying completely. I started to truly get interested about the content I was learning; always looking for opportunities to outdo myself. The track is a place where hard work and determination is learned. While I may not always have a track nearby, what it taught me will continue to impact my work.