Anna Suozzi
Age: 14
Pittsford Middle School
Pittsford, New York

The strength of the United States throughout the years has been the strength of the American family. One true constant of the American family has been sports. Sports has been fathers and sons spending countless hours in the backyard playing catch with worn out mitts, having been passed through generations. It has been mothers driving their daughters to soccer games and cheering with chattering teeth and fleece blankets wrapped tightly around them. American culture has changed, grown and diversified, but sports have been there throughout. During World War II, Americans pulled together to fight tyranny despite age, gender or race. Sports recreate that past when teammates pull together to fight as one for a shared goal.

I have learned about many important aspects of life by playing sports, such as a teamwork, physical and emotional growth, discipline, organization, social responsibility, a determination to fulfill goals, and a drive for success as an individual and a teammate. To quote Baron Pierre Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, "The most important thing...is not winning but taking part...The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."

I realize that by playing sports, I have gained even more important values. I've been able to experience family closeness when my parents teach me skills that have been taught to them by their parents, and will one day be passed on to my children and theirs. This bond which has formed has helped me become a better person by making me closer to my family. I've also experienced what amazing relationships can form with a team. Struggling against immense odds and coming together as one unit, and never considering defeat but rather supporting one another to achieve success are both valuable lessons that I have learned from sports. I've realized that people acting together can accomplish things which no individual ever could. This makes me a better person, knowing that a little of me is in my teammates, and a little of them is in me.