Sydney Heidt '16 Recruiting Profile

As a sophomore I won the Division and Section Championship in the High Jump and 4x4, but was still discontent with my achievements because I did not yet hit the pinnacles I planned to reach. Even as I progressed from my freshman to junior year I have yet to reach my goal. For me it is not a goal to just win, or score points in my event for my team, it is about doing my job as an athlete, student, and as a person. Each obstacle I overcome I set my bar and standards higher, not so I can complain and say I “couldn’t do it”, but to train harder and clear that bar knowing I could strive for something greater than myself. In this sport a strong mentality makes or breaks you. Yes, physical preparation is important, but if you go into a race or a jump thinking “I’m not going to PR” don’t expect to beat your personal record or take home a medal. You can’t use fear as an excuse to lose. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself, and in this racket the person stopping you from winning is yourself, and the guy in front of you. You chose what will stop you, if anything stops you at all. What I do ask is for is anyone that looks into my stats to not judge me on my wins, but on my losses. I have very few losses, but those losses meant more than a dozen wins. My losses at 5”3 (High Jump) and 3rd place (Sectionals 4x4 team) made me realize that natural talent and athleticism at some point isn’t enough. When that talent fails, the only thing you can solely rely on is the effort you put into your event the week before. I realize now that hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. In this sport you can be your greatest success or your greatest failure. I chose in 7th grade that when I was able to run for Mr. Pool (my current track coach), in Varsity Track, that I refused to be anything less than successful.