In your own life, what would it mean to be a "contender"? Use quotes from Alfred's first conversation with Mr. Donatelli (Ch. 3) to support your essay.
In my life, to be a contender means to fight & push through to get to your goals, “It’s hard work, if you quit before you really try, that’s worse than not starting at all,” (Lipsyte 36).
Tennis is something that I am a contender in because to get to the top I have to push through the pain to get to my goals I have to accomplish. The hardest part about tennis is the warmups we have to do like running around the fence & jumping back and forth with one foot or both feet over the white line on the court. What I had to do in tennis was to work on our backhands because we some of us struggle with our backhands even for me. What I learned about back hands was that you would have to step in and keep both hands on your racket and swing your racket backwards and follow through.
“ You have to start by wanting to be a contender, the man coming up, the man who knows there’s a good chance he’ll never get to the top, the man who’s willing to sweat and bleed to get up as high as his legs and his brains and his heart will take him, it’s the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward,” (Lipsyte 35). At first tennis seemed easy, but now you have to push through and get to the highest part. I won some matches and some of it was a struggle for me, but now that I’ve been in tennis for so long I can achieve my goals.
To be a contender in life means many things in life because I went through the same kind of thing that I did in Gymnastics. I was 7 years old when I started Gymnastics then it was in 6th grade when I learned how to do a back hip circle and a shoot through. Then it in 2013 when I hurt my spine, when I was at a open gymnastics at the YMCA in Kimberly Wisconsin I did a scorpion and I felt something cracked in my back. I couldn't stand up straight that's when I realized that I had something wrong with my back I had scoliosis. I overcame the situation and I went back to do it and I got in the advanced team that is when you do stuff by your self and with no teacher helping you to do it. This means you are learning how to do it on your own so you will go to the Olympics when you get older. In the contender Alfred accomplished his dream to be a professional boxer like me when I was in Gymnastics.
In my life, to be a contender means too keep on trying so you become a champion. In the book, The Contender, Alfred had to be a contender before he could be possibly become a champion. When he talked to Donatelli, Donatelli was very inspirational. One of his quotes was “Everybody wants to be a champion, that’s not enough. You have to start by wanting to be a contender.” (Lipsyte, P.25). That meant that Alfred had to be a contender before he could become a champion. Another Quote was “If you quit before you even try, thats worse than trying at all.¨ (Lipsyte, P.26). That meant Alfred had to try before he quit. The final Quote from Donatelli was “Its the Climbing that makes you a man. Getting to the top is just the extra prize.¨ (Lipsyte, P.25) That meant that Alfred had didn’t have to try too hard to to be a man. This was just like when I was in the Appleton Boychoir I had the opportunity to go to Ireland but I had to join the younger choirs first before I could go on that trip. When I went to Ireland, I felt like a champion. When I was in the younger choirs, I felt like a contender. Overall, that is what it means to be a contender.
How to be a contender mean to try your best in everything you can. Like if you're working and your boss tell you to mop and make it look good,you could get to move up in the job to not do grunt work.
"It's not easy trying to be a contender. It's never fun in the beginning." let say that i got a job mopping the floor at a store then the owner come in and see that sparking floor. That he thinks it makes his store look nice and clean there for you can alway move up in any job if you work hard enough at it. like when alfred stared to box he had to get in shape before he gets in the ring.
"What makes you think you won't quit here too?" How i'm a contender like the time to go on the diving board and I trip and hurt my knee and the next day. I wasn't sure if i wanted to go on the diving board yet and i went up I was nervous because there was a line and i bounce 2x and did a good dive. Then i was going on it a lot and getting better as the day went on. This is like Alfred because when he went to the party he didn't get back right away.
In my life, I have had many contender moments. Some I struggle with more than others. To me being a contender in my life is my struggle to pursue a career in Cartoons(anime included) and Manga/comic. The quote I think matches this closely is “The climbing makes the man. Getting to the top is just the extra prize.”(Lipsyte page 35) I like this quote because becoming an artist is a very hard process it has gaps in between like improving your art style while school is also going on as well. It’s difficult but in the end though if you work enough and make sacrifices like giving up your free time to sit and draw(which is not a pain it’s fun). Than you are rewarded with a fun job that has decent pay. I chose a career in art because of the fact i’ve been drawing as a hobby since the 6th grade and in 8th grade I told myself “Hey I should pursue a career in this.” Here I am now getting better and better each time I draw weather I have a good day or a bad day at drawing. “it’s not easy trying to become a contender. It’s never fun in the beginning. It’s hard work, you’ll want to quit at least once every day. If you quit before you really try, that’s worse than never starting at all...”(Lipsyte page page 36) This quote makes perfect sense for me because you’ll have days where you wanna quit and try something new but as I say “If you quit now, what else are good at that are this fun and rewarding.” That’s the reason I am artist it’s fun and in the end you meet new people with common interests and experience new and amazing things.
To be a contender in life means many things. in my life to be a contender means. you need to take what you learned from your experience not just the award at the end.I felt that it related to me and i had a good deal to do with it because i'm in boy scouts and I use to just want to get to eagle scout. but then i realized that it wasn't just about getting to eagle scout. it was the journey there that mattered.being an Eagle scout was just an extra award at the end. if you have a goal in life and you want to get something good out of it, take what they taught you and use it. its going to help you out in life much more than the award. As mr Donatelli said in the book the contender "The climbing makes the man. Getting to the top is just the extra prize."
Writing Test
ReplyDeleteBy: Morgan Nett
In my life, to be a contender means to fight & push through to get to your goals, “It’s hard work, if you quit before you really try, that’s worse than not starting at all,” (Lipsyte 36).
Tennis is something that I am a contender in because to get to the top I have to push through the pain to get to my goals I have to accomplish. The hardest part about tennis is the warmups we have to do like running around the fence & jumping back and forth with one foot or both feet over the white line on the court. What I had to do in tennis was to work on our backhands because we some of us struggle with our backhands even for me. What I learned about back hands was that you would have to step in and keep both hands on your racket and swing your racket backwards and follow through.
“ You have to start by wanting to be a contender, the man coming up, the man who knows there’s a good chance he’ll never get to the top, the man who’s willing to sweat and bleed to get up as high as his legs and his brains and his heart will take him, it’s the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward,” (Lipsyte 35). At first tennis seemed easy, but now you have to push through and get to the highest part. I won some matches and some of it was a struggle for me, but now that I’ve been in tennis for so long I can achieve my goals.
To be a contender in life means many things in life because I went through the same kind of thing that I did in Gymnastics. I was 7 years old when I started Gymnastics then it was in 6th grade when I learned how to do a back hip circle and a shoot through. Then it in 2013 when I hurt my spine, when I was at a open gymnastics at the YMCA in Kimberly Wisconsin I did a scorpion and I felt something cracked in my back. I couldn't stand up straight that's when I realized that I had something wrong with my back I had scoliosis. I overcame the situation and I went back to do it and I got in the advanced team that is when you do stuff by your self and with no teacher helping you to do it. This means you are learning how to do it on your own so you will go to the Olympics when you get older. In the contender Alfred accomplished his dream to be a professional boxer like me when I was in Gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, to be a contender means too keep on trying so you become a champion. In the book, The Contender, Alfred had to be a contender before he could be possibly become a champion. When he talked to Donatelli, Donatelli was very inspirational. One of his quotes was “Everybody wants to be a champion, that’s not enough. You have to start by wanting to be a contender.” (Lipsyte, P.25). That meant that Alfred had to be a contender before he could become a champion. Another Quote was “If you quit before you even try, thats worse than trying at all.¨ (Lipsyte, P.26). That meant Alfred had to try before he quit. The final Quote from Donatelli was “Its the Climbing that makes you a man. Getting to the top is just the extra prize.¨ (Lipsyte, P.25) That meant that Alfred had didn’t have to try too hard to to be a man. This was just like when I was in the Appleton Boychoir I had the opportunity to go to Ireland but I had to join the younger choirs first before I could go on that trip. When I went to Ireland, I felt like a champion. When I was in the younger choirs, I felt like a contender. Overall, that is what it means to be a contender.
ReplyDeleteHow to be a contender mean to try your best in everything you can. Like if you're working and your boss tell you to mop and make it look good,you could get to move up in the job to not do grunt work.
ReplyDelete"It's not easy trying to be a contender. It's never fun in the beginning."
let say that i got a job mopping the floor at a store then the owner come in and see that sparking floor. That he thinks it makes his store look nice and clean there for you can alway move up in any job if you work hard enough at it. like when alfred stared to box he had to get in shape before he gets in the ring.
"What makes you think you won't quit here too?"
How i'm a contender like the time to go on the diving board and I trip and hurt my knee and the next day. I wasn't sure if i wanted to go on the diving board yet and i went up I was nervous because there was a line and i bounce 2x and did a good dive. Then i was going on it a lot and getting better as the day went on. This is like Alfred because when he went to the party he didn't get back right away.
In my life, I have had many contender moments. Some I struggle with more than others. To me being a contender in my life is my struggle to pursue a career in Cartoons(anime included) and Manga/comic. The quote I think matches this closely is “The climbing makes the man. Getting to the top is just the extra prize.”(Lipsyte page 35) I like this quote because becoming an artist is a very hard process it has gaps in between like improving your art style while school is also going on as well. It’s difficult but in the end though if you work enough and make sacrifices like giving up your free time to sit and draw(which is not a pain it’s fun). Than you are rewarded with a fun job that has decent pay. I chose a career in art because of the fact i’ve been drawing as a hobby since the 6th grade and in 8th grade I told myself “Hey I should pursue a career in this.” Here I am now getting better and better each time I draw weather I have a good day or a bad day at drawing. “it’s not easy trying to become a contender. It’s never fun in the beginning. It’s hard work, you’ll want to quit at least once every day. If you quit before you really try, that’s worse than never starting at all...”(Lipsyte page page 36) This quote makes perfect sense for me because you’ll have days where you wanna quit and try something new but as I say “If you quit now, what else are good at that are this fun and rewarding.” That’s the reason I am artist it’s fun and in the end you meet new people with common interests and experience new and amazing things.
ReplyDeleteTo be a contender in life means many things.
ReplyDeletein my life to be a contender means. you need to take what you learned from your experience not just the award at the end.I felt that it related to me and i had a good deal to do with it because i'm in boy scouts and I use to just want to get to eagle scout. but then i realized that it wasn't just about getting to eagle scout. it was the journey there that mattered.being an Eagle scout was just an extra award at the end. if you have a goal in life and you want to get something good out of it, take what they taught you and use it. its going to help you out in life much more than the award. As mr Donatelli said in the book the contender "The climbing makes the man. Getting to the top is just the extra prize."