I'm usually a fairly quiet and reserved person. That doesn't mean I don't play sports or pay attention to them. As a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite. I play soccer, flag football, kickball, softball, and Kronum. I follow fantasy baseball and football and I'm a fan of sports video games, like FIFA or NFL Street. I wish they'd make NFL Street for Xbox.

Playing sports is a great way of blowing off steam from long, studious weeks or it can be a coping mechanism for one's shyness. There's one thing however, that stand out to me and that it competitiveness and effort.

I can't explain it, but literally no matter what I play or what level it's at, I still feel in a competitive zone. I feel like when I was Dave Hollins of the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies National League championship team; he was a team player, but you don't really talk to him during the game because he was in his "zone" and would get upset or ignore any comments. One book even referred to him as a "pissed off third baseman".

Yes, winning isn't everything, but for me, giving effort in anything you do, IS everything. I try to give effort everyday in my classes and try my absolute best live up to my name. I do the same with sports, even if it's "intramural". These labels mean nothing to me. It's still a sport where competition is always present and the nature of the sport implies competition. Yes, you win some and lose some, but giving effort is something you always should do.

Don't be that person who doesn't care. My high school gym classes were a joke because more than half the kids didn't give a single flying trapeze artist (I replaced that phrase with another vulgar word). One person was even holding their cell phone texting while she was playing third base in softball. Those little things really annoy me. So where do you put me in gym class?

As a matter of fact, the gym teachers actually would thank me for giving effort and caring, because they saw that I cared about the love of sports and getting a workout from their classes. That's what gym teachers want to promote; physical education is about learning about a sport that you may enjoy playing when you're in your free time to relieve your stress.

I always give effort in everything I do. It can be difficult when overwhelmed with many projects, but I sill manage my time wisely. Always give that "commitment to excellence".