What is a challenge you once found intimidating that now feels manageable, and what changed? by Allen

What is a challenge you once found intimidating that now feels manageable, and what changed? by Allen - May 2026 Scholarship Essay

A challenge I once found intimidating was spinning a 10-pound rifle in the air without hitting myself or others. I joined JROTC during my first year in high school, which is pretty much 2 years from now, almost 3, as I'm entering senior year, and I was a little scared to get hit by the rifle because I had teammates who would get hit by their own rifle and have a big or small cut or scar. Of course, their scars healed, but my biggest concern was dropping the rifle during a competition because, if we did, we would lose points from each judge, which would cause our team to incur heavy penalty points. I overcame my fear of hitting myself or dropping my rifle by getting to the gym, getting stronger, and practicing. After getting in the gym and practicing with handling my rifle, I began to get comfortable with my rifle, and I haven't hurt myself or anyone else, for that matter. Still, I learned from those mistakes and realized I need to focus and remember what I'm doing to keep control of the rifle and stay looking sharp while spinning my rifle in drill, remembering to keep my military flavor.