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OZIMKOWSKI
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE DANCE TEAM
TRAVELING ACCROSS THE COUNTRY MAY SEEM DAUNTING, BUT NOT IF YOU HAVE A TEAM BEHIND YOU! WITH THE DESIRE TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN MYSELF, THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE DANCE TEAM OFFERED ME JUST THAT.
WHAT KIND OF TEAMMATE AM I?
UNYIELDING.
REINFORCED IN ME THROUGHOUT MY CHILDHOOD, I HOLD THE VIEW, "GO HARD OR GO HOME!". SPENDING UPWARDS OF 20 HOURS EACH WEEK TRAINING AND PERFORMING, I AM "ALL IN" ALL THE TIME. WHETHER I AM DANCING ON THE SIDELINES OF A FOOTBALL GAME, OR NEARING THE END OF A 12 HOUR REHEARSAL FOR OUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION, MY HIGH LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND TENACIOUS PERSONALITY SHINE THROUGH. INSPIRED BY THE LATE KOBE BRYANT'S "MAMBA MENTALITY", I AM ALSO EVER FOCUSED ON CONTINUAL SELF-IMPROVEMENT. TO ME, PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY SEEK TO LEARN AND GROW ARE ALWAYS ONE STEP CLOSER TO REACHING THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL.
"TRUE CHARACTER IS NOT REVEALED IN THE ABSENCE OF HARDSHIP & CHALLENGE, BUT RATHER IN THE HEIGHT OF IT."
IN JANUARY OF 2020, AS OUR TEAM WAS PREPARING FOR NATIONALS WITH A GRUELING TRAINING SCHEDULE, SOMETHING THAT EVERY ATHLETE PRAYS WILL NEVER HAPPEN, HAPPENED. FIVE DAYS BEFORE WE SET OFF FOR ORLANDO, FLORIDA, I FELT A NUMBNESS SENSATION IN MY LEG. ONE MRI LATER, I FOUND OUT I HAD A HERNIATED DISC AND DAMAGED MY LOWER VERTEBRAE. SHOCKED AND DEVASTATED, AT THAT MOMENT I HAD A CHOICE TO MAKE. WAS I GOING TO BE THE KIND OF TEAMMATE WHO MOPED, STOOD IN THE SHADOWS, AND COMPLAINED THAT I DESERVED TO BE OUT ON THE FLOOR OVER SOMEONE ELSE? OR WAS I GOING TO PUT ON A BRAVE FACE, PRAISE THE GIRL WHO HAD THE COURAGE ENOUGH TO STEP IN FOR ME, AND GAIN A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON OUR ROUTINES SO I COULD HELP MAKE CONSTRUCTIVE CORRECTIONS? YOU GUESSED IT, I CHOSE THE POSITIVE LATTER.
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I BELIEVE THAT BEING A MASSIVE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MY TEAM CONTRIBUTED TO OUR SUCCESS IN BRINGING HOME A NEW NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FOR OUR PROGRAM THAT YEAR.
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