With five seconds left in the game, number 21 clears the ball to midfield. As an attack man sweeps around the cage, number 21 cuts straight to the goal. With two seconds left on the clock, the attack men zings a pass through the defense to number 21 who rips the shot in the top left corner for the win. The crowd goes crazy and rushes the field. Port Washington wins the 2003 Nassau County Championship against their long time rival Garden City.

Athletes have a wide variety of talents in the sport that they play. They must be disciplined, use their skills wisely, and go above and beyond all obstacles not only for themselves, but also for their team. An athlete isn't just getting the ball and going to the goal. They must work together with their teammates and sacrifice whatever it takes to overcome the challenges you encounter throughout the game. Athletes that play a sport by themselves, such as tennis or wrestling have more responsibilities and more pressure then a team sport. The pressure is on, and no one can do anything to stop it except them. These athletes have to be more disciplined and think even quicker on their own. All these types of athletes have their own way of thinking when the game begins to get critical. An athlete must think quickly and think correctly so that they can make the right decisions under pressure. Some opponents try to get you too excited and try to take you out of A your game.@ As an athlete, you must forget that they are even there. Play the game that you know how to play. If you forget about your opponents, you can play A your game,@ and no one can take you out of A your game.@ To me, everyone has there own game that they play, it can be described as their style of play, or even just their mental game they have in their head. Most sports that I play are mental and involve thinking on the run and making quick decisions that are going to lead the team to victory.

The professional athletes of today are looked at a lot differently than if they were to be looked at before their professional career. Professional athletes today are given a bad name because of money issues. Some people think the purpose of professional athletes is for entertainment only. To other people, the athletes are heroes. They are looked at as heroes because they help kids get through tough times or play as a role model for young kids. Many men today give the athletes a bad name because they think athletes are overpaid. Some of the athletes today only do play because of money, but on the other hand, some play for many other reasons as well. Being a professional athlete and getting paid for it is really a great thing to be and it is one of the highest paying jobs ever. The athletes are paid so much because they are entertaining millions of people across the world, and are risking their bodies every day for the fans. Having fun and loving the game is part of being the athlete. A real athlete does not care about the money and goes above and beyond all obstacles not only for themselves, but also for their teammates and fans. In my opinion, a professional athlete should love the game or sport that they play. An athlete should have feelings of accomplishment or disappointment when finished with a season. When an athlete loses a Championship game, or even just a regular off-season game, they feel pain. I have felt this way a lot before when my team loses a game. It just does not feel good inside your body or out; it feels like it goes straight to your heart. You feel like your heart has collapsed and always put your head down. An athlete has to have heart to be a good player. Without heart, they should not even step out onto the playing field. That is what any game or sport is all about, having heart!