ROTARY CLUB OF GILROY
GILROY ROTARY ESSAY CONTEST
The Fourth Annual Gilroy Rotary Club’s “Four-
Way Test” Essay Contest was open to all Gilroy
Unified High School English and Social Studies
classes. The theme was based on Rotary’s
belief in the Four-Way Test: Is it the truth? Is
it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill
and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to
all concerned?
Students from Christopher High School (CHS),
Gilroy High School (GHS), and Dr. TJ Owens
Gilroy Early Academy (GECA) participated.
First place winner, Tanvir Mann (GECA)
received $500, second place winner, Serena
Ramirez (GECA) received $150, and third place
winners, Madeline Clarke (CHS) and John Fox
(GHS) each received $100. First place essay is
published here.
TODAY sponsored the awards. .
Standing: Jill Fortino (Committee Chair) and Larry Mickartz (gmhTODAY). Sitting (l-r): Tanvir
Mann (GECA), Serena Ramirez (GECA), John Fox (GHS) and Madeline Clarke (CHS).
gmh
Essay Submitted by Tanvir Mann
E
veryone in the world, at one
point or another in their lives,
has experienced something that
tests their morality to the very fullest
—an event, encounter, or action that
either aligns with their personal values
or undermines their notion of self-
principle; that either leaves them feeling
content or scratching their heads in
reconsideration; that either reinforces
their high-minded character or exposes
them for the immoral person they
truly are.
For me personally, this point in
my life came along during one of my
first few years playing soccer. I played
in an informal recreational league
that sported a mix of elementary and
middle schoolers, and, such being its
status, we were not expected to be the
mini Ronaldo’s and Messi’s that were
so ubiquitous in the more competitive
leagues. But, as life has it, a few players
on our team were better than others.
These were the players championing
the high level of sophistication and
eloquence expected of the sport, the
ones scoring all the fancy goals and
making all the major plays. The ball
was their instrument and they played it
well enough to orchestrate a symphony
that epitomized the very game of soccer.
For them, however, a high dosage
30
of success on the field also had the
uncanny side effect of fostering an air
of superiority over the weaker and less
skilled players of the team.
The skilled players of our team
often perceived those at the very
bottom of the skill ladder as a bane
to their athletic performance and
treated them accordingly. Unskilled
players were brutally criticized of their
mistakes but were not expected to
practice and improve upon them. They
were bashed for their disinvolvement
in the game but were never passed to.
They were the ones that had signed
up to play soccer but spent their time
warming benches instead. In such a
manner, the less skilled players of the
team became trapped in an endless
cycle where they would essentially be
bullied by the skilled players and be
able do nothing against it. The coaches
would attempt to close the skill gap
between the two extremes of the skill
spectrum and foster good sportsman-
ship but could do little against the
actions of the better players on the
field and the way they treated their
unskilled counterparts.
I was a mere spectator to this
situation, being neither a skilled player
nor an unskilled one. But it was some-
thing that struck close to home. When
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
june/july 2019
I myself was new to this same league, I
was treated in a similar manner-jeered
at because of my lack of skill and
awareness of the game of soccer. At
times, it became so severe that I did not
even want to go to practice or attend
the games because I dreaded what
would be awaiting me. And if I did go,
it would be more for me to be at the
sidelines watching the game rather than
playing it. The skilled players were
slowly depriving me of my love for the
sport, and it seemed likely that they
would accomplish their goal of having
one less obstacle on their field.
Fortunately, I stuck through and,
after months of practice and an
unwillingness to break, I reached a
certain point of skill at which I was no
longer hassled by the skilled players.
However, not all the players on my
team were that fortunate. Most were
unable to handle the pressure and
took steps to remove themselves from
beneath it. Some stopped participating
in practices and games. Others dropped
out of the league entirely. All of them
likely took these experiences to heart
and carried their animosity for soccer
onward for the rest of their lives.
gmhtoday.com
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