Name: Taryn Hitt
State: New York
High School: Whitney Point Highschool
College: Hobart & William Smith Colleges

I’ve played sports for as long as I can remember, whether that be T-ball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey or Indoor Track & Field. I’ve also held myself to very high academic standards for as long as I can remember.

I feel that these two things correlate.

After playing sports for over 14 years, I’ve to the realization that sports have quite the impact on a person, not just inside, but also outside of the shite lines.

Sports positively impact a person’s life, whether that be mentally, physically, or emotionally.

The principles that we learn from playing sports; pushing ourselves, holding ourselves to high standards, being a part of a team, leading others and so on are a huge piece to our success in life.

I’m grateful for having the opportunity to play, not only because Field Hockey is a my passion, but also because I feel like I’ve grown so much over the years as a person due to it.

Sports have taught me many lessons, but here are some of the most important and impactful ones to me:

Discipline yourself: In order to perform well in sports, I must discipline myself to train daily and take care of my body. In school, I must discipline myself to complete quality work in a timely manner.

Set goals: Setting a goal is the first step to achieving a goal. This past season, I had a goal to strengthen my passes. I achieved that goal by working at it every day during practice. At school, I have a goal to maintain a 97 percent or above and I do that by applying the same mindset.

Persevere: I can’t count how many times I’ve tried a new skill and it didn’t work immediately, it happens every single time. However, when I don’t get it immediately, it drives me to keep trying and trying, until eventually I have it down. Recently in math class, I wasn’t understanding the material, so I stayed after school and worked until I solved the entire sheet of problems.

Be optimistic: Not everything will go as planned, obstacles occur. It does no good to dwell on these things, so I stay positive, looking on the bright side. During field hockey when a defender steals the ball from me, I immediately turn around and fight for it, I don’t let it upset me. In school, when I don’t receive the grade on my Spanish test that I had hoped for, I asked “What can I do to fix this?” Last week, I created flashcards for extra credit because I wanted a higher grade. I knew I could accomplish more.

This upcoming Fall, I will be attending Hobard and William Smith Colleges, playing Division III Field Hockey. I chose HWS because I knew that I wanted to attend an academically rigorous school and challenge myself. I wanted a school that had a Field Hockey team that I could be part of and succeed on, a team that had similar values to mine.

If you ask anyone who’s played sports, they’ll tell you a story about an experience that they remember vividly. These experiences in sports stick with us years later and are instrumental in who we are today and who we will become years down the road.

This post is an unedited piece written by Taryn Hitt. She is participating in the 2025 Dr. Judith Benscoter Female Athlete Scholarship contest. To vote for her, please purchase a $2.99 one-time membership and cast your ballot. You may also vote for her video on our Instagram account. The scholarship winner will be determined by most votes (likes) on Instagram video and the most votes cast on the candidate’s essay writing.

Voting runs from March 13-16. Winners will be announced March 17.