My Sportobiography

October 2019
Noa Morton-Sydorak
PSK4U
 SOCCER

The first ‘official’ sport of my life was soccer. I started playing when I
was five and played competitively until I was eight. As soccer was my
first sport, it holds a special spot in my athletic history. Soccer gave me
foundation of confidence in sports. I can remember that the coach
mostly had me play the position of goalie as I excelled at hand-to-eye
coordination. Looking back, I can remember Saturday night games,
my grandparents cheering from the sidelines and the taste of ice cream
mixed with my sweat. I cannot remember how well our team ever did,
how many games we one or what our regional ranking was. None of
that mattered then. It was about teamwork, personal growth and
determination. In a way, those years playing soccer built up the
foundation I would need later to play a variety of sports and challenged
me to build confidence and character.
DANCE

Dance was the second sport I competed in. Unfortunately, I was

not able to continue in competitive dance for more than a year
and a half, as I fractured my ankle. However, dance taught me
grace, skill and mastery. I took ballet lessons weekly, developing
myself physically and relationally. Dance allowed me to
experience the crossover of art and athleticism. It taught me skills
like that of graceful execution, athletic form and artistic
expression in sport. Although it was very disappointing to be
forced to stop due to an injury, dance gave me the experience of
being yourself and expressing myself in an athletic way.
 Swimming

One of my favourite recreational

The next couple years, I focused on
activities, swimming was something I
swimming and getting my credentials to
always participated in growing up.
be a lifeguard and instructor. After
However, when a young instructor failed
becoming a lifeguard, I decided that I
me in level of swimming lessons, I was
would try out for the swim team. I had
devastated. The next couple years were
never swam competitively as it is an
tough for my family so I had to take a
expensive and elite sport. However, as a
break from swimming lessons. I was older
swim team coach, I could swim
than the students in my level, but had
competitively without those barriers.
practised so much that I quickly
This past summer, I swam with our local
advanced through the levels. All in all, I
swim team. I felt such an incredible
completed 6 levels in one summer,
feeling of accomplishment as I pulled
surpassing the levels of my peers.
myself out of the pool from racing.
Swimming had always been my one my
Swimming taught me to face my fears and
strongest sports, but that summer
to dream big. It also taught me that
solidified the next several years of sport. I
despite a failure, I could find my strength,
was a ‘fish back in water’.
skill and confidence again.
 Lifeguarding

Lifeguarding has been a major source of change and

confidence in my life. Following a couple of rough years in
which I had been bullied, I decided to get my lifeguard. I had
recently tore the rotator cuff muscles in my shoulder due to a
four wheeling accident and knew that this was going to be
tough to earn my National Lifeguard certification. However,
none of my that prepared me for how hard it was. The course
was long, hard and I felt exhausted. Despite my shoulder and
getting sun stroke due to an unusually hot July, I completed
it. The feeling of facing my fear of weighted swims and
intense spinal carries was an incredible confidence building
block. Although being bullied had shaken my confidence,
lifeguarding helped me to reach out and help others
struggling with the same thing. It taught me that I was not
alone and that sometimes you go through hard things to help
another through a hard time.
Long Distance Running

Long distance running challenged me like no other sport. I took

this sport up after being diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis. I was
feeling upset about the diagnosis and running kept me
grounded. After a long day filled with new medications,
injections and side effects, running brought me peace. In a way, I
was ‘running’ away from anxiety and it challenged me to reverse
my thoughts and instead ‘run’ towards them. Instead of
ignoring my thoughts and feelings, running helped me to come
to terms with my anxiety, my health, my body and my self
esteem. A long run brought the anger, tears, pent up negative
thoughts and sweat out. Through running, I was able to come
to terms with who I am and it gave me the courage to keep
fighting.
Cultural Sports
As a Canadian, I could not pass by the chance
to explore our cultural sports. As a Nordic
country, Canada experiences long winters
with lots of snow. While our national sport is
actually lacrosse, skiing and skating have been
a central part of not only my life, but my
communities. Hockey is what brings our
community together and unites us despite
our differences. In small villages and towns,
children grow up surrounded by a culture of
sport and look up to famous athletes. Within
Canada, hockey is an integral part of our
culture and history. Children have grown up
hearing household names such as Wayne
Gretzky, Hayley Wickenheiser, Sidney
Crosby and Paul Henderson. Personally, I
have engaged in culturally nordic sports such
as skiing, skating, tobogganing and hockey
my whole life.
 Recreational Sports

Aside from competitive sports, I have played a lot

of recreational sports with my family and friends.
My family often participates in games such as
baseball, volleyball, basketball, soccer or hockey.
In fact, holidays are our favourite times to play
sports. It has almost become tradition to play
baseball and soccer every spring, while we have a
hockey tournament over Christmas break. As a
family, we also enjoy hiking, biking, skiing,
skating, swimming and running. Sport is a way
that our family is able to connect, unwind and
have fun despite our busy schedules. My family is
fairly active and enjoys to spend our time together
doing some physical activity. Whether it be
cross-country skiing at night, Saturday morning
hikes or summer, volleyball tournaments, sports
allow my family to connect, have fun, stay active
and destress.
Reflection

Sport has had a lot of influence on my personal

development and has played a large role in my
growth mentally, emotionally and physically. I
have strengthened myself through sport and it has
shaped me to be the person I am today. Personally,
my participation in sport is in part due to many
women who have paved the way before me,
making the opportunities I have had possible.
Throughout my life, athletes like Brianne
Theisen-Eaton, Tessa Virtue, Hayley Wickenheiser
and Christine Sinclair have inspired me to
challenge myself in sports. Being a part of an active
family, who values physical activity, has played a
large part as well in my participation in sports. All
in all, sports have been instrumental in forming
my character, benefitted my mental and physical
health and connecting me with the world through
the athletic community.