Personal Statement
In my childhood, I suffered from bronchial asthma. Simply stepping outside could trigger shortness of breath. Living comfortably was nearly impossible, so my family and I had to relocate to the small mountain town of Issyk, which is 70 kilometers from Almaty, as the mountains offered clean air and water. Naturally, the change of climate didn't completely cure my asthma; it just made my living conditions more bearable compared to life in Almaty.
My doctor prescribed a course of hormonal therapy. For several years, I took asthma medications that, one way or another, did their job. Unfortunately, the treatment process was not without side effects. The hormones I took stimulated the formation of fat cells, and my weight began to exceed the norm. By the age of 8, I weighed 50 kilograms, which was quite a lot for my age. I had to buy larger-sized clothing, and physical exercises became quite challenging. Breathlessness from asthma was replaced by breathlessness due to my own weight. At that moment, I pondered, "Will I ever be able to shed this excess weight?" I couldn't simply resolve this problem, as it seemed impossible at the time.
At the age of 13, the issue of excess weight had hardly changed; I weighed 90 kilograms. Over this time period, I started taking this problem much more seriously. I needed to take control and attempt to lose weight.
During that time, I became fascinated by American culture, and American history was simply captivating. From cowboys to jazz, I was completely immersed in the spirit of America. I learned songs by artists like Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. Sometimes, I would listen to jazz for up to 15 hours a day.
But above all, I was drawn to national sports, particularly American football. I watched numerous films about this incredible, yet extreme sport, and my favorite movie was "The Longest Yard" with Adam Sandler. I dreamt of experiencing myself as an American football player, but in my country, this sport hardly existed, making it an almost unattainable desire.
Then, one day, my dad, by sheer chance, met someone at work who turned out to be a coach of an American football team. That evening, over dinner, my dad shared about his new acquaintance, Pavel Filippov, the coach of the Almaty Phoenix team, and mentioned that Pavel had invited me to join the youth team. I was overjoyed, and I wanted to start training as soon as possible, even though it meant commuting 150 kilometers round trip for practice each day.
On my first training session, I expected to be handed a helmet and shoulder pads and to be taught the rules of the game. To my surprise, the coach instructed me to run 10 laps around the stadium. I can't even remember if I finished the run, but I felt terrible – nauseated and with a strong desire to quit. A serious choice lay before me: all or nothing! For six years, I had done nothing to answer that question. I needed to prove to myself that I was worth something.
After self-study, and enduring grueling workouts, the coach finally promoted me to the main adult team. I was immensely proud to be playing with experienced 25-year-old players at the age of 14. In their company, I matured far beyond my peers. They shared their experience not only on the field but also outside of it. Within a year, our team embarked on an international friendly match in Georgia. My dream came true. There was so much emotion in the air – fans, music, and commentators. Anybody else in my place would have been intimidated to stand against 40-year-old, gigantic, muscular Georgians on the front line, but after the first hits, I realized that this was my game! My first game abroad ended in victory; we won with a score of 22-12!
My morale was boosted, as were my ambitions. I began to improve myself, joined a gym, switched to a healthy diet, and worked on refining my technique. All of this bore fruit. I became one of the strongest guards on our team. I was happy because, in addition to finding myself in American football, I managed to shed 22 kilograms of excess weight. I didn't give up in that decisive moment and managed to change my life.
