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As the character Rocky Balboa once said "Every champion was once a contender that refused 

to give up".  If you keep on working hard you will achieve your ultimate goal no matter what 

that is.  Hello everyone, my name is Joey Bramanti.  I originate from North Andover, MA but 

attend Cheshire Academy where I am a postgraduate and play on the baseball team.  I’ve had 

a long journey throughout my high school years fighting injury and getting back to where I am today.

During my sophomore year in high school I suffered from a bad ankle injury playing hockey.  

I went feet first into the boards after losing an edge trying to stop and this resulted in me 

breaking my right ankle.  I went through surgery and physical therapy and by the way it was 

feeling I never thought it was going to be the same.  When I tried to play baseball I would just 

suffer through pain and agony but I would try my best to fight through it.  I walked with a l

imp to favor my ankle and I couldn’t even tell.  My parents would always nag me to stop 

limping but it was just a mental thing that I couldn’t get rid of.  One morning that fall now my 

junior year about seven months into my recovery I felt less and less pain everyday 

and was able to walk normal this because of my parents drilling it into my head that it 

needed to stop and then suddenly all pain went away.

If my parents weren’t there to help me fight through this all I do not believe that I’d be where 

I am today.  Everything about this was a humbling experience but it more so gave me a bigger 

passion and a lot of fuel to become a better baseball player.  I had summer coaches telling me 

that I wasn’t a great player and that I didn’t have what it takes to play at the highest level.  

This would get me angry like I hope it would for any teenager.  This caused me to work 

harder to better myself whether it was in the weight room, on the field or in the classroom.  I 

would put my heart and soul into anything that I did from there on out so I couldn’t have 

people tell me that I “wasn’t good enough”.  I also had many positive influences other than 

my parents.  My high school baseball coach and hockey coach both thought that I would get 

back on track and would be able to be at my full potential.  This was a confidence booster and 

would help me push through pain.

This brings me to where I am now at Cheshire Academy, fully recovered knock on wood, in 

the best shape of my life and playing the sport I love, baseball.  I am here at Cheshire because 

I feel that an added year to boost my grades and baseball potential was a must.  This year will 

give me more exposure to allow me to achieve the ultimate goal of mine, which is playing division 1 baseball. 

So like Balboa said “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up”.  Please 

don’t give up on your goals and push yourself to be the best you can be in life no matter what you are doing.