Personal Narrative: How Soccer Has Affected My Life

“I learned about life with a ball at my feet.” What do you first think about when you hear the word soccer? Do you think about the coolest goal ever made? Or maybe the best jukes you’ve ever seen? Well there’s more to soccer than scoring goals and juking people. To some people, there’s a meaning to every goal, kick, and pass. Soccer has a meaning. To some people, soccer is just a dumb and , boring sport that is completely useless. But to others it’s a lifestyle because, it revolves around their everyday life. There’s people passionate about this sport, and I’m one of them.

Having only one soccer club in Bend to play competitively on and having a relatively small population put me playing with almost the exact same group of girls in the club as I grew up. This also left me knowing everyone who plays soccer and consequently when I got to high school soccer, I was still with the same girls. We had been playing with each other for 7 plus years and had become an incredibly close unit on and off the field. Some of my closest friends came from playing soccer. Soccer had helped me break out of my shell socially and provided an outlet for stress relief. My life revolved around soccer.

Beep Beep! Beep Beep! The alarm bell goes off. It is 6 am on the 1st of August, 2016. First day of tryouts for my school's soccer team. I am inflated and drowning in nervousness. For the past two years of my high school life, I had missed tryouts, both times not knowing when they took place. Finally, with careful planning, the year I claimed my spot on a soccer team had finally come. Born the son of an ambitious and idealistic soccer coach, it didn't take me a long time to kick a soccer ball. From the age I learned to say "mama" and "baba," I had spent hours playing soccer outside on the streets of East Africa. Soccer became my language; I didn't have to talk to make friends. Just put the ball on the ground, and wonderful things would ensue. The creativity it supplied me, the freedom of expression it allowed me, the simplicity it taught me. Soccer was my relief of struggles hard and easy. It became more than a hobby. It became a characteristic. Often is it dangerous to be smitten to a game, a sport, to this level, but it didn't matter. Soccer also

People in this magnificent, ever changing, and complexity of a world seeks to find out who they are in this life. Not all are capable of understanding what they love; their passion. There is something in this world that I would never replace and that is soccer. Without this sport, I believe I would be a nobody in this world. Soccer is my identity;I honestly feel I can connect to the world through it.

One of the most significant activities in my life would have to be soccer ever since I got a hold of the ball in 10th grade, it sparked my interest and a fire was ignited. It simply stared with a few friends asking me to join them then slowly progressed into everyday after school I would go outside to kick around the ball, I never really knew it was for me until I started getting more into it, soccer became my outlet more like an escape for me, it was somewhere I could go when I needed to be alone just the ball and I. Honestly, I never knew that it would affect me in the way it has, it started out as a just for fun kind of thing, then it escalated into actually playing games, turning more into a passion and I could actually see myself in the

Being shoved to the ground and coming up with a mouthful of turf and a bloody nose isn’t the ideal way to spend a friday night, but for me, it's something I put blood, sweat, and tears into. Soccer has been a passion of mine since my father dropped me off at the local YMCA when I was at the tender age of four. Spending all of my free days for thirteen years running after a soccer ball is arguably what made me into the person I am today. Unity, tenacity, passion and pride have all been morals that are valued within the sport and in my own philosophy. I have explored places I’d never give a second thought to because my sport took me there. Friends I had made came from the sport I played. I never ended up asking for friends to come over because to me, practice was hanging out with my friends, doing an activity with a purpose.

My lungs were burning, my knees stung, and my legs screamed with every step. I knew I had to keep on running. The crowd was roaring, but my breathing was loud enough to drown out the noise. Suddenly out of nowhere there was a girl at my side, I remembered her, and she played dirty. Keeping my temper in check I tried to push on, but she didn’t give up and sent me crashing to the ground. Pain blooms on the right side of my body. Truthfully I was glad for the break, the pain was manageable. Having paused for a moment, I slowly pulled myself to my feet and check my body for damage. My teammate asked if I was okay, I nodded. A shout from a familiar voice brought my head back into the game. I started jogging to where I was supposed to be even though

Soccer has pushed me to grow as a person and has helped shape me into who I am today. I have played on numerous club soccer teams throughout central Indiana, and I have also played high school soccer; thus, exposing me to many new players. So, I have had to work with numerous personality types and have learned to communicate appropriately with each one. Bonding with teammates builds trust between one another and helps the team function to its best capabilities. After learning about and befriending teammates, I am able to become a better leader for the team.

It was a cold brittle day on January 10,2014 at 2:00 p.m in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. My teammates and I and I were warming up for our soccer game.Our team name was called“Rapids and we have three wins, one tie, and four losses. All of a sudden, the referees called us to the sideline to check on our equipment. I was nervous and my heart felt like it was beating a thousand beats per seconds. Our coach told the lineup after the referee checked our equipment.

I remember when I was four years old, I would play soccer with the big kids right in front of my grandma's house. As we all know in Colombia there is a lot of poverty, many soccer fields are old and ruined so we have to play in the middle of the street with a used up torn ball. Every time a car comes by we have to pause the game and move out the way. Soccer has taught me many life lessons like teamwork, communication, and

Football had a major impact on my life, playing football helped me to communicate with others creating an brotherly bond with my fellow teammates. Playing this sport taught me a lot like size doesn't matter, it's all about hard work and dedication like it's your last time playing on the field. Football showed me how to be mentally and physically strong, to be a leader and lead by example. This sport became apart of my life being apart of the community and making my town happy, I love playing this sport and being with my teammates because even when there is time it's an easy day my teammates always push me to do my best so I can get better every time I'm on the field. Football helped me to care about others and to do what I have to help my

First, soccer can improve your health and fitness. People of various ages who play sports are healthier than people who don’t do anything at all. Soccer is a useful skill that can do a lot of things with a person’s

I have been playing soccer since before I could even walk. In fact, I joined my first soccer team at the age of five. Soccer is something I have always loved and been passionate about. When I was on the co-ed recreation league teams I was one of the only girls on my team, so I had to compete with boys who doubted me and thought I was weak. I worked hard during practice and out of practice to become better and, eventually, I became more aggressive than them.

I still actively take lessons and thoroughly enjoy them. In addition, I have been committed to competitive soccer since the year of 2012. In the same way, I have played for my zoned high school’s soccer team since the year of 2012. Currently, I am participating in both teams and serve as the varsity captain for my high school team. Through this role of leadership I strive to motivate and encourage my fellow teammates to be the best they can be.

During my eleventh grade year of high school, I played soccer. First off, before you can play soccer you have to learn the language of the sport so you will understand how to play, what the coach is saying, and where you are supposed to be on the field. Before I started playing soccer, I thought it was just kicking a black and white ball into a goal. I quickly realized that you have an entire athletic language to learn in order to play soccer.