Personal Narrative: Moving To Junior Varsity Football

The best leader I’ve worked with was my Junior High Football coach. My coach used the Path-Goal Theory. I hated football and saw no future for me in that sport. I was teased and literally quit the year before at a different school. I heard about try outs at another school and decided to go.

I remember blankly staring at the field hockey field retracing my past year. I did not understand how I could be on the junior varsity team for a third year after receiving the most valuable player award the previous season. I thought it was supposed to improve from there, but I was mistaken. I knew beforehand that those three days of tryouts could define my entire season, but in my mind it was not an option to be on junior varsity again.

I remember it hurting, so very much. It stabbed at me hard; I couldn't comprehend it. If only I had been more careful, more attentive, I could've prevented all of it. One of the most devastating moments in my life happened to me was all because of a simple mistake. One little slip-up caused all of it, and it all lead to a catastrophe.

“Do your job.” A simple quote by Bill Belichick (New England Patriots Head Football Coach) but this quote means a lot about my character. The reason it means a lot to me is because if you work tremendously hard and do your job your team will be successful. My head football coach, Mike Rowe uses this quote as well and adds “If everybody does your job you will be successful.

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.

There are currently about 2.7 million soldiers enlisted in the United States Army. Now imagine that each of these soldiers has a wife and two kids, then those numbers go up to 8.1 million Americans who are affected directly by the military. After generations of the moving process and kids having to adapt to being shipped from one school to the next you think that they would move kids less often, but that is not the case. In Fall of 2012, I was enrolled at Killeen High School a school near Fort Hood, Texas.

After having to play last string my freshman year and then held back from playing on the varsity team my sophomore year, I felt like clouds had finally parted when I received a starting spot on the varsity team my 11th grade year. I was overcome with joy and content because I felt like all of my hard work had finally paid off, but in one failed swoop I had lost everything I spent the past two years working toward. This was the biggest obstacle I have ever faced because I had to get back everything I lost and had to work twice as hard to overcome what could have been a season ending injury. Here is my story of how I conquered my obstacle and became stronger and more determined because of it. After coming off my first start on varsity and an impressive victory against Waco had kept the team spirits high heading into week 3 were we would face Lancaster, our dreaded foes and district rivals.

Since I was a little kid all I’ve done is play basketball. Every season for the past 10 years I’ve always been ready to play. When I was little I started out playing in rec leagues. I played in those all the way up to the 7th grade. When started middle school I wanted to try out for the team.

On the Friday we moved in to Vail, at our hall meeting, our RA asked who wanted to do a flag football team. Most of us were interested and so our whole hall made a team. The games started in September and continued to October. They were almost every week. We did really well and won a lot more games than most of us thought we would.

Participating in high school soccer has taught me many life lessons, of which “determination” was the most important. At Fleetwood High School, soccer is a highly respected sport. As a freshman, I competed against many talented upper classmen for a spot on the team. Being one of the youngest players trying out was intimidating, but it forced me to establish a goal for myself. I was determined to, not only make the team, but to make the varsity team.

I believe that every day is training day. As a high school athlete, sports are a way of relieving the stress of everything that is going on in my life. For me, that stress is relieved is when I step out on a soccer field with my team and we play to our best capability for 80 minutes. Any athlete knows that in order to become a great and dedicated athlete you have to put in the work and be passionate about what you do. When I was an eighth grader going to be freshman I thought I knew this already, as I did play soccer every year since I was five (I was fourteen at the time.)

I never thought I’d play ball after high school. To be honest I thought I wasn’t going to play after my freshman year. My freshman year at practice my coach had the guts to tell me I would never make the varsity team as long as he the coach. I thought to myself like why would a coach ever say that. He said that because we had a cut off relay race and our team already lost so I jogged down the line instead of sprinting.