Soccer has been an integral part of my life since childhood. My love affair with the beautiful game began at the age of six, thanks to my parents who signed me up for the local youth league. As I grew older, my passion intensified and I participated in various soccer programs, including clubs, camps, and private training sessions, hoping that one day I would become skilled enough to represent my high school team on the varsity level. However, fate had other plans for me until last season, which marked the first and only opportunity thus far for me to don the blue and white colors as a member of our boys' varsity team. It was a privilege to finally be counted among the ranks after two consecutive years spent languishing on the sidelines as a …show more content…
Moreover, developing inner resolve by grappling with feelings of envy during those instances when I watched peers garner attention and accolades served me well when my turn arrived to assume the mantle of leadership during preseason events as we prepared for what lies ahead this season. Ultimately, my journey in soccer has afforded me opportunities and imparted wisdom about values too easily taken for granted elsewhere; ones which should prove invaluable as I transition into adulthood. For better or worse, the knowledge gleaned as a benchwarmer provides an understanding of my true worth as a contributing member of any organization or community without having to dominate the conversation, drive every decision, or hold key positions of authority. To me, being content with an existence defined more by purpose and fulfillment than personal ambition, recognition, or status symbols epitomizes the ideal perspective towards life -- a worldview attainable only through experiencing multiple seasons of failure, disappointments, and detours before ultimately finding myself comfortable being just another cog in the machine rather than its
Soccer, or football as it's known in many parts of the world, has a unique way of bringing people together. It's a sport that transcends borders, languages, and cultures. For me, soccer has been an integral part of my life, and there's one moment that changed everything. This moment wasn't just about winning a game or scoring a goal. It was about discovering my passion for soccer, overcoming setbacks, and achieving success on and off the field.
The last four years of my high school career have flew by, especially my Girard soccer career. Many memories were made throughout my career from making playoffs my sophomore year to playing my last soccer game on senior night. The endeavor of striving to make playoffs for the first time since the 90’s. I knew after playing my very last soccer game, that I contributed to something that was outstanding for this program. That’s something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
I used to run down the sideline shaking the goal jar, now I run around with a cash box at every school event asking for donations for the senior class. I’ve realized that some things never actually change, they just evolve to become something bigger. Soccer challenged me, brought me a great amount of happiness, and truly inspired me to be the leader I am
Accomplishments began to be larger and more important to me. This only made failure that much more painful. My whole life, I loved playing soccer. At some point, all I dreamed about was becoming a proffesional soccer player. I come from a middle class family, who has seen their fair share of struggles.
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.
As an in-coming freshman who hadn’t played on a school team in middle school, I was at a disadvantage because I was behind in skills and didn’t know many of the tricks. Fortunately, the coach saw my potential and I made the varsity team. My coaches and teammates continually pushed me and helped me become an even better player than I was before. Over the course of my four years on the team, I faced several obstacles that made me feel weak and inadequate, but to overcome them I reminded myself that I loved soccer. The biggest obstacle I faced was getting a concussion my junior year.
With the encouragement of my dad, we decided that it was time for me to move to a team that would face better competition and have players of a similar mindset to myself. In the beginning of 8th grade, I had moved to my first club team after being on a town travel team for four years. While this was the right move for me, it was definitely a shock for me to realize that I was no longer the best on my team. I struggled through multiple winter training and conditioning workouts before the season had begun, though I tried to remind myself that this was only helping me in the end. When the first game of the summer season arrived, I was somewhat surprised to find that I was not in the starting lineup or in the field.
“Congratulations, this is the 2013-2014 Mission Vista Men’s Varsity Soccer team.” I still remember the words coming out of my high school coach’s mouth as he spoke to the new varsity team after tryouts. I was the shortest and one of the youngest players on the team, but my passion for the game was not any less than anyone on the team. I was one of the only three sophomores on the team with a team dominated by juniors and seniors.
While soccer is singled out as one of my very strong passions, I find myself playing harder and smarter during school soccer. With the help of Craig Rocastle, former professional soccer player and the current coach of Seaman High School, we are undergoing one of the best seasons Seaman High has ever had. Presently after seven games we have yet to face defeat; furthermore, Rocastle pushes our team to the limits and states, “We will fly, I am proud of our season so far but there is still another level in us.” As our team enter each game with new mentalities and expectations we are; in fact, becoming a better team while also handling the task at hand and winning the game.
The spring of my freshman year marked a pivotal moment in my life. I was overwhelmed to hear the news that I was the only freshman to make the Varsity squad and with that came an uproar of heaping praise from classmates and varsity teammates alike. My soccer skills somehow had a profound effect on many of my fellow peers as they found enjoyment from watching me play. Mutually so, I found joy and satisfaction that many of my peers who are now my friends were entertained by my soccer skills. Showcasing these skills every Friday night from January to April provided me with a euphoric feeling that I still cannot explain.
I began playing soccer when I was eight, which isn’t a very long time, but throughout the six years I’ve been playing, soccer has changed my life. My weekends, as well as some of my weekdays, have been devoted to soccer. Soccer has taught me how to be humble, kind and how to make sure my emotions don’t overpower my
Soccer isn’t just knowing how to pass the ball, it's the fluidity of how well one team can work together, what key components make a team mesh mell, why the teams would strive for perfection, how hard one will be willing to work to put forth their best effort for the entirety of the team, and what will they be willing to sacrifice. It's what separates the talented players from the great players. Passion and drive are important because without it, you can’t ever hope to achieve something you have no desire for. The passion to continue my work, to continue my pursuit in a career of criminology, to strive to be the best I can do all stem from the work ethic that I developed through the teachings of soccer. With utmost passion, everything else will
By the time I was thirteen I had been playing soccer in my city for nine years, and saw it as no more than a social event with running. I was never on the team that won the championship until 2013. When I showed up for the first practice all I saw was older girls, which made me nervous and anxious. I didn’t know it then, but these eight girls that I just met would be a big part of my life for the next five years. The day we won the championship was a turning point in my life.
One of my best days was when my soccer team won the championship. I won several other championships ,but with other teams. This was my first season playing with this team. The major characters in this event were me, my teammates, my coaches and the parents. This event took place in a park at sanger during the summer.
I hyper-focused on the thought that if I was able to lose a starting position to someone who is two years younger than me, then that automatically made me a failure. I tried to ignore this sense of disappointment but it gradually got more difficult for me to even name one good thing about myself. While most people don’t understand why not being a varsity starter mentally affected me so much, it's important to remember that I had gone almost fifteen years of my life relying on my performance in soccer and school to establish whether I succeeded or not. Whenever I communicated with my coach he would always say I am doing great and that I would get more playing time the next game. However, this never happened.