Becoming An Athlete-Personal Narrative

Ever since I could remember, soccer had been in my life. If there was a soccer team that needed a coach, my father was always the first to volunteer. There were almost too many strenuous weekends spent hours away from home for soccer tournaments to count. My entire family, consisting of my parents, my siblings, my dog, and myself, packed in a mini-van heading to a city that I had never heard of for soccer games. But when I entered high school, all that would soon go away. I kept playing the same sport that I always had, although now I had to wake up at five in the morning for six hours of high school soccer practice in the smoldering summer heat in order to make the high school team. High School sports were more competitive than anything I had done before. I put in as much effort as I could to make the Varsity High School team, staying out past dinner to practice even longer. I was utterly divulged in soccer and trying to be the best I could be. Soon, I would regret placing a game over spending time with my family.

My exhaustion on the field came to the point where it could no longer be triumphed by simple motivation. The point of our workouts was to push our bodies, but I was afraid I would push too far—my first and only practice ended in hysterical tears. I had played and loved the game of soccer since the age of five, but I finally had to evaluate the toll it took on my mental and physical health. I felt isolated and did not think I could talk about my condition; it was not visible, like a broken leg or a sprained ankle. While my coaches, teammates, and parents appeared to support me, I felt an underlying pressure to do whatever was necessary to press

I have played soccer continuously from age 3 to 18. Four years ago, I tore my right ACL. I endured surgery and 6 months of physical therapy, then almost 2 years later to the day, I was told the same fate again. I had torn the ACL in my left knee this time. Why did this awful injury have to strike me twice? Once again, I endured the months of rehabilitation and soon returned to the field. Having to go through this twice as a teen taught me that perseverance and determination will help you achieve what you want in life. Even though I spent almost 2 years away from the field, I still made every effort to be there for my teammates. Some days I didn’t want to get out of bed because of the pain, I didn’t want to go to therapy, and I wanted to quit.

I chose to play another year of recreational soccer, making sure to come back the next year to prove a point that I can put in the work and give myself the best opportunity to make the top team. Everyday after school, I would head to the fields and practice every aspect of my game. I would arrive an hour early to every practice, and I would leave an hour after practice. Day in and day out, I worked diligently on my fitness. For a year, I stopped at nothing to give myself the best chance I could to reach my goal. Motivated after that dissapointing tryout, nothing could stop me from doing my best. Standing on a different field, one year later, tryouts began. I was determine to produce my best performance. Two hours later, every player stood single file. Coincidentally, I was the first person called up; the coach informed me that I made the top team. However, this team played for a different club than the one I tried out for last year. This team competed at a much higher level. Not only did I make the team, but I gained the knowledge and appreciation for hard work and dedication. People rarely receive everything they want; however, they can always put in their best effort to provide themselves the best opportunity at obtaining what they

This game has a number of different strategies, and I believe that I have finally found the most successful way. This sport has taught me that grit and perseverance are two keys to self produced success, and that a team can accomplish more than an individual ever will. My soccer experience is one that has helped to shape me into the hardworking and determined individual I am today, although I do believe that the time is right to let go of the past and focus on the future. I chose to end my soccer career because I feel that in order to live my life to its fullest potential, it’s necessary to focus my individualistic purpose towards helping others, something I believe can be found through the study of

Growing up, sports never seemed to be my expertise. Dancing my youth away, I never imagined to show passion for such an intrusive contact sport. My friends continued to nag at me saying “You have to try out for the soccer team.” My first year of middle school I stepped out onto the field. Occasionally forgetting to breathe,I focused right on the ball. I started to think to myself that I could get used to this. I mean how bad could it be? What I didn’t realize was I did not have much soccer skills under my belt, but making the team already was an accomplishment. I respected the captains when they talked, and I tried, day after day, to pick up the skills they possessed.

Growing up I had focused on competitive soccer. Soccer challenged me both physically and mentally and I learned to love these demands on the field. These challenges helped me foster a self-confidence in myself when it came to athletics. When I fractured my tibia playing against my rival high school, sending my knee cap into my thigh, I was faced with a new test. The sport that I loved was taken away from me for an extended period of time and it took away part of my identity. Who was I without soccer?

Yet my apprehension prevailed as I continued to fear getting put in the game in case another player was injured. I was still afraid of making mistakes and getting blamed by screaming coaches and angry teammates. Sometimes these fears came true. During my sophomore season, my position led me to play in the varsity games on many occasions. On such occasions, I often made mistakes. Most of the time the mistakes were not significant; they rarely changed the outcome of a play. Yet I received a thorough verbal lashing at practice for the mistakes I had made. These occurrences only compounded my fears of playing. However, I did not always make mistakes. Sometimes I made great plays, for which I was congratulated. Now, as I dawn on my senior year of soccer, I feel like a changed person.

At age 16 I was told that I was incapable of being an athlete, I was told tennis was not a sport, I was told I could never play “a real man’s sport”. That same year, I stepped onto a soccer pitch for the first time in my life, I lined up against young men who had been playing the sport for more than a decade.Yet, I went out there with confidence and challenged them along with the notion that I could not play a real sport. Although, I was scared to embarrass myself, I knew that this decision would be one of the greatest I would ever make because of the life experiences I would gain from leaving my comfort zone for the first time,

Although life is overbooked and filled with stressors, I can relax and enjoy playing soccer. Wearing the colors and badge of the team I’m on is something I hold with pride, and I work to play well while representing my team. At the same time, I train and work hard to excel and reach higher levels of competitive soccer. Even with the constant ups and downs and quiet car-rides when we lose, my passion for the game still tends to bring me back to the game and take my mind off of all my cares. Many a time I would sit and want to quit, but all the adversity and strong work ethic shapes who I am today. Through all my experiences, soccer is one of my favorite things to do and a passion I fully enjoy. Playing in the high-intensity travel and school games, plus coaching of my little brother’s team all are activities I love.

“McClure, you are a waste of oxygen and life”, my verbally abusive coach spit from him flaming mouth one last time as I walked out of his office. I was numb, and in shock, but relaxed, oddly feeling at peace with myself and my decision. Soccer had brought so much confidence, passion, work ethic, and pure joy to my life, it was something so stable and rewarding for 15 years. 15 years of endless passion enwrapped in pain and sweat, accompanied by life lessons I could not have gone on without, yet within 2 years, this wonderful aspect of my existence collapsed.

My season was unfortunately cut short by a demoralizing ACL tear in my other knee. At this point in my life I began to feel depressed and I could not understand why this happened to me, again. I questioned if rehabilitating and continuing to pursue my soccer career was really worth it any more. With immense motivation and encouragement from friends and family, I decided I would continue.

Personal Statement As I lined up for another “suicide” sprint, summer sun scorching, muscles taut and ready to fire, I could not help but begin to let my mind wonder if I was cut out for this. Defining moments like this one emphasize my ability to understand the long term orientation needed to complete goals in life. Hard work, on hot summer mornings were easy to come by at the beginning of my division 1 collegiate soccer career. I have always found deep internal gratification in becoming a better soccer player. Whether it was learning one new move, or becoming .1 of a second quicker, my goals and dreams revolved around reaching the highest peak in soccer.

I was 4 years old when I made contact with a soccer ball for the first time in my life, it might seem childish but the experience of playing soccer as a child shaped my life forever. Growing up in the threatening background in Caracas, Venezuela, the only extracurricular activity that kept me out of danger some activities, and helped me escape any bad habits that affected most of my friends at an early age was playing soccer, playing soccer made me realized that achieving my goals was possible, therefore, playing soccer shaped my attitude at a young age. However, everything went south when I was diagnosed with a severe groin trauma on my left leg at the age of 10, which prevented me from reaching my highest potential in soccer due to constant

I am a competitor who seeks to learn from past mistakes rather than be overcome by them. I have always been a very competitive person, training to beat my peers in whatever competitive activity I am involved in whether it be traditional sports, eSports, or even Monopoly. I grew up playing soccer since it was my dad's sport of choice. I quickly grew to be one of the most sought-after defensive players in my club for my attitude. I was different in that I wanted defeat almost as much as I wanted victory, due to the learning opportunities that defeat could give us. Alas, I suffered a broken ankle midway through the year which ended my season early and sent me searching for a new past-time that would let my ankle rest easy. Since I couldn’t run