Personal Narrative: Can One Play A Real Sport?

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.

Ever since I was a child, my parents put me in various sports: soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, and cheer. Both my parents grew up playing sports and realized that being a part of team sports benefits the growth of a person’s perseverance, determination and overall personality. Not only was I an avid multi-sport athlete as a child, my four other siblings were as well. Motivated individuals have surrounded me throughout my life. They have given me a great example of what it means to succeed and persevere. Not only have I been surrounded by strong individuals I have also been able to try different sports. While it was fun being able to try different sports, I realize early on that soccer was what I wanted to pursue. Soccer showed me how to be a part of a team and never give up.

I believe in sports. I believe that it is capable of changing the world. Sports are a part of our culture that all started with the ancient Greeks. I think sports is a way to unite people as it has throughout the years. Sports can bring people all across the country together. It brings countries together to compete in games and events instead of fighting each other. Sports can not only bring strangers together, but also bring family together. For example, a son can bond with his father through sports. When you play a sport and you lose, your true character shows. Some people are sore losers and jerks after they lose. Then there are some people that congratulate the other team, even though they are upset. I however am a little bit of both. When I play sports, most of the time I show sportsmanship and

For most of my life, I was skilled in organized sports, especially soccer, which I had played for many years. After a successful soccer season my freshman year, I thought that I would make the JV team for sure. At tryouts, I went through the motions of each drill. I breezed through the conditioning tests, doing the bare minimum for each test. I didn’t try as hard as others, as I felt that I was more skillful than most of my peers.

What is the only thing harder than disciplining a dozen ten year olds? Disciplining them on ice! All throughout my life I’ve played sports, and no matter what sport it was, there was always one person who seemed to have it out for me…the referee. The referee is one of the most hated people in the world of sports, but is also one of the most crucial. I grew up with the mindset that the referee was the enemy. Whenever they made a call against me or my team, they were always wrong, no matter how obvious the penalty was. But one day, my whole perspective on referees changed---the day I became a referee.

It was a dark thursday night in April. The sky was clear enough to see the moon shining brightly along with many small circular diamonds. I’m in a dark blue Avalanche, being driven to a baseball diamond. I play for the MIlwaukee Brewers on a little league level. It’s my last game of the season, and I can’t wait for the umpire to say the words “Play Ball” (which states that the game has begun).

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?

For a majority of people in the world, if they were to wake up with 350 million dollars, and would be able to be fully retired by 38 years old, then they would be very content and happy with their lives. Being able to wake up every day in a big mansion, lying with your family by the poolside, not worrying about financial issues for yourself or loved ones, and lastly having the great opportunity for you and your whole family, to not work a day the rest of your lives. It is an ideal situation that approximately 99.99% of people would want. But, an outlier, challenges those astonishing odds, by using their influence and popularity, to help out and make a difference. Not

When I was eight years old, I played my first season of soccer. The real reason I played soccer was because my dad forced me to play. I loved to play all kinds of sports such as basketball, baseball and football but I was never interested in soccer. After my first practice I already realized soccer was not for me. I told my dad that I did not want to play anymore but he would not listen and made me keep going to practice. At my 3rd practice, the whole team was running laps and I tripped over a stick and fell down. My ankle was hurting pretty bad but I knew I was going to be fine. While I was lying on the ground, I thought to myself If I tell the coach and my dad that my ankle is hurt really bad than I won’t have to play anymore. I thought it was a genius idea at the time. I told them just that and it worked! I have no idea how my dad knew this but once I got home he knew that I was milking my injury. He told me something that night that I won’t ever forget. He told me “you didn’t just give up on yourself, you gave up on your team”. He called the coach the next day and told him that

“Play ball.” Says the umpire as the Senior Rams take the field and the Hempstead Mustangs were getting ready to bat. This was it. This was our final chance to make all of our hard work pay off, and achieve the one main goal we all had in mind, state.

During our first practice, we discovered how greatly we depended on our male teammates, and we understood that we could now only rely upon ourselves. As the next few months went on, each team member developed different skills, and I found myself drawn to the position of midfielder. This duty required me to run up and down the full field for entire games consisting of two forty-minute halves, whereas previously I found myself lucky to play for ten minutes per half. I attribute most of my growth to my coach, who repeatedly told me to be confident in my ability, which allowed me to take risks on the field. As I grew closer to my teammates and gained more in-game experience, I discovered that I was capable of far more than I previously thought. Being on the first female Varsity team taught me to never limit myself, and to always try harder, especially when I feel

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.

My plans when I get older where like every other child's. I want to be in the NFL. To get where I am you have to start at a young age. I showed up at practice everyday and on time. I also studied the play sheets and went through all my routes. I studied day and night to be where I am. It wasn't easy. There was no time to play games get in trouble do drugs or hang out with friend on an everyday bases. You have to tighten up be a man. It's not like I woke up one day and I was starting running back I had to do what's right stay in school not miss a day because that one day could have been the most important day ever and I wouldn't have even known. You know why?? Because I was and didn't show up to school. Don't be that person I used to be.

I think I am with the con side, because I think that golf is more of a game than a sport. In my own opinion, I think it’s not a sport because it doesn’t require a specific age or weight. Sport is about moving your body fast and sweating so players can lose weight or build their body muscles. For Golf, it doesn’t require that much of movement. In fact, it is more of a fun game with friends. I would take Soccer as a great example. Because I’m a soccer fan, I know how it works so I will go ahead and explain it. For soccer, players run a lot and winning the match is the motivation for players to do their best in the game and run or play as fast and professional as they can, and that’s how we burn fats and stay in shape. When it comes to Golf, players