Personal Narrative: How Soccer Changed My Life

Growing up in a house with all boys in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, I was taught to be tough and injuries were very common but easily shaken off. When it came to sports, I would put all my time and effort into one thing: soccer. Soccer was always a true passion of mine; as a matter of fact, it was more of a lifestyle than just a sport. I would spend weekends traveling around my local area playing the game I loved with people I enjoyed being with. My teammates became like my second family after countless seasons and we did almost everything together off the soccer field. The idea of putting on my jersey and lacing up my cleats was a moment I would not trade for the world and something I would never take for granted.

Soccer is a game where nothing is predictable. Soccer is a game that’s been around since the eighteenth century and has a different effect on many athletes’ lives, including mine. My sophomore year of high school is over and I was finally over with a long season of high school soccer. Returning to my team of five years I was excited to go back and am comfortable with. Right as I approached my team I saw an unfamiliar face and instantly got intimidated. Trying my hardest to avoid him it seemed as if every time I looked over he was examining my every move. Of course that day of practice was a series of conditioning test to see if we were really doing our fitness assignments over the break. The drills consisted of a pattern of sprint got dragged out all along to eighty yard

I believe that I am a product of the environment that I have been raised in. The world that I live in has allowed me to become much more than a unique DNA sequence. I have been fortunate enough to have been blessed with a privileged life. My parents are happily married, have steady and well paying jobs, and love my sister and me immensely. Growing up, I never had to worry about money, whether that be for new clothes or to go on a trip with my church, or if we were going to be able to have a decent meal. I am truly blessed for that and I hope one day I will be able to provide for my future kids in the same way, and I feel the best way to achieve that is through a higher education. The one thing that has been always expected of me is to get

There has been many important events that have occurred since I have been born but there is one in particular that has sparked a light in me that has changed the way i have looked at things. It happened when I was playing with the Sacramento FC and everything was going well until the middle of the season. When we got to the middle of the season things started to look shady. I wasn't getting playing time and that really opened my eyes to reality. Soccer was not the only thing that I needed to do in order to have a good life. I needed to start focusing on my dreams and different routes to success other then just soccer. It really showed what I need to do in order to survive in the real world. If it was not for my family's support through this

Soccer is my passion because it has given me so many opportunities in life and I have most of my best memories from playing soccer. Ever since I was young years old soccer has been my number one sport, I have played other sports like basketball, softball, volleyball and tennis but soccer has been the main one that has stuck with me. Soccer has benefited my life in so many ways it has helped me stay in shape, meet new people, go to places I have never been before, taught me how to be a great leader, improved my reaction skills and fastened my decision making skills in tough situations. This sport has relieved my stress lowered my anxiety levels and overall has made me a happier person. Soccer has helped me so much with my anxiety and I am thankful

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?

I was told that on the day of my birth, the operating room was overcrowded with medical staff, bright

In my case I have been on many different select teams. Soccer to me is a way of life. It is a grueling sport that will kick your butt. Many people say they played soccer before. But the people that stick with it know just as well as I do that soccer is one of the toughest sports on earth.

When I was six years old I moved from Colorado to New Mexico. At the end of my junior year of high school I found out that I was moving back to Colorado. I was full of emotions that made me hate the world. I had thought of every possibility on how to stay in nm and finish high school. At the time I was talking to a girl that I really liked and had a lot of very close friends. I wasn’t the kind of kid to go out and do things with people but during the second half of my junior year I made some friends that I started to do things with. It was as if I had finally made all my friends and found people who I wanted to be around but it was all being taken away from me. One of my brothers still lived in nm and my plan was to stay in nm with him and

I have known it for fifteen years. For fifteen years I have lived, breathed, and marveled at it. I am only eighteen years old meaning it has taken up almost all of my life. I know nothing else but this, and it is soccer. Soccer has been my lifestyle ever since I was able to walk and it has been what keeps me going and keeps me motivated in life. Soccer has made me who I am today and has taught me almost everything I have ever needed to know.

It was the end of the 8th grade, and that love and passion I had all my life for the sport was gone. I didn't have that feeling when I touched a soccer ball and it all just seemed to fade away. During this time, of not playing soccer, I lost myself. I started doing poorly in school, found different friends, and really began to take a different path in life. I began to care more about fitting in and being cool, and I lost the sport that I loved the most.

“Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority” (vince lombardi) For me football started during the seventh grade, and is with me to this day, it take countless hours and many bruises to have a chance of succeeding on just a single play but what i think you must have in football and in life to succeed at your dream is perseverance.

I grew up with a love towards sports. Sure I started off in ballet and gymnastics but one day my best friend told me I should play soccer with her. So of course I begged my mom to let me do another sport. Little did I know soccer would have such a big impact on my life. I started off with playing recreational league soccer. My first coach, was my softball coach, and he decided I would be a perfect forward. As the years went on and I got a different coach my position changed. I went from a forward to a midfielder then finally a defender.

Walking out on the field clothed in full confidence, I have no doubt in my mind that our team will perform to our fullest potential. As a team captain, fear is something that I keep locked away in my mind; however, I still get butterflies before every game. Before each game, I inhale two puffs, stretch every muscle, and sing to myself to remain placid. When praying for strength, courage, and protection, it is like the Holy Ghost enters my players and kindles inside of them. Their focus shifts from what could go wrong to what will go right and what they will do to help the team. When I walk on the field, my heart begins to feel like it is about to beat out of my chest, and I feel like someone is trying to take over my kingdom. On the field I am home, I have purpose, and I have a sense of belonging. While I may feel like I am suffocating, I still continue to pump my

“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.