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.

There comes a time when you have to grow up or are forced to. You learn from past experiences and base your recent scenarios from it. Since the age of five, soccer has been part of my life. From having practice twice a week, to having practice every day of the week not including games. I felt like soccer was my pathway to success. I felt like I could do big things from it and I had all the confidence in the world but never would show it when others asked me if I was good. I’m the shy quiet girl that shows you what I’m capable of without saying a single word.

Soccer has always been a love of mine. Without soccer I would be a much different person; it has shaped my identity. I have had many injuries that have restricted the amount of time I was allowed to play soccer, and while I was sitting there on the

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

At the age of five I had fallen in love with the game of soccer, but my condition would make it more

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

I did a bunch of sports and I liked doing sports and going to practices but after doing things for 8 years it gets kinda boring and you lose interest in something you don’t love. I just liked sports and people said I was good at them but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I had a bunch of coach’s ruin my liking of sports so let me tell you the full story.

I enjoy playing the game of soccer. This "get away" allows myself to calm down and get caught up in the complex strategy of the simple task. On the pitch, I feel like a leader; as if people listen to me. I believe I can change the morality of my teammates with merely my body language. I enjoy the thrill of problem solving situations as if it is instinct. The freedom I feel playing the game gives me a break from my stressful life. To be able to forget about school and society for a few hours and practice soccer makes me who I am. With the opportunity I was given in this life it only seems just to give back. This game has changed me for the better and I feel it is truly something special to be able to share this game with children in a poor state.

Before: Exemplary grades. 3.82 GPA actually. Starting varsity football player, though I was only a sophomore. A beautiful girlfriend of two years. Confidence. Social life. Motivation.

Soccer is my favorite sport. I started playing soccer when I was five years old. My dad coached my team, as well as all of my other brothers, up until we became ten. By that time I went to tryouts for club. WSA was a great club, and that’s where I started my advanced competition soccer. I made it to a select level team, and it was a great first year. I met knew people and we played tournaments in the summer, but had regular season games in the fall. I was on U-11 which meant Under 11. I continued playing with WSA from U-11, my first year, to U-14 when they merged with the Timbers. When I was playing at U-14 the club was completely different. Much bigger, many knew faces, players and coaches. I had stayed on the same team all of those years

Soccer is an awesome sport that most people love to play! But soccer involves lots of skills you need to know. Especially the scissor, the scissor helps you get around the other team and their defenders. Some people have a lot of trouble doing the scissor and need to learn it so their comfortable doing this skill. Before learning how to do a scissor some equipment will be needed. Soccer cleats to help yourself grip to the ground, possibly shin guards, socks to cover your shin guards, and a blown up soccer ball, make sure it’s your size!

Soccer has been my passion ever since I was a young child and my love for the game is always growing. I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge of the game by playing with various teams, but I know there is always more to learn. Watching how hard people, such as the pros, work for what they have reached inspires me, which is why I always try my best in practice and try to improve everyday. I try to be the most hardworking player in practice and in the games, but as captain of both my club and high school team, I try to encourage all of my teammates as well. Living in a small community, far from bigger oportunities, I feel like I haven't been able to fully show more people what I'm truly capable of. I believe that because of my determination,

Have you ever played soccer? Well it’s a fairly easy yet a challenging sport. If you have ever played, you will know that it’s very hard. You can only use your feet and you can get penalized for using anything else. Also there are tons of people fighting against you to stop you from scoring. Soccer, in many ways, is like life because there is a “goal” that you need to put your ball into to win the game. My goals are divided into three different parts; short, midterm, and long term goals. My short term goals includes graduating in four years, while my midterm goal is to pass my LSAT and get into Law School. After law school, I plan to reach my long term goal of becoming a successful lawyer.

The bell to signal the beginning of break rang loudly throughout the school. A thunderstorm of footsteps followed, imitating the sound of galloping horses. Everyone was rushing to reach their respective destinations. I cautiously and slowly walked out of my unbelievably difficult math class and headed towards the soccer field at the other side of the mazey school. I constantly worry that one day I may get lost in the many large corridors. Nevertheless, today I was determined to reach my destination of the soccer field. I walked trepidatiously along the hallway, avoiding eye contact with any of the older kids. Many of the older kids are frightening, you never know when they may pick on you. Even their presence makes me feel uneasy. Thankfully, none of them noticed my presence, and I arrived at the packed soccer field without any confrontation whatsoever.