Back into the story of me when I was on the soccer team. Being on the team in the first year of high school brings lots of honor, as much as pressure. I have to show them that I have enough ability to play with people who are older than me. For that reason, I decided to train very hard in order to prepare for the city’s soccer league. I was always the first one who went to the training camp and the last one who left there. It was the first
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.
Keeping up with other players was definitely a test of my abilities, but at the high school level my drive and tenacity seemed to pay off. In my freshman year, I kept up with some of the best players on the team during preseason testing, and by sophomore year I had earned a spot on the varsity squad. It was in this sophomore season that I truly saw the culmination of my hard work. It was a frigid day in late November and my team was playing for glory in the New Jersey State Championship. It felt as though all my years of enduring health issues and training had led up to this point in my soccer career – it was time to prove myself. I remember pushing my body beyond its limits that day, and I will never forget the indescribable feeling of holding the championship trophy with my team after we won the state championship for our school. I realized that my zeal for the game of soccer lead to the fortitude that continues to drive me
Keeping up with other players was definitely a test of my abilities, but at the high school level my drive and tenacity seemed to pay off. In my freshman year, I kept up with some of the best players on the team during preseason testing, and by sophomore year I had earned a spot on the varsity squad. It was in this sophomore season that I truly saw the culmination of my hard work. It was a frigid day in late November and my team was playing for glory in the New Jersey State Championship. It felt as though all my years of enduring health issues and training had led up to this point in my soccer career – it was time to prove myself. I remember pushing my body beyond its limits that day, and I will never forget the indescribable feeling of holding the championship trophy with my team after we won the state championship for our school. I realized that my zeal for the game of soccer lead to the fortitude that continues to drive me
Two years ago I played my first high school soccer season and it was one of the best experiences I had related with this sport, but what made it special was the last game we faced. Just like Forrest Gump quoted, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” This is how the surprise started; some friends and I were moved up from freshman team to the JV team and we were excited to compete for some game time. Even though we had very low chances, we gave our 100% in the few training sessions we had to earn a spot. Friday night arrived; I was frightened and shocked to face the best team in our district.
Growing up in America with Taiwanese-American parents has shaped my life and my personality. In Georgia there are little to no areas with Taiwanese influences and culture. Therefore when we were younger, my sister and I went to school together in an area where there weren’t many Asian families residing.
Last year, I had been one of three sophomores to make the varsity soccer team. I was proud to be part of the elite group and motivated by the opportunity to play with the upperclassman. The season kicked off with a promising start. Coach gave me encouraging feedback and significant playing time as he tried to determine my position on the field. Game after game, I kept earning more opportunities
Strolling into my last hour of the day like any other, only to find that there was a substitute, another day of busy work instead of reviewing for the test. I sat in my assigned seat in the back of the class as usual, while the sub introduced himself.
Joining a new club soccer team coupled with almost daily workouts allowed me to improve my skills in the offseason. The feeling of going into tryouts being so prepared allowed a new level of confidence to emerge in myself. With only two starting spots open, working hard from the very start was necessary in order for me to prove myself to coach. After making the team again, I knew giving my best effort couldn’t end here. I showed up to practices with a positive attitude, always ready to work hard. When the preseason scrimmages, long practices, and exhausting fitness checks were over, the feeling of having earned a starting spot was incredibly satisfying. Now, not only am I working hard to keep up my starting spot, but I am hoping my attitude will rub off on everyone and make the team stronger. Afterall, soccer is a team sport; and the possibility of winning a state title in the near future adds to my ambition to perform well for my teammates every time I step on the field.
Doing the right thing is the thing that matters the most. It was November twelfth in twenty
When I started my soccer career during my freshman year, I began in the junior varsity team. I was not so familiar with sports until I started playing football and soccer. I once believed that I was not good enough to join the team, but after committing myself to conditioning and being determined to give my best to every practice, I proved myself wrong. Not only did I make it to the team, however I was also a starting player. For the following year, my sophomore year, I transferred into a different high school. There, I played in the Varsity team as a right defense for my sophomore and junior year. This year, 12th grade, I will be a captain for the soccer team. I was able to not only build strong friendships with my teammates, but also with
Entering that room, nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. As I sat there my heart dropped when I heard the words, "you made the team", "you are not going to play much", and "if you tryout next year you will not make the team". I was in such a daze as I reemerged from the room. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of me and I was having trouble understanding what had just happened. I had never felt disappointment like I did in that moment in my entire life. Soccer had been the only sport I knew for 8 years. Change had always been a struggle for me since I was little so I was aware that trying a new sport was going to be difficult. Field hockey captains practices were held during the summer, so I decided to go to one and
“Go Spartans Go!” screamed the crowd as we took the field. I felt nervous, with sweat dripping from my face and my hands feeling moist. The moment I took my position, I felt destined to be the best player on the field and thought to myself, “I can do it.” It was my first start for my career as a varsity soccer player for Brookfield East. I wanted to make every opportunity count. I could smell the scent of the freshly cut grass and the aroma of the concession stand. The referee blew his whistle and we were off to the races. The first 45 minutes went by in a heartbeat and I was exhausted. 5 minutes after halftime, the unthinkable happened. As I was sprinting for the ball, my knee gave out and twisted beneath me. I fell in an instant and I felt
I started my love of sports when I was very young. At three years old, I played flag football for a local youth league. I was not shy and withdrawn like the other kids. I was outgoing and energetic. I don’t know if the other kids were embarrassed to play or they just didn’t understand the game, but the ball always came to me. I loved the attention from stealing a flag and scoring a touchdown. After flag football, I played every sport in every season—soccer, basketball, football, volleyball, and baseball. Every sport was the same—the ball always came to me. I was not necessarily an aggressive player, but I was athletic and demanded a lot of play time because I knew I could get