Personal Reflection Of Joining A Special Education Soccer Team

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.

I had apprehensively tried out for high school soccer, knowing that kids from surrounding towns, who had all played travel on flashy, winning, teams, would be my competition. All I had wanted was to make that freshman team, to be part of a soccer program that in recent years had been a championship winning team. Fortunately my hard work payed off and I made that team. It was during my time in the school soccer program that I had not only grew as a player but met some of the people that I now call my best friends. The team required dedication,

It gave me friends for life, unforgettable memories, and much more. I play a lot of soccer outside of school for different teams, but the feeling of playing for the school gave me a different feeling especially toward the end of my 12th grade year. I was the Captain of the team for 2 years. The players looked up to me when they were down, had problems, or lacked confidence. It felt special that I could impact a person that much just in a few words, “Rodrigo, you are much better than how you are playing” or “Aaron you’re one of the best keepers I have ever seen.” Simple stuff like that would make a difference in their playing. I could go on and on about it. One of the most important lessons I got from playing here is that, one can’t do everything themselves at one point they’ll need help. This is from the fact I would try to do things myself sometimes, and when my teammates would help me it would go much smoother. This will benefit me later in life because the “Do it myself” mentality I had out on the field I had off it as well. I have always been like that. However, after my last season I know the power of doing work together. I will always reach out for help when I can in order to get things

I was a trainer for a little league team for a little over a year until we lost the championships and many kids left the team. I trained them well with the help of my coach, which recently passed away 2 years ago. We pushed them to the limits. Their endurance was astonishing for kids of age 8 and under. My coach and I showed them how to work as one, to respect one another and to connect during the game so they can come up with a method on how to score on the opposite team. We played over 20 games and without uncertainty, we won roughly 12 or 13 games continuously. Everything we did was to win the game and push ourselves to the limit to attain what we desired. The whole team got a medal for being runner-up, but most of us were dissatisfied with the effort we gave. Many kids that left the team either joined a different team which would be able to show them different skills and trainings on how to become better and the others that stayed, exercised as hard, determined as ever to win the next

The next big milestone in soccer for me was when I was a freshman in high school. I went to Troy High and didn 't think I was good enough to play high school soccer. If it wasn’t for my best friend’s dad, I really wouldn 't have played. He told me that I would regret not playing and that I had a lot of potential. I decided to try out with my three best friends and we all ran and did exhausting fitness exercises for weeks during tryouts. First, we’d have to do five laps around the track. In the beginning of the season, those five laps are a killer. By the end of the second one, I am usually out of breath. After that, we’d get into groups and do stations, like jumping over bars or doing sit-ups and push-ups, basically anything to get us into shape. The third part of practice was sprinting. I like sprints because I am way better at running faster for one-hundred yards, than doing a long distance run. The next part of tryouts were the best, all the girls would get put into two teams and we’d just scrimmage so he could see our real soccer skills. Coach Haviland, who was the varsity coach, decided teams after the tough two weeks. He said I had a little maturing to do on the field and that I will be on varsity in no time. I was shocked! I didn 't even think he was considering me. I had a lot of fun with the Junior Varsity team and made lots of friends. By

I first became involved with the sport when I was 9-years-old and will probably continue with the sport until I graduate. Being a part of this team has shaped me into the person I am today. I have become a role model for my younger teammates. I am someone who can motivate them to work their hardest and help them achieve their goals by guiding them. I have spent many hours, whether it be during practice or after, coaching these younger teammates, or girls trying out for my team, in order to help out my coaches and show these girls that if they ever need any help I will always be available. This has taught me to step up and be a leader, which is something 9-year-old me would have never

Many people never understand the importance of team sports and activities until they have been a part of one. Being involved in a team demonstrates personal strengths can be used to grow as a team. Being a part of my soccer team, Fox Run, for seven years of my life truly changed every person on the team. Even though our team has split apart due to seniors graduating, the lessons we learned will continue to last forever. From fourth grade to eleventh, the sport through Fox Run has shown me to respect others, create lasting friendships, and persevere through the wins and losses.

Approximately four years ago, twelve of us accepted a position on team that none of us, not only knew anything about, but also did not expect much from. We were twelve individuals that were seeking a college soccer experience at the division I level and if you ask any of those girls back then, none of them could have predicted the reality of the four years that we would ultimately spend here. This team had experienced heartbreak in freshman year on many levels, battled through the pain of losing in the semi-finals of sophomore year, and again losing in the finals last year. To be a part of this program is unlike any experience I’ve had before. There is always a supportive and positive environment; there is always progress being made every

It would be a completely different situation if Charles just decided he wanted to play soccer for the school one day having never played before because an inexperienced player with a disability could prove to be a detriment to himself and others on the field during a contact sport like soccer. However, Charles’ background with soccer participation should speak for itself. In this case, the school district is looking at Charles like a disabled person and that’s all they see him for, but with that much experience on the pitch, Charles could not only have an impact but be a great player for his team. The experience that comes with playing a sport for that long is nothing to be underestimated and anyone with that much understanding of the game, whether they have a disability or not, most likely knows how to handle himself in a game or practice

Throughout my high school career, I have been blessed with the students and teachers that have surrounded me. Thankfully I have never engaged in heated discussions with others in order to defend my beliefs. On the soccer field, I can say the same, however, I did speak up on matters that caught my attention regarding team efforts and the chemistry among my teammates.

Before joining allied soccer - a program that affords students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in interscholastic sports alongside their non-disabled peers, I paid no attention to people with disabilities and wouldn’t even interact with them. However, what happened on the day of the championship made me change my mind.

In grade six I started playing competitive soccer in Calgary Minor Soccer Association. Soccer is a team sport, because I was more concerned about the team winning I did not focus on my own success and instead my teams. Since I was not as concerned about my own personal development in the sport, I was not as concerned about my own personal development in life.

Last year I was turned down by the program due to lack of leadership and a few other options. This was very disappointing, but I realized that it was entirely true. I set out to help the community and that’s when I realized I could be a leader doing what I love with a program called Top Soccer. Top Soccer is a program that provides kids with mental disabilities the opportunity to play and experience the game of soccer. This program instantly caught my

I used to believe that soccer was, well, just soccer. I'd play for my rec team, in which would consist of one practice and one game a week. Nothing special, and not too stressful. After I got tired of rec soccer, I joined a travel team. To be specific it was the Mahwah Raiders. It was a step up from rec, I now had two practices and one game a week. This wasn't too crazy for me- I was fine with the timing and schedule of everything.

That day, I met a group of 13 boys, out of shape, lacking fundamentals, but willing to learn. I, along with a few other old teammates, understood that we needed to push these kids to their physical limits, and ran them until we got tired. The other coaches I worked with were both around the same age as me, but all came from different schools, granting us a multitude of drills to make sure the kids advanced as fast as possible. Although our viewpoints on how to manage the team may have differed at times, we had the same common goal, making these boys better at