Ever since I can remember I’ve lived life with a ball at my feet. I started playing soccer when I was three, fell in love, and never looked back. Most of my childhood memories consists of sweaty shinguards and weekends spent at soccer complexes and hotels all over Texas. I was learning how to kick, pass, and shoot, before I knew how to read or subtract. I wouldn't be the person I am today without the influence of the coaches and friends that I have met throughout my soccer career. The late night practices, aching muscles, and long car rides have all added up to create the person I am today. Growing up as an athlete wasn’t always easy, but it taught me how to overcome obstacles, and persevere through pain. Sophomore year, I played an entire season of club ball with a sharp pain in my calf, and was too scared to say anything about it because I knew that an injury meant falling behind. The pain started off small, but each time I played it became less and less bearable. There came a point when I would look at my mom on the sidelines in tears and tell her that I couldn't do it anymore. I remember the frustration I felt when I finally went to the doctor and they couldn't tell me what was wrong, but ended up putting me in a boot anyways. I was going to miss my last few games and the next seasons tryouts. I was devastated. The pain and …show more content…
My childhood idols weren’t princesses or pop stars, they were players. People like David Beckham, Abby Wambach, and Alex Morgan were examples of people who had the drive and persistence to make it big in soccer, something very few people will ever achieve. The day my parents got married, the U.S. Women’s National Team played for the 1999 World Cup. My mother refused to walk the aisle until she knew whether they had won. Soccer isn't just a sport for me, it's a part of my identity, and has been a huge part of my family since before I was even
At the age of ten I was the most energetic, go-lucky, confident girl. I excelled at my beloved sport, soccer. I had been playing since I was just a mere five years old, far longer than the other girls. Playing so long had helped me be at a higher level of skill than most of the other players on my team.
This was just a few words, but it had a deeper meaning when my dad sat me down. Soccer has always been a driving passion of mine, so when I got to high school my dad explained to me the week before tryouts how I would have to try my hardest and not give up on something I loved. Soccer was the best thing to happen to me when I made the team; soccer allowed for me to meet so many amazing and talented girls; soccer made it possible to get out of this shell I built around myself, and even find my best friend. Stepping onto that large open green field, the humidity that hung the air making my jersey stick to my back, my too tight of cleats that were doubled socked were something I loved feeling, and it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t commit myself to my activity, and drive my desire
This game has a number of different strategies, and I believe that I have finally found the most successful way. This sport has taught me that grit and perseverance are two keys to self produced success, and that a team can accomplish more than an individual ever will. My soccer experience is one that has helped to shape me into the hardworking and determined individual I am today, although I do believe that the time is right to let go of the past and focus on the future. I chose to end my soccer career because I feel that in order to live my life to its fullest potential, it’s necessary to focus my individualistic purpose towards helping others, something I believe can be found through the study of
“ Run Agatha, Run,” my mom and dad would yell to me as I ran the soccer ball down the field past other players. Soccer was my sport, it was what I was destined to do, if I wasn’t doing that I would not know where I would be in life. My mom had put me into this sport when I was only 4 years old and ever since then I couldn’t stop playing.I was the best on my team and getting a scholarship for my dedication and hard work. My siblings, Jennifer and Jonathan couldn’t be less interested in sports, let alone soccer. My family and I lived in a small apartment that consisted of 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a kitchen, and a little dining area. My siblings and I barely had anywhere to sleep and food was a problem. I wanted a better future for my family and so soccer was the answer to all my prayers.
While studying abroad in Costa Rica my homestay family had a son about my age. I noticed he was wearing a soccer jersey and we began to bond over our favorite international players. He invited me to play in a local soccer tournament. I accepted his offer even though I had no command of the Spanish language and was nervous about not being able to communicate with my teammates. However, once we started playing, the simplistic rules of the game allowed me to speak through my actions. The experience of playing soccer creates a connection that bridges any barrier. This community made me realize that actions and comradery have the ability to communicate in ways that words cannot. Over time I have used my love of the beautiful game to communicate with multicultural communities throughout America, in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and atop Himalayan terraces in Nepal. From the Christmas Truce of World War I to the World Cup every four years the beautiful game’s ability to create love, unify difference, transcend poverty and settle civil unrest translates to the entire world. The fact that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has more countries in membership that than the United Nations attests to this
If I could wake up tomorrow and have one ability or quality it would be being at soccer.I would want to be good at soccer because I like playing soccer but I'm not really good at it.I want to learn more about soccer because I don't know much about soccer.For me soccer is a good sport to do exercise.You can lose wait by playing soccer.I also would like to be good at soccer because I just like how they play it.I think soccer is a good sport to play to have fun.Soccer is what I want to be good in because its fun and to play.I like to be kicking the ball.
I was 4 years old when I made contact with a soccer ball for the first time in my life, it might seem childish but the experience of playing soccer as a child shaped my life forever. Growing up in the threatening background in Caracas, Venezuela, the only extracurricular activity that kept me out of danger some activities, and helped me escape any bad habits that affected most of my friends at an early age was playing soccer, playing soccer made me realized that achieving my goals was possible, therefore, playing soccer shaped my attitude at a young age. However, everything went south when I was diagnosed with a severe groin trauma on my left leg at the age of 10, which prevented me from reaching my highest potential in soccer due to constant
For as long as I can remember I have played soccer every fall and spring with a team. However that all came to an abrupt stop in the ninth grade during high school tryouts when I failed to make the list of about thirty-six boys who made either the junior varsity or varsity soccer team. I was in disbelief and questioned myself, “did I still obtain the desire to continue playing the sport I enjoyed for so long?” After ruminating on this issue, I resolved that I wasn’t going to let this disappointment hold me back from playing a high school sport, and I joined track and field. Track and field was an enjoyable experience where I met many new friends, however my passion for soccer had not died, and I was not content with my failure to make
It isn’t surprising that one of my biggest growing lessons came from soccer, but I think it is ironic that it was not while being a player. Soccer has been my passion for years and I now have a new respect for referees too. Incorporating lessons like these are what separate children from men, and I feel confident in myself to act more mature in the future. I did not expect for this moment to occur, but this day when I started
They say you never forget your first love, and I never will. I began playing soccer when I was five-years old and continued to play all up until this past winter. That winter I reached my climax. I was trying to make my high school’s varsity soccer team and be recruited by colleges, accordingly, I was practicing more arduous than I ever had and it was paying off. My defining characteristic was my communication on and off the field. From a young age I was constantly articulating to my teammates who was open or what space to dribble too. Duly, when I was on the bench, I continued to yell to my teammates. I was recognized by my coaches; high school, club, and recreational, as a leader, majoritarily due to my conversations. As I gained recognition,
I manufactured the false illusion that I had to choose between sports and the arts. At the time, soccer was the safe choice. I unconsciously resigned myself to a school career founded in athletics that I was quick to pursue instead of the dramatic arts that captured my heart at a young age. From my perspective, the social outcasts were those who did not play competitively, so I felt pressured to blend in with the crowd as a new student. Once I began, however, I lost myself in the game. I attended every meeting, practice, and game. It consumed my life for years upon end, but I wasn’t the only one whose life was devoted. My dad was just as committed as I. He came to be known as the team mascot and our biggest fan. Without fail, he would attend every game and was the first to congratulate us after a win and console us after a loss. He was the rock that kept me grounded, through years of nothing but soccer. But it always felt as if there was something missing. And although I look back fondly on the years I spent in a competitive travel league, I was forgetting something, but I just couldn't put my finger on
e famous town of Argentina, Rosario, lives a little boy with big dreams. In a town where some of the greatest soccer players source from, there has to be something that they have as an advantage. Whether it’s the extreme levels of dedication parents give their children with sports at an early age or the true passion of the game, there’s something that sets these kids apart. One player that some would argue has the most heart and most dedication now controls the modern soccer game, some would even say he is the best. His name is Lionel Messi, and he grew up here, playing soccer every day in these streets, unsatisfied until he was the best. His extreme heart, passion, and drive encourages him. Growing up being diagnosed with a disorder and being faced with the challenges of poverty, Messi soon discovered his life didn’t ride on luck. He would have to work with cards he was dealt and roll with the punches.
Soccer has been the love of my life since I was four years old. I cherished everything about it from the sweet smell of the grass to the most exhilarating feeling of scoring a goal. As a person who thinks too much, soccer is an escape hatch out of a cluttered world. Everything about the beautiful game flows so smoothly, from the first whistle to the last, it is like an well composed symphony where each touch is a note. It motivated me to do better in everything I did. As I continued to play and move through the ranks of soccer I began to enjoy it more with every game I played, my love of the game took me as far as the boundaries of the Midwest, but never further until 2014. On February 14th I experienced a defining moment in my life, playing in the Mayor’s Cup in Las Vegas. We left on a Thursday, as I stepped off the plane and I felt the exhausting heat of Las Vegas. As someone who has played in Wisconsin their whole life, it was a bit of an understatement to say the climate was different. The tournament was set up so there was one game a day for week. As the days slipped by every win felt like a blur, another step to our ultimate goal, the championship. Before we knew it, it was Friday and we had reached the semi-final. Five minutes before the game and our coach, Tony, gestured for us to make a huddle. Tony had never been the greatest at pep talks, and to no surprise he stuck to his track record. He started off by telling us we were a great team, however we were about to
Soccer has always been an important part of my life. From age five I played soccer every summer, winter, spring, and fall. It was my favorite sport, so naturally, the section semi final soccer game of my senior high school career was wildly important to me. The whole day leading up to the game was a blur. My thoughts were only on how to beat Bemidji at their home field. Any extra couple of minutes in class that day was spent watching soccer film. Even on the bus ride up to Bemidji I solely focused on the game. My headphones were blaring playing my pump-up playlist; my thoughts were undividedly attentive on runs and passes I could make, and I ignored everyone around me to get my mind in the game. For how focused I was trying to be, I still could not get the words that my mom had said to me as I walked out the door to school. “It does not matter if you win, as long as you have fun,” she had said it before every game, but this time it did not leave my head. We finally arrived, and after an intense forty-five minutes of warming up, pep talks, and team prayers, we began playing.
As I closed my eyes, I felt the chill of the mud splattered on me. It was raining out and I was afraid that all my hard work had gone out the window. It was one of the first practices, and I needed to get the team educated on the game of soccer. I stood in a worn out men’s soccer uniform discouraged and frustrated. As I opened my eyes, I watched as several different girls started sliding face first through the puddles of mud. They were laughing and talking together. They embraced what the environment had bestowed upon them, and took the time to get to know one another. The mud and rain had brought such a diverse group of girls together. In that moment, I felt the change with every gust of wind. There were twenty girls surrounding me with a common goal and a love for the game. They were all from a diverse background brought together due to this commonality. At this moment of frustration, due to practice being over, they all came together to enjoy life.