I took my first step on the lush, green grass and my cleats sunk down deep into the dirt. The blazing hot sun turned my cheeks red as sweat dribbled down my face. Heat scorched my little body because of my green jersey, black shorts, black socks, and black cleats. Parents cheered as their babies were about to begin a love for something that would last a lifetime. The referee blew his intense whistle with an extremely high pitch and I felt it surge through my veins; the game had begun. I felt the perfectly round black and white ball at my feet as a dribbled with the best control I knew. Motivation took over me as I strove to get the ball into the net. I craved the smell of the citrus coming from the sideline where the oranges were awaiting my team as our halftime snack; that was everyone’s favorite part. I was getting close to the goal. As the ball departed my foot and flew into the net with what seemed like such ease, the parents cheered for me, the coach praised me, and my teammates hugged me. I had scored my first goal in a sport I began to love, soccer.
Playing soccer has been a big part of my life for the last twelve years. It has taught me many life lessons while at the same time allowing me to meet new friends and make many amazing memories. I have played soccer for most of my life, since I was five years old, and it has had an evident impact on my life ever since. I have enjoyed my time playing soccer and miss it dearly now that the time has come I must move on.
Soccer has taught me many life lessons over the years that I have played. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is to be a good sport, win or lose. Through my journey thus far I’ve learned being pessimistic when things do not go my way does not get me anywhere. That goes along with having an optimistic attitude and learning to take and deal with things as they come. Through all the hard practices that I have encountered and playing against the toughest teams around I have learned that hard work does pay off. The feeling of working hard at practice to face a tough team and then coming out with a victory can be compared to just about every day of life. You will always encounter obstacles in life but regardless of the situation or outcome keeping a positive mindset is the key to success. There will always be those times, much like the games, that no matter how hard I work it will not be enough to win, but even then being discouraged won’t allow for improvement. I have learned we must take things in strides and come to terms with that fact that while everything will not always go the way as hoped it simply means working harder next time and keeping a positive attitude.
Soccer has also taught me how important teamwork is and to trust the people around me. After my parents got divorced when I was four, I won’t lie... I trusted no one. But soccer allowed me to rebuild my trust with people I had on my side. When playing a game, it is impossible to succeed without the help of teammates. They are vital in providing the direction and encouragement that helps me to be a better player. Similarly, in all other endeavors of life, my family members and friends have acted as teammates helping me through this game we call life, pointing me in the right direction and always willing to lend me a hand. An instance where this applies is my current experience with the entire college application process. It has been a daunting and intimidating task to find the schools that I really like and would be realistic for my family’s monetary position. But none the less I have had nothing but full support along the way. Family taking time out of their day to help me research, taking me to visit campuses, and taking me to early morning SAT/ACT