Personal Narrative: The Girls Soccer Team

Canada Soccer First, One morning I get the most amazing news of my life! We are going to Canada. We are packed and ready to go on the eight hour trip. It’s been about 5 hours

I knew once I stepped through those doors that was home for me. Two weeks later I transferred and started January 4, 2016 the first day back from Christmas break. I was ecstatic, happy, and nervous, but I knew I made the right choice and every day after that has been fantastic. I played sports every season, I joined clubs, and most importantly found happiness. I am into to my senior year and it is flying by like a cheetah on skies.

I had never thought that being accepted would actually happen, and I had a suspicion that the school was not real. A month later, I went to build furniture and receive a tour of the school. Just recently, I started getting into my routine of waking up early and having my week almost full of after-school activities. I find it strange and oddly renewing after going to bed at ten and waking up at nine every day. I don’t know what to expect at school this year, but I hope that it won’t have too much of an impact on me.

When I first thought about how soccer impacted my life, nothing really came to mind. I was that kid who mostly looked forward to the end of the game snacks and bringing around the goal jar. But when I actually began thinking about more about playing soccer I realized that soccer was the first place where I was fully submerged into something completely new. I learned how to make friends, how be a leader, and how to have good sportsmanship. These are all things that have made me into the person I am today and it all began on the soccer field.

At 5:45 AM the alarm on my phone blared some generic default tone that I had never gotten around to changing. This was probably the earliest I’ve ever gotten up in my entire life. I groggily removed myself from the pile of blankets on the floor that I had been sleeping in and headed for the shower, brushed my teeth, washed my face and searched my near empty closet for something to wear on my first day of school. Although I was absolutely exhausted and there was yet to be any furniture in my room, I was thrilled to be transferring to Pattonville High School in midst of my junior year and living in a bigger house in a better community.

Participating in high school soccer has taught me many life lessons, of which “determination” was the most important. At Fleetwood High School, soccer is a highly respected sport. As a freshman, I competed against many talented upper classmen for a spot on the team. Being one of the youngest players trying out was intimidating, but it forced me to establish a goal for myself. I was determined to, not only make the team, but to make the varsity team.

I have been playing soccer since before I could even walk. In fact, I joined my first soccer team at the age of five. Soccer is something I have always loved and been passionate about. When I was on the co-ed recreation league teams I was one of the only girls on my team, so I had to compete with boys who doubted me and thought I was weak. I worked hard during practice and out of practice to become better and, eventually, I became more aggressive than them.

“Matt,y you will be starting forward now,” Mr. K. said right before I nervously stepped onto the field, sweating like a man in a sauna. The whole summer I practiced soccer with my dad for two hours a day to make the team my sixth grade year. I wasn’t looking to start, I was just looking to make the team. While my friends were at the beach or at friend’s house, I would be playing soccer.

“Congratulations, this is the 2013-2014 Mission Vista Men’s Varsity Soccer team.” I still remember the words coming out of my high school coach’s mouth as he spoke to the new varsity team after tryouts. I was the shortest and one of the youngest players on the team, but my passion for the game was not any less than anyone on the team. I was one of the only three sophomores on the team with a team dominated by juniors and seniors.

While soccer is singled out as one of my very strong passions, I find myself playing harder and smarter during school soccer. With the help of Craig Rocastle, former professional soccer player and the current coach of Seaman High School, we are undergoing one of the best seasons Seaman High has ever had. Presently after seven games we have yet to face defeat; furthermore, Rocastle pushes our team to the limits and states, “We will fly, I am proud of our season so far but there is still another level in us.” As our team enter each game with new mentalities and expectations we are; in fact, becoming a better team while also handling the task at hand and winning the game.

It was an early Saturday morning in October, when the Panther girls softball team were playing for a third straight win. The two games before that flew by easily, we won both and were playing to be seeded first in the tournaments the next day. The crowd was full of excitement, parents yelling, and the coach yelling at the umpires, because of bad calls. We were nervous because it was a really good team that had 3 of the best players in the state. We had played them in two previous tournaments, and lost on the second day, so this time we were determined to beat them.

Being shoved to the ground and coming up with a mouthful of turf and a bloody nose isn’t the ideal way to spend a friday night, but for me, it's something I put blood, sweat, and tears into. Soccer has been a passion of mine since my father dropped me off at the local YMCA when I was at the tender age of four. Spending all of my free days for thirteen years running after a soccer ball is arguably what made me into the person I am today. Unity, tenacity, passion and pride have all been morals that are valued within the sport and in my own philosophy. I have explored places I’d never give a second thought to because my sport took me there.

Last year I became captain on the Soccer Varsity team of my high school. Being captain isn’t just being the head of all the girls, but is doing the best for the team. My goal was to work as a team in and outside the field, and working together to win and have fun. But my conflicts with certain girls were getting in the way, because how can I expect them to do a certain thing if I’m not setting an example. I chose to talk to those girls, set things straight and set an example to my teammates.

One of my best days was when my soccer team won the championship. I won several other championships ,but with other teams. This was my first season playing with this team. The major characters in this event were me, my teammates, my coaches and the parents. This event took place in a park at sanger during the summer.

One of the most significant activities in my life would have to be soccer ever since I got a hold of the ball in 10th grade, it sparked my interest and a fire was ignited. It simply stared with a few friends asking me to join them then slowly progressed into everyday after school I would go outside to kick around the ball, I never really knew it was for me until I started getting more into it, soccer became my outlet more like an escape for me, it was somewhere I could go when I needed to be alone just the ball and I. Honestly, I never knew that it would affect me in the way it has, it started out as a just for fun kind of thing, then it escalated into actually playing games, turning more into a passion and I could actually see myself in the