How Soccer Changed My Life
Fury. Depression. Disgust. Shame. C team again. Nothing has hurt or changed my life like the disappointment of being relegated to C team as a sophomore. I fell in love with soccer when I was eight years old, and it has remained my passion to this day. From the feeling of winning a header to completing a perfect pass or even just messing around with friends, it is the most sensational feeling I know. I never expected this beautiful game to cause me so much pain.
I realized this was the thing for me all the way back when I was making friends on the soccer field in elementary school. I made the Maple Valley Premier Rapids team and never looked back. Every waking moment from then on was devoted to my soccer obsession. I remember days I would come …show more content…
I was going to eat, breathe, and live soccer. I trained harder throughout the off season for high school tryouts, working out in the gym at school and at home for countless hours to get stronger and bigger as the coaches requested. I improved my bench press to 150 pounds. I did everything I could think of to prepare for the upcoming season.
When the time for tryouts came however, this did not matter and my rejection was swift. After two days of tryouts, the coaches had made their decision: I was put on the freshman team as a sophomore. It is difficult to explain how humiliating that was to me. It was like Brazil losing to Germany 7-1 in Brazil in the last World Cup. I, of course, was Brazil. And like Brazil, I had anticipated a better finish.
I had two choices: I could quit or I could suck it up. I chose the latter. I came to practice early. I stayed late. I listened to my coach. I would not let this setback determine my fate. It was painful watching my friends on the turf field having fun and being successful while I was isolated on the beaten up grass field. However, I knew that I had to make this work for me. I took my anger and channeled it into something positive. I made new friends. I learned new skills and took on leadership roles. I practiced old skills until they were effortless and automatic. Even though this experience negatively impacted me, I learned that failure builds
I realized this was the thing for me all the way back when I was making friends on the soccer field in elementary school. I made the Maple Valley Premier Rapids team and never looked back. Every waking moment from then on was devoted to my soccer obsession. I remember days I would come …show more content…
I was going to eat, breathe, and live soccer. I trained harder throughout the off season for high school tryouts, working out in the gym at school and at home for countless hours to get stronger and bigger as the coaches requested. I improved my bench press to 150 pounds. I did everything I could think of to prepare for the upcoming season.
When the time for tryouts came however, this did not matter and my rejection was swift. After two days of tryouts, the coaches had made their decision: I was put on the freshman team as a sophomore. It is difficult to explain how humiliating that was to me. It was like Brazil losing to Germany 7-1 in Brazil in the last World Cup. I, of course, was Brazil. And like Brazil, I had anticipated a better finish.
I had two choices: I could quit or I could suck it up. I chose the latter. I came to practice early. I stayed late. I listened to my coach. I would not let this setback determine my fate. It was painful watching my friends on the turf field having fun and being successful while I was isolated on the beaten up grass field. However, I knew that I had to make this work for me. I took my anger and channeled it into something positive. I made new friends. I learned new skills and took on leadership roles. I practiced old skills until they were effortless and automatic. Even though this experience negatively impacted me, I learned that failure builds