Personal Narrative: My Sophomore

Adrian Martinez
Essay Assignment #1
Section 12
09/07/10
Making The Team
One of my challenges was in my Sophomore year when I didn't make the varsity team because I was not in good condition. The other challenge happen in my junior year when I got injured a week before the championship game and I had to recover before the game. When I was a sophomore I tried out for the varsity soccer team at my school but I did not make it, because I was not at that level. Some of the reason I did not make it were ,because I was overweight, slow, not strong enough and would put too much pressure on myself so I was not able to complete a pass or a shot. Those were the things I needed to work on so I could become a better soccer player. I was really upset
because I really wanted to play for the varsity team because I wanted to get look at, on the junior varsity, no one looks at you. So you would be a no one in the junior varsity In 2008, I did what I could to improve my soccer skills so I could be a good soccer player.. When I tried out my junior year, I made the soccer team, as a starter. I was exited that I was one of the star players in the team. One game I got injured and I could not play for a while so I had to recover because I wanted to play in the championship game.
The summer of 2008 I began to eat healthy so I could start to build muscle and lose weight. I stopped eating fast food,drinking,sodas, and any drinks that were bad for me, so I would just drink water every day. I drank about like ten bottles every day or even more. I drank plenty water because I wanted to be hydrated before the game or practice because when I am playing my body is using the water that is in my body and my muscles needs the nutrition. If I am not hydrated the day before my muscles are going to be cramping. I ran four times a week so I could get into shape so I would not be tired. I would always do two hundred pushups and sit ups every day before I went to sleep so I could become stronger and I always practiced in my back yard with my shooting and tricks so when I was in my game I would come out natural because when you practice plenty of times your mind and movement will become as if you’re breathing. I joined an adult soccer team so I could get over pressuring myself and learn how to calm myself down. I also learn how to pass the ball faster, because if I hold on to the ball to long I got hit or pushed around. But it also help me play quicker because very one was older then me and faster then me. But playing in the adult team made me be a smarter player it made me think and a stronger player.
When I tried out for the varsity team again my junior year the coaches were so surprised how my level in soccer had changed, and how much better I had gotten.
I made the team my junior year. Although I did not start the first games because the coach would put some of his favorite players in but one game he put me in second half and no one would get pass me. I was taking all the all the balls away from the opponents and also winning them in the air. After that game I became the starter for every game. It felt good because there were only seven juniors on the team and I was one out of three juniors that started every game. But I was really clad for myself because all the hard work I did over the summer paid off. We were in a tournament and were playing to go to the finals. We won 7 -1. I scored my first goal in that game. When I thought everything was going good one of the opponent player slide and hit me in the knee with his cleats and I just fell and I could not walk because it was the worst pain in the
world.
When I got injured my physical therapist told me that I was not able to play for two weeks, that hurt me because the final was in a week so I was really sad.
When I got home I iced my knee every time before going to go play and every night before I went to bed. I also stretch every day so it could hurt less but I kept going to practice. I would just walk, also jock and stretch the whole practice. Then the pain would go away little by little. One day, before the final game I was able to sprint and run but the problem it would hurt me if I would stop right away. So in the final the other team players were really fast and would make a lot of stops so my knee would hurt but I would just push myself. That was a day that everyone in was telling me to keep trying. I could do it and just push myself, thanks to my team mates support I played fantastic because I knew they were there for me. I also knew that if I or someone else in my team messed up that we wouldn't tell bad things. We would support the player by saying “its okay you will get it next time just try your best. We won the championship game and game back with the First place trophy for the second year in a
row.
One of my challenges was that I did not make the varsity team my sophomore year because I wasn't at the level yet. So I tried to develop my soccer skill in the summer by running everyday. Eating healthier and also playing in a adult league. My other challenge was that I got injured a week before the championship game. I trained my self by icing my knee, stretching it out and doing my own drills that would help me cure my knee faster. This help me change as a person because it made me think that I could do anything that I want to do but I just have to put the hard work and the effort on it. But It also change me as a soccer player because I increased my soccer skill but it made me smarter player and it made me think that I could keep trying my hardest to become the best soccer player that I can.