Personal Narrative: How Soccer Changed My Life

The bright lights illuminated down on the tore up soccer field. The scent of sweat filled the air, with the loud cheer of parents in the background. The scoreboard read 2-1, and the game was over. After a grueling 90 minutes of playing, the game had been decided by a single goal; a goal that had not gone my team's way. For me, it meant the end of my season, but for some of my teammates, it had a heavier impact. After 12 years of hard work and dedication and commitment, it was all over. They had just played in their last organized soccer game. When this thought first past their minds it left them in shock; after the initial shock came tears. The tears quickly spread from seniors to juniors to sophomores until the whole team was either crying

In my younger years, practices were always on Tuesdays and Thursdays and games were on Sunday. Once I entered high school practices went from two days a week to every day. For three months at the beginning of school, it was soccer every day, no breaks. Playing a sport takes and teaches commitment. Sure, there were the occasional days when I would have liked to skip practice due to a heavy load of homework, hanging out with friends, or just plain being exhausted, but you learn that with commitment comes reward and a feeling of satisfaction in yourself. I knew attending practices was only going to make me better and raise my level of play. In addition, I would not want to let my teammates or coach down. They were relying on me to perform at my optimal level. Especially with this being my last year and a leader of the team, I was selected to be a Captain. As a Senior and team Captain, I learned to be a role model and set good examples. Finally, I learned the importance of how to keep track of my social life, my school life, and my soccer life. Juggling all three of these things was a daunting challenge at times while each held their own importance in my life. Soccer taught me about time management and learning to prioritize different areas in my