How Playing Soccer Shaped Who I Am Today I started playing soccer when I was four years old. At the time I had a lot of problems. To name a few, I was bad at working with others, I was a sore loser, and I did not handle pain or disappointment well. When I started to play soccer I had a low self esteem and was terribly shy. Going up and talking to people was not on my list of things to do. This made it pretty hard for me to fit in with all the other kids and make friends. It was hard to enjoy playing soccer when I felt as though I had no friends on the team. My parents noticed my dislike in the sport, but urged me to keep playing anyway. After playing for the school for two years my parents and I made the decision for me to start playing …show more content…
for an AYSO team in Dowagiac instead. My first year playing for AYSO my coach was Dave Ironside. He was (and still is) the type of coach that cares more about having fun than winning, although winning was still important. During practices, Coach would play with us and as he got past us or took the ball he would joke around with us as well. He knew how to make the hard work fun. Dave also believed highly in showing good sportsmanship. Almost every year that I had Dave as my coach my team would win the sportsmanship award at tournaments. Along with his beliefs in having fun and showing good sportsmanship Coach believed in stepping out of your comfort zone. He pushed me to try playing in positions other than defense, where I was most comfortable. At first I was reluctant, but gradually I became more comfortable playing in almost every position. As the years rolled by I started to enjoy playing soccer. I steadily improved my game and my attitude. Making friends was even getting a little easier. As people commended me for how well I played soccer both my self-esteem and confidence grew. Losses began upsetting me less, because I started to look at them with a different perspective. Instead of wondering what I did wrong I tried to figure out what I could do better. Soccer has also made me tougher. In order to play well you have to be aggressive and unafraid of the ball or other players. Getting hurt comes with playing hard. When I started playing I was a bit of a wimp and was afraid of the ball. Now, I am able to go for headers and chest trap the ball unlike before. This came with many years of being hit repeatedly by the ball that I love so much. At first it would take me a minute to pull myself back together after getting hit, but now I am back at it again within seconds. There was one game a few years ago that I got hit in the face by the ball.
It shattered my glasses and knocked me flat on the ground. My coach gave me an ice pack for my swollen eye and had me sit down while the other kids searched for the remnants of my broken glasses. Once most of the pieces were found the game resumed and I was back on the field. I kept playing hard and at one point took the ball away from a boy on the other team. His coach yelled from the sideline, “Come on! You’re getting schooled by a blind girl!” and everyone laughed. As a sophomore it will be my eleventh year playing soccer. I am excited to keep learning and trying new things and to make new friends as well. Last year I was the only freshman on the team and it felt as though I was trying to play catch up. This year I want to encourage the new freshmen and help them rise to the best of their abilities while I rise to mine. Soccer has helped me to become the person I am today. It has given me the opportunity to build relationships that I would not have made elsewhere. Playing the sport has helped me overcome my issues with anger and has made me tougher as well. I am thankful that my parents pushed me to keep playing when I was younger, because now I adore playing soccer and could not imagine
quitting.
Soccer has guided me in many ways to become the person I am. Especially in high school, the sport has showed me how to be much more cooperative and open with others. Before high school, I isolated myself from others and had only a few close friends. Rather than being a sociable, I acted as though I was the only person in the world and had the outlook that as long as I do what is right individually, there is no need for me to work with others. This outlook changed when I joined the soccer team at Holy Spirit, my high school. With the way soccer is at the high school level, I had no choice but to cooperate and associate my selves with others. Once on the field, instead of introducing myself as "me" I had to introduce myself as a part of the team. You win as a team and you lose as a team. Sometimes I wanted to drive to games myself, and I was not allowed to because we are supposed to travel together and it would be wrong to the team for me to separate myself from the group.
I remember my dad always watching soccer news every night before going to bed. All my family loves soccer, we have this tradition that when a Mexican team plays we all get together to watch the game at my mom’s house. I think that’s what makes me love soccer as much as I do. Playing soccer also helps me to relax and to be confident when I have stress or after a long day at work. It's not just about kicking the ball or scoring
From an early age I always knew I would be playing soccer my whole life. My dad showed me the ropes of how to play and got me interested right away. By the age of three I had started playing, and to this day I have not stopped. Soccer has been a huge part of my life and I don’t know where I would be today if I never played. I met some amazing people playing soccer including my coaches who encouraged me and told me never to give up as well as my teammates who became my friends and were always there for me.
I played soccer since I was seven, as of the last few years I played at a very high level. I have represented Ohio South two times at a regional showcase, I have been invited to participate in a camp in Manchester, England and attended the camp twice. Also last Season for the Newark High School soccer team I was named first team all league and third team all central district. Soccer was the first sport I truly loved to do, I wanted to be the best. I work hours upon hours to master whatever part of the game I wanted to improve on. Soccer has taught me to have a great work ethic, and that mentality came when I was cut from the state team the first time I tried out. It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me, I was destroyed, and I thought I was not good but I knew I could do better. The next year I worked, I got bigger, stronger, faster, my soccer I.Q. was higher;therefore, overall I was a much better player. The result of that work, was that I made the team, but not only, I made the starting line up. After that I knew I could accomplish anything I put my mind to.
Growing up playing soccer has indeed shaped me into the person I am today. At first it was just a sport that I played for enjoyment in the community. Next thing I know I got asked to be on a travel team and compete against teams across the west coast. My parents and I became committed to my soccer profession. I started moving up the ranks pretty rapidly for my age. I was traveling to Vegas, San Francisco, Arizona and other states for
One incident that happened to me that change how I thought about sports was when I first started playing soccer. It all started when my mom said that I should join a sport to get me more active. It took me awhile to choose soccer at first because there were so many sports to choose from. I told my mom I wanted to play soccer. She signed me up to play for a non competitive league (GYSA) so I can learn the basics of the sport. She also told me to play I would have to maintain good grades. After hearing that i always tried my best in soccer and school.
I have always been involved in sports in some way or another. I was team captain in every sport imaginable in elementary school. Junior high I continued to be involved in sports, but it wasn't until high school started that I really got into it. I played soccer, softball and basketball at Rogers High School. I particularly loved soccer. Just playing it gave me a rush I had never felt before. Also knowing that this sport took a lot of hard work and dedication gave me a sense of satisfaction, because I knew that I put everything I had into it. Putting a lot of dedication and hard work into something may prove to be useful in the future.
Athletics have been a part of my life since I was three years old. There has been many great experiences however, the best ones were during my four years of high school playing for Muhlenberg. What I learned about playing soccer for Muhlenberg High School is to always work hard, to be competitive, and to have good sportsmanship. These qualities are important in my next stage at college and in life in general.
Growing up in El Salvador, soccer was a sport that significantly impacted my childhood. My cousins and uncles taught me how to play soccer, as well as various techniques that would later benefit me on the soccer field. At the age of seven I started to play for one of most well-known soccer clubs in El Salvador. Practicing twenty three hours a week was really paying off, as I could see in my medal and trophy gain. Not only did they represent my accomplishments, but they also gave joy to my teammates, community, and family because they were the people who encouraged me to give my best. Playing soccer was also a way to release stress because when my family was going through hardships, it was easier for me to let all of my negative energy on the
When I turned three, I started playing my favorite sport to this day, Soccer! I love soccer because it gives me this feeling of excitement and I just love winning with all of my friends on the field. I loved soccer and I looked forward to it every day. I met a lot of my friends in soccer and it is one of the reasons that I started to become an athletic person. Soccer is still my favorite sport and I love it. I am planning to still play soccer up to the varsity team.
I have always had a passion for sports, soccer in particular. For awhile I actually thought if I was good enough I could play professionally. Just imagine being in front of thousands of people who are rooting for you, that was my dream. In gym whenever we would play soccer, I played the hardest I could. I pretended I was in a stadium, sweating beads of accomplishment as I scored goals. When I would play soccer it made me feel like I already had become a professional player. I always felt like I dominated. Looking back, I do not believe I had, but at the time I felt on top of the world. It was something I enjoyed greatly. Soccer made me happy. It made me complete. My road went from being visible to the graveling beginning.
I was always taught that soccer was to be about the love of the game and that it should be fun. Unfortunately, I faced many obstacles that I needed to overcome before I could truly love the game for what it was worth. I grew and continued to love the game, knowing little at the time of the obstacles I would be faced with, and would need to overcome. My struggles with soccer began early in my life. I was an average player, who had a drive to succeed and go far.
Whether it’s playing it or watching it, i can’t live without it. You can compare this to how important a banana is to a monkey. If you take the banana the monkey will be furious. Whenever i am on the pitch, i just feel a sense of comfort because I am doing what I love to do. I also relieve any stress if i have any because when I play it puts me into a happy mood. My love for this amazing sport started when I was little and thanks to my dad. I started getting into soccer when i was around 5 and at that time I cut out a picture of my favorite player today Lionel Messi from a magazine. Even ten years ago he was my favorite player. My dad started to teach me some tricks and dribbles which made the sport really fun since i was learning how to play
Playing soccer is a good way to relieve stress and reduce depression; you also maintain your self-healthy and fit. By developing bones, efficient heart, and great lung function. I myself have benefited from playing soccer, because when I was younger from the age of twelve through sixteen I was overweight. However, after I participated in high school soccer and pickup games at this soccer field about three to four blocks away from house. After several months
It occasionally disappointed me when our team would have a small fan turn out because the football team had a conflicting game, but I was still more than content to be playing soccer. By the time I was a senior our soccer team was considerably more competitive than the football team and throughout my four years of high school I saw the crowd grow every season. I could see the sport growing in my town and it brought me great joy seeing people start to appreciate the sport I had chosen from a young