I have been playing soccer for as long as I can remember, it is a part of who I am. The sport changed my life in many ways and matured me as a person.  Through each stage of my soccer career I learned different things that really helped me throughout my life: life lessons.  I can’t say that you cannot obtain these lessons elsewhere, but I truly believe sports and extracurriculars teach students things that is hard to obtain elsewhere.

I first realized I loved the sport in first grade.  One day a group of kids were playing soccer and I joined them.  That moment changed my life forever.  I instantly knew that soccer was the sport for me.  As soon as I got home that day I begged my parents to sign me up to play for a club team, and lucky for me they did.  I'll never forget my first practice.  It was everything I imagined and more.  The club uniforms, freshly marked field, the big lights shining down on the field.  It was beautiful.  When practice started I began to get some touches on the ball and realized that I was actually good at the sport I loved.  I learned what it was to have passion and that without passion you cannot be successful.  Playing for the club team was a great experience for me and my passion for the sport flourished.

As I got older the competitiveness increased and that made me a better player.  The coaches made us condition a lot more than before and they focused a lot more on improving our skill.  It took a lot of work, but it taught me that it is impossible to improve at anything without hard work and dedication.  I learned that even when you want to quit you cannot because you will not improve.  I worked hard and stayed dedicated and improved as a player and a person these seasons.  Soccer taught me discipline, perseverance, and how to lose and learn from that loss.  During these years I actually decided to take a season off from soccer to focus on my school work, but after one season without soccer I soon realized I could not stand to be away from the sport I loved.

As I reached high school the whole game seemed to change.  I did not recognize it.  It wasn't the sport I grew to love.  Soccer became an obligation rather than something I looked forward to every week.  The goal was to win, not to improve or enjoy the sport.   This is when my perseverance was really put to the test.  During the high school soccer season I also had to find a balance between school, soccer, friends, family, and personal time, which is one of the hardest things to do.  Through this I learned time management.  It is essential to maintaining good grades, soccer skills, and relationships.

I have learned a lot of important lessons through my soccer experience.  I came to the realization that eventually I would not be playing soccer anymore. My soccer career would all be over in a year.  One day your great memories will be nothing but a vague memory.  I will miss playing with the people I have known my whole life. I will miss the running, the bad calls, the victories, the losses.  Everything I have known will dissipate the day I graduate.  That is moment when the lessons I have learned through soccer are going to be put to the test.  The real world is waiting and it will tear you apart if you let it, but you can't.  I have to find something I am passionate about.  I'll have to work hard and dedicate myself to what I am passionate about. When things get tough I'll have to have the strength to persevere and learn from my mistakes. Through all of this I will need to stay disciplined and focused to be sure that I don't lose my way. Most importantly I'll need to maintain balance in my life.  Hopefully that will then be the moment that I reach success.  Until then, I need to live life to the fullest and appreciate what I have no matter how small it may seem because as they say, "you never know a good thing until it's gone.”