Life lessons on a soccer field

On the weekends, in the spring and fall, you can find me on a soccer field no matter if the weather is grey and raining or hot and humid. For the past ten years I have put on a uniform, shin guards, high socks, and cleats to play my favorite sport. Hundreds and hundreds of hours running up and down grassy or muddy fields, trying to score goals, has taught me some valuable life lessons.

I’ve played soccer since I was 5 years old. At that age I played co-ed soccer on little league. The little league only went up to age 10 and girls travel soccer began at age 9. I remember going to try-outs for the first time. There were so many kids from different teams there. The first thing the coaches did was pin numbers to our backs. Then they split us up into a few different groups and we played little mini games. A bunch of very serious looking men stood on the side lines watching us and taking notes on a clip board. Every once in a while they would stop the game and move a player or two to another field. We were at try-outs for two days in a row. At the end of the last day, the coaches told us that they were going to call everyone in the next week and let them know what team they would be on. There were 4 teams: A, B, C, and D. I remember when I got my call; my mom got off the phone and turned to me, “You made the A team.” she said. My eyes widened, and I could feel the smile on my face growing bigger and bigger. I was so proud that I was actually good enough to make the A team! Very soon my new team- the Lightning- became a huge part of my life.

I was on the Lightning until the end of the fall season of 2006. By then we only had 12 players on the team. One girl was moving away, and several other girls were out with injuries. We had to play a lot of games with just enough players or one less. Then my coach decided to disband the team, which left all of us -except two players- without a team to play on. Luckily my coach was able to find a team that needed a bunch of players. A township U-15 team needed 8 new players. One Sunday afternoon, we went to try out. I did my best to play as good as I could. After the try-out, the coach of the U-15, the Jags, told us that he’d call us and tell us who was on the team. (Déjà vu) When he called, I answered the phone; “Hello?” I answered. “Hi, this is Coach Magg. Is this Marielle?” said the voice on the other end. “Yes.” I anxiously replied. “I’m calling to offer you a spot on the Jags.” he said. Then he went on to ask me if I was willing to make that commitment, and of course I was.

My new team soon began practices together, but it was hard to play with my new teammates. A few girls from my old team were now on the Jags, but most of the team was girls I had never played with before. I had to learn how to play with them and I had to get used to my new coach, since I had the same coach for 5 years. My new coach had a different way of playing and it was hard to get used to. For example, I had always played as one of three strikers; Coach Magg played with only two strikers. And rather then running the sidelines, we were mostly in the middle to receive crosses near the goal. Before practices and games started, we’d all stand and talk. At the beginning of the season, we split up into two groups, one made up of ex-Lightning players and girls who were on the Jags before. After games and practices, Coach Magg would help us get to know each other better by planning team trips to ice cream places or Fuddruckers. Surprisingly, these get-togethers really helped I became much more comfortable with my new teammates as the season went on.

Playing soccer for my township teams, as well as for my middle school, has been a significant part of my life. I have learned several lessons from my experiences on many soccer fields. One lesson I learned is to be a flexible person. I had to learn to play different positions and with different coaching styles. Over the years, I’ve been on teams where many new players come and go, and I’ve had to accept different peoples’ personalities. Another lesson is determination; I’ve leaned to never give up, whether I’m trying-out for a new team or trying to score a winning goal. Finally the most important lesson I’ve learned is teamwork. When players cooperate and work together their teams can be successful. Our new team, the Jags, proved this lesson last Sunday, when we won the conference championship!