Playing soccer has been a big part of my life for the last nine years. It has taught me many life lessons while at the same time allowing me to meet a lot of new friends and make many good memories. I have played soccer for most of my life, since I was eight years old, and it has been a big part of my life since then. I have enjoyed my time playing soccer and will probably miss it when the time comes that I can’t play anymore.
Soccer has taught me many life lessons over the years that I have played. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is to be a good sport, win or lose. In life it is important to not be a poor sport when something doesn’t go the way that I want it to. That goes along with having a positive attitude and learning to take things as they come. Through all the hard practices that I have been through and playing against the toughest teams around I have learned that hard work pays off. It is a good feeling working hard at practice to face a tough team and then coming out with a victory. At the same time I have learned to have a positive attitude even if the game doesn’t go my way and we end up losing the game that we worked so hard preparing for. I have learned how important teamwork is and to trust the people around me. I won’t be able to do everything in life without the help of other people and soccer has helped teach me that lesson.
I have met many people through playing soccer over the years. From playing in the Sister City Soccer Cup against kids from Sweden to just playing against teams from around the area, I have gotten to know many people. I have met some of my best friends through soccer, either through playing on the same team as them, or just getting to know an opponent that I have played against many times. I haven’t liked everyone that I have met but I have gotten along with most people and learned to tolerate those that I don’t get along with as well. It is a lot of fun getting to know other people through a sport that we both have in common, even if they play for a rival team. I have also learned the importance of respecting everyone, even those that I may not like as much.
I have made many good memories through playing soccer. One of my best memories is the Sister City Soccer Cup. That tournament was especially fun because I got to know some people from Sweden and learning a little bit about their culture. The teams that I played on in that tournament were also probably two of the best teams that I ever played on, and it was really fun getting to play with some of the best players in the area instead of just playing with the kids from my school. Playing in tournaments with my competitive team in the summer is one of my memories, all the fun that we had hanging out around the hotel and playing the games. My junior year is also one of my best memories because we accumulated the best record that and C-E-C team had ever got in the history of the program. Just knowing that I was a part of the best team that our school has ever produced is something that I will be proud of for the rest of my life. Just the thought of kids a few years from now talking about how they hope to be as good as the team was in 2007 and knowing that I was a part of that team makes that one of my best memories. Another one of my good memories is making the all conference team my senior year. Even though our team was not as good as we were my junior year it was still a fun year and to be considered one of the best players in the Lake Superior Conference is an honor. The experience of being one of the leaders and people that are looked up to on the team is a good memory in itself.
Soccer has been a big part of my life and I have gotten many benefits out of it that I would not have otherwise gotten. I couldn’t have made the good memories and I would not have nearly as many friends without soccer. I have made many memories that I will have for the rest of my life through soccer, along with learning lessons that I might have learned the hard way if I didn’t play soccer all those years. The experience of soccer will benefit me a lot in the future by helping me get into college and all the lessons I have learned that will help me in the future in college and in any jobs that I may have in the future.
2008, Jordan L. Tucker, Esko High School