soccer and my love for it

Soccer is more than a sport to me it encompasses everything I do in life.  From my free time to the clothes I wear, it is a part of me and will stay that will for the rest of my life.  You can most likely see me in the halls wearing some sort of Adidas pants or shorts, sometimes including my favorite, the European three-quarter shorts, which of course people patronize me for, saying they are Capri’s but as you know now, they are not.  My first exposure to soccer was with a Berkeley recreation team named the Tigers. At that age, playing soccer has been humorously compared to a swarm of bees following the ball all around the field. The Tigers were no different – little strategy, not much passing of the ball, and no positions assigned. The moment the whistle blew, every game turned into kick ball, paying little attention to where the ball would end up. Even so, soccer seemed much more exciting to me, and I liked it.  As I grew older, the game transitioned into a more organized sport, where positions began to matter and playing switched to passing the ball and scoring goals. As my skills improved and the game’s competitiveness increased, so did my enthusiasm. I played for several other teams over the next seven or so years, each better and more competitive than the last. I recall the excitement every year of playing for the NJYS State Cup, to see just how close we could get to the final round. Sadly, my teams never made it to the finals. When I turned 13, I yearned to play at an even higher level in order to participate in more competitive leagues and tournaments. I found a fairly new team from Manchester called BOCA Jr. which seemed to fit the bill. Little did I know it at the time, but this would be the team that would cement my love for the game, and that I play for still today.  My team went on playing in college showcases and championships, and these moments contained the best feeling I have ever had, and I could not think of a better way to spend my time, and focus my effort. It was my great honor to serve as the captain of my high school soccer team and I enjoyed every second of the season and all the experiences I had both good and bad.  I know in some way, shape or form soccer will forever be existent in my life.  Whether it be me playing college soccer, and moving on to coaching my own teams, to only playing club ball and being a diehard soccer fan as an adult, someway soccer will find its way to stay in my life.