Christopher Lara, February 26, 2016

For me, one of the most fun and exciting sport to play is soccer. Don’t be fooled though, I’ve only been playing for half a year, but I enjoy every second I of it. It started when I took the risk of joining the team in the summer of 2015. I didn’t know if I was going to smoothly transition into it, or become the laughing stock of the team, but I tried anyway. During the summer, I started off with defensive role because I wasn’t trained well enough to be a mid-fielder or forward. Because this was a school based team, I got to know many of my unknown classmates and freshman just coming to Detroit Cristo Rey. It might sound cliché, but we bonded and became a family. As the games progressed, I started to ask questions about certain tactics and took notes of how mid and forward players conduct themselves.

 I was eventually moved up to mid-defensive, which was an upgrade from the solely defensive role. Moving up meant that I had to guide my defense up and down the field, and assist my mid-fielders when they were getting cornered. Just like in life, I learned to adapt to more responsibility and help my team be as productive as possible. Some games I was able to move up to mid-field because of the lack of players or as a substitute. It didn’t matter that I was going to be second picked as mid because it still meant I had a chance to improve my basic skills and play in a more offensive role.

Now that it is winter, we get to play indoor soccer. In indoor soccer, I have the options to play the same roles as I did in the school team or as a forward for the less competitive games. Yesterday, I went to a small indoor soccer field in Southwest Detroit that is underground when it comes to indoor fields and played with some friends since it was a snow day. While I was there, I was able to play both mid field and forward to show my improvement from the first time I played in the summer. We played many small scrimmages, but I was able to score and get multiple assists, which gives you the best adrenaline rush. When I receive a volley from the other side of the field, juke the other team, and get to shoot, which ends up in a goal, I get the biggest smile in the world. I feel more satisfied than receiving the great grades that I get, or getting awards or recognition because in that moment of scoring, it doesn’t matter how exhausted you were. It doesn’t matter because you have people who supported you, like your team laughing and cheering for you, and the other team who didn’t believe in your potential congratulating you. All of the experiences that bring this amount of joy to me started by taking the risk I took of joining the soccer team in 2015.