Saturday, March 25, 2017

What I Learned from Playing Soccer

My last season of playing soccer started last Monday, so in honor of that I have decided to share what I have learned over the past 13 years of playing soccer. There have been so many ups and downs for me with soccer that it has been one of the biggest influences in my life in terms of the person I have become. 



| Hard work |
For as long as I have played soccer, it has never been easy for me to do well. I have always had to fight for my position on a team, and many times it didn't work out how I would have liked it. Having to work like this for soccer and made me realized how important it is. When I tried out for soccer my freshman year, I had a senior pushing me to work hard so I could make varsity, long story short, I put in a ton a work and made the team. This was the defining moment for me in learning that hard work pays off and I will forever be thankful for that lesson.

| Leadership |
This year I was named the captain for my team and it is accumulation of the last for years that taught me what it takes to be a leader. The best thing about high school sports is that once you aren't a freshman, you can help lead the team. For me, since I sat the bench most of the time, I became a leader in how I pumped up people for the game, and I was the person who cheered them up after a bad time. Doing this earned me the title of "bench captain" and more importantly it taught me that anyone can lead, no matter what their position in the situation is. 

| How to deal with Conflict |
I feel like anytime you put 20 girls together, there is bound to be drama. Being a on a team sport showed me how to avoid the drama when possible. Mainly this means picking the right people to hang out with, and when you see trouble coming, leave. My team is known for having issues, but this has let me learn the right times to help fix the problem, and the right time to avoid any involvement. 

| Time Management |
High school sports take up a lot of time, and when added to homework, it means you barely have time to breathe. Soccer made me learn quickly how to budget my time so I could do my homework, play soccer, participate in team events, and still have time to relax. I was able to figure out that if I make a lot of to-do lists, use my agenda, and then willing ask people to help me, that I would balance everything that needed to be done. 

I feel like anyone who has ever played sports can understand that they teach you a lot more about life, than just how to kick a ball. Soccer has helped me develop into the person I am today, and it is a sad thing to think that this is my last season playing. 

How have sports impacted your life?
xoxo,
Maddie

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