Growing up I have always played soccer. I played since the age of three but I began playing competitively when I was in second grade. I played with the same group of girls, with the same coaches, and on the same team until eighth grade (six years). In 2016 (my eighth-grade year) U.S. Soccer (USSF) announced a change in youth soccer to birth-year registration. This was a switch from an August 1, cutoff to a January 1, cutoff. This was frustrating because we didn't have the choice to stay with our team. Being that I am born in December 2002, that meant I would now be playing and competing with girls who were a full year older than me and while I was just in eighth grade I was going to be grouped with girls who were in high school. I knew that I was at a disadvantage since I am born in the last month before the cutoff.
Because of this cut-off and age switch, I decided to switch from club soccer to the academy level for more opportunities, better training, and a more competitive level and atmosphere. I tried out for Cedar Stars Academy. This was a big switch because I was adjusting to playing with much older girls than myself and I also was playing for a completely new soccer association. After I tried out I was very nervous but I then came to find out I made the best team for my age group. This boosted my confidence immensely because I was so young and had doubted my ability.
When training began with my new team I felt I was behind the other girls and felt they had much more training and experience than me however, I did not let it get the best of me and told myself I just needed to work harder and put in extra time. The entire first season in the fall with this new team was very hard for me. I was super quiet and I let my nerves get the best of me the first few games. I went from playing with girls I was so comfortable with and knew so well, to playing with girls who I barely knew at all, so it was very hard to adjust completely. It wasn’t until the second season in the spring that I began showing what I was fully capable of on the field. By the beginning of freshman year, I became a starter at outside midfield and started to feel like I was an important player on the field. I continued to improve that entire year and felt this was the year that I grew the most as a player both mentally and physically. I put in the extra hours, training seven days a week, and began taking soccer very seriously. I believe that the work ethic that I developed this year of my life made me an effective leader and I developed a completely new mentality.
Sophomore year I was elected to be the team captain along side one of my teammates. Playing with mostly juniors and a few sophomores who were still older than me, being chosen as the team's captain was a huge milestone for me in my soccer career. I began to take my role seriously. To know that my entire team respected and trusted me enough to lead them in the right direction and be a role model for them, was an honor. This was the first time since my old team that I felt like a real leader.
The following year, my junior year my team held the #1 state title for New Jersey, held the #1 regional title for the East Coast, and held the title of being #2 in the nation for our age group. I felt I was a key player on this team and had a voice on the field. I think the key traits that made me a leader were that I expressed great communication both on and off the field with my teammates and was often time the decision-maker. I was then the captain through my senior year season when I ended my soccer career.
There was a time in my life I didn't feel like a leader and was down on myself because of it but as I proved my capabilities and became confident in myself I became a true leader. Although my soccer career came to an end during my senior year of high school when I was coming to High Point University, I brought all my leadership skills here with me. I am now a leader in the classroom, in clubs, and within my sorority. Without my experience in soccer, I believe that I would not be who I am today!
