Between the innocence of childhood and the indifferent dignity that is the mantel of adulthood, we find a passionate creature alive in spirit and filled with vigor that we call a soccer player. Soccer players come in assorted sizes adorned in various colors and identified by number, with all living by the same creed: "To honor the game by playing every second of every minute of every half of every game as if it were the last time the privilege of playing were to be visited upon them.
Soccer players are found everywhere – in the rural farm fields of our country, in suburban backyards and inner city streets and parks. We find them behind a strong pass, in the air playing a header, making runs, checking back, passing short, shooting long and going shoulder to shoulder with an opponent in pursuit of the ball. Teammates rib them, officials call fouls on them, students cheer them, coaches criticize them, ignorant ones jeer them and mothers worry about them.
A Soccer player is courage in cleats, standing unadorned of armor with a band of brothers whose commitment was won and nurtured during the hottest of dog days, whose resilience has been tested in the heat of competition and whose resolve is found in the cold rain, sleet and snow as autumns leaves fall to the ground and winter sets in around them.
A soccer player likes practice sessions without shin guards, hot showers, amazing goals, spectacular saves, whirlpool baths, bicycle kicks and the quiet satisfaction which comes from being part of a team that has performed well in an atmosphere of continuous fast paced motion often described as controlled chaos.
A soccer player is a wonderful human being. You can criticize him, but you cannot discourage him. You can defeat his team, but you cannot make him quit. You can take him out of a game, but you cannot take the game out of him. He is judged not for his race or his religion, not for his social standing or his finances, but by how well he dribbles, passes, shoots and defends while sacrificing individual glory for the success of the team seeking only recognition from his teammates of a job well done. A soccer player is a hard working, dedicated, determined kid with a passion for the game doing the best he can to honor the sport he loves - soccer.
Every year, we must say goodbye to a special group of soccer players – the Senior Class. It is sad to see them leave the program and we will surely miss these young people. We will miss watching them run onto the field to take on an opponent. We will miss the celebrations after goals scored and the sober faces after a goal allowed. We will miss the emotional highs after a hard fought win, the lows after a heartbreaking loss and the admiration we found each time they picked themselves up and got back into the action.
Charged with carrying on the tradition the seniors have built we find the young soccer player working hard in the weight room throughout the winter, shivering as he works on skills in the cold rain of spring and wiping the sweat of dedicated preparation from his brows during the sizzling summer months. As the next season approaches we find him determined not to fail those that have gone before him.
And it is with great joy that we welcome back the graduates each summer. Their presence on the practice fields bridges the gap between old and new as they nurture and instruct those in charge of upholding tradition with the expectation that new and loftier heights will be achieved by this next generation. The young players find comfort in the knowledge that someone has gone before them and recognize that they are expected to go even further still. The small successes won when facing the graduates builds the confidence needed to face the coming competition with determination of mind, strength of soul and fiery spirit.
And so it is that the soccer player is reborn each season better than he was before and with a sense of urgency stemming from the knowledge that the game is fleeting and his time with the band of brothers known as teammates is short. The game is honored, bonds are formed and in the end our lives are a little richer for having traveled the path with those that shared our passion and whom we have grown to respect and love.
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