“Soccer, a game played between two teams of eleven players each, using a round ball -- the simplicity of this definition does not begin to convey the impact that soccer has had on my life. Soccer started out as a way for me to emulate my big brother. There I stood, a five-year-old little girl in a jersey down to my knees and shorts down to my ankles. Little did I know that this uniform would soon become my daily attire. During my first few seasons of playing soccer, although I was young, I was determined to be the best that I could be. Proudly displaying the skills that I thought I had developed as an awkward seven-year-old, I made the decision to try out for an under eight boys’ select team. To everyone’s surprise, I made the team -- a little girl on a boys’ soccer team. The day that I stepped onto the field with this intimidating team, I was struck with a frightening realization. They were incomparably bigger, stronger, faster, and a lot more skilled than I was; they were also seven-year-old boys who did not appreciate seven-year-old girls. I had an onerous time with the adjustment of soccer not being something I looked forward to. Every practice was something new, “Don’t pass it to her, she is a girl.” This behavior was the typical, yet constant ridicule that I experienced from my teammates at every practice, every game. Wanting to protect me from further disappointment, my mother tried to convince me to go back to a club team where I would have “fun.” This option was not a choice; they were not going to get the best of me. Everyday after attending practice I would come home and practice even more. Amazingly, I started knocking the boys down, finally seeing some respect along with some deserved playing time. Now soccer was fun; this is what I had worked for. The inner strength that I gained from this experience helped me to decide that I wanted soccer to be a part of my life for as long as possible. As I stand on the field as a young lady in a fitting uniform, I realize that there is more to soccer than kicking a round ball into a net. Soccer has been a valuable teacher for me. Juggling school, a job, and soccer, I have learned to manage my time, to be organized, and to be focused. I have learned that simple determination can take me as far as I want to go in life. I have learned to look at life like I used to look at soccer, through perseverance I can “keep up with the boys” and anything else that may come my way.