Ever since I was about 6, some of my fondest memories have been out on the pitch playing soccer with some of my best friends. The sense of community and teamwork enthralled me and my passion for the wonderful game ensued throughout my adolescence. As I got older, the competition got even more difficult, which meant it was time to truly take it seriously. Of course I spent countless hours practicing my footwork, strengthening my weak foot, and conditioning my body to play a full ninety minutes, but as I entered high school, my training was taken to a new level and I learned more about the game of soccer, my teammates, and about myself in the process.
In retrospect, I can vividly remember carrying my water bottle and a towel shaking in my running shoes as I prepared to tackle my first conditioning week of high school soccer. It started out smooth; a one mile run, some 800’s and some 400 meter runs around the track. But day 2 hit hard. With aching muscles, I remember slowly trotting back out to the same field the next day to hear what conditioning exercises we would suffer through this time. That went on until we reached day 5: The Tennessee Ladder. This exercise incorporated a series of incremental sprints totaling to over 2 and a half miles of straight sprinting. It was here that I realized I learned a valuable lesson about brotherhood and strength. Just as a short, scrawny freshman, I can remembering the seniors hyping us up and encouraging us through every second of it. I learned about my own limits and how there is a difference between “hurt” and “injured”. And despite how miserable I was in the moment, I finished my last sprint and exhaled a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to undergo such a horrible feat of fitness tests until the next season.
Four years later, it was my turn as a senior. My turn to be a leader. When the Tennessee Ladder came in front of us, I stepped up and embraced the challenge knowing that I had teammates that would pick me up whenever I couldn’t motivate myself. My bond with my teammates grew stronger that year than ever. Through team dinners, film sessions, and late night training sessions under the lights, these teammates of four years felt more like brothers of a lifetime. As the season progressed, we overcame challenges and beat opponents to earn our way to eventually being declared the best team in the state. As it came tournament time, we found a new sense of support. The school that hadn’t seen a state soccer tournament run since it opened doors in the early sixties suddenly found itself staring down the barrel of a potential state championship. The whole school rallied behind our team bus as we traveled across the state and cheered us on amidst the rain and snow of Ohio’s mid-November weather. Winning games, scoring goals, and getting to wear suits into MAPFRE stadium for the state finals was all cool, however the coolest thing was getting messages from people that I don’t even know that have been watching and supporting our team throughout the season. Soccer has given me so much enjoyment and I have found such a deep passion in the wonderful game, but the game has taught me so much more about teamwork and having someones back through trial. As I reflect on that season, when things got difficult, we remembered when we were all suffering through the Tennessee Ladder and picked each other up and motivated each other to keep going.