There are exactly three months until my last day at STA, which kind of makes me want to vomit. Three months may seem like a long time, but it really, really isn’t when you’re a senior. This short time period can only mean one thing: it is the beginning of the end.

The first of lasts came last Friday, the night of my last club soccer game, ever. I didn’t realize it was my last game until it was about ten minutes before I left. I felt nostalgic, but not that sad. I have a love-hate relationship with soccer, so this blog will serve as my final goodbye to my best frenemy.

I started playing soccer at the wee age of six at the good ol’ Swope Park soccer fields, now known as the fancy Swope Soccer Complex. I miss those beat-up grass fields that were always in terrible shape, and I miss the practically metallic soccer jerseys we had to wear. I kind of liked soccer at that point, I was pretty indifferent, though. However, in third grade, I took my soccer swag to the next level and started to play club at Brookside Football Club. Clearly, it wasn’t anything fancy.

We had kind of a rude coach who would bring her other coaching friends who would in turn make us run. We did not like them. I stuck with that club up until sixth grade, which is when my whole team, which mainly consisted of girls from St. Peter’s, Visitation, St. Elizabeth’s, and St. Thomas More, switched to Futura Futbol Club. I loved that team, and we were tight for those years that we were together, but our coach was literally Satan. Coach Dave, if you’re reading this, I’m still bitter about you benching me that one time in seventh grade. #NeverForget.

So when eighth grade was over, the majority of my team had quit because we definitely did not get along with Dave. I switched to Strikers with a few other STA girls, and that coach wasn’t terrible. He was Scottish and had a cool accent and a cute dog. However, that team was kind of a joke and we never really got anything done. After that, senior Kay VanAsdale and I switched to Sporting Blue Valley, which is literally a cult.

If you play for Sporting, you have to wear a specific practice uniform. Walking through the complex during practice times looks like a massive cult gathering filled with children running around in pea-soup green shirts and black shorts. My coaches at Sporting have been my favorite because they’re actually chill and are actually good coaches.

However, this year was the year that I burnt out. All athletes know what I’m talking about. Kay, who had been on the same team as I had for the past five years, wasn’t on my team anymore. Soccer began to feel more like a chore instead of a fun past time.

Even though soccer and I aren’t on the best terms right now, it will always be something that I love and appreciate. I will cherish all the memories it gave me, such as Cary the mean South Pole Elf (aka our really short conditioning coach on Futura) who we sang “Pretty Girl Rock” to by Keri Hilson, spending a whole practice diving in the mud, tunnel of death, accidentally breaking a girl on my team’s hand, driving to Overland Park Soccer Complex hundreds of times, driving to Heritage Soccer Park hundreds of times, all of the goals I’ve scored, all of the friendships, all of the annoying girls on my team I didn’t like one bit, watching Kay get a concussion, winning tournaments, getting Tropical Sno at the Salsa Tournament, and many, many more memories.

I guess I’ll kind of miss club soccer, but I still have the opportunity to tear it up at Swope Park this spring for Brookside Soccer once again. Watch out kids, I may be small but looks can be deceiving. #savage.

So, goodbye soccer. Thanks for making my life suck but also rock at the same time. Peace out, see you around.