Dear Soccer,

We’ve been friends for a long time. We’ve traveled to amazing places, we’ve laughed, and we’ve cried. Our run is nearing its end, and I can hardly imagine my life without you. You’ve shaped me as a person, and although we have had our ups and downs, I can’t thank my parents enough for buying me that first soccer ball.

To some people you are just a sport, but to me you have been my childhood, my friendships, and every memory I hold dear. My favorite home videos consist of my little form running up and down the field with my pre-kindergarten team, coached by my dad, and half time snacks provided by my mom. Every Tuesday and Thursday night was a Hannah Montana sing along in the back of my carpool’s car. There wasn’t a moment in my childhood not focused on you, soccer. At times I thought this was the worst thing in the word, but looking back, I wouldn’t trade the things I learned from you for anything.

Soccer, you’ve both built me up at times, and torn me right back down. I’ve been told I wasn’t good enough, and all I wanted to do was quit, but when I remembered how I felt out on that field, I could never bring myself to give it up. This is why I am the player I am today. It’s because of all the minutes I sat on the bench as a kid, all the Sunday mornings my dad drove me to the park to do drill after drill with him, because I never quit until it was my time. Sure I have complained about early morning practices, Friday night games, or running full field sprints, but when I’m no longer out on that field, surrounded by the teammates I would trust my life with, or thrusting that state trophy high in the air, you better believe I’ll miss it.

Every year I have spent at STA I have waited patiently for soccer season to arrive. When the weather starts getting warmer and I am back out on that field, I feel as if I am coming home to you. Over these past four years I have grown more as a soccer player and a person than I thought possible. I have gone from being an annoying freshman who was a timid soccer player, to being an even more annoying senior who certainly doesn’t get pushed around on the field. Soccer, you’ve helped me grow up.

So, here comes the hard part, my last practice, my last game, my last goal. So many things are coming to a close, but this, this is different. Soccer, you’ve been more than a hobby to me, you’ve been a lifeline, an outlet, and my family. And when things get too tough out there in the real world, I know I’ve  always got a ball and a net.

Your old friend,

Kate Scofield