I have always loved playing soccer. It is my life and passion, and after not being able to play soccer for two years in middle school,  I was excited to get it back. I couldn't join a team outside of school because my dad’s work schedule made it impossible for him to take me to practice and games.

At the beginning of eighth grade, I found out that soccer season started in the second semester. I was sad to know that I waited so long and I had to wait more. Soccer always makes me forget about all my problems. When I play, I have to concentrate on what I am doing on the field so I forget about all my problems and struggles. Additionally, I enjoyed being part of a team. As I waited for soccer season to start, my P.E. teacher mentioned flag football. I didn't know much about it but I thought it could be a way to distract myself and it could serve as conditioning for me. I went home and told my parents about it and they signed my permission slips and I was ready to try out for the team.

After much anticipation, the day of tryouts came. As we were walking to the park, I started to doubt myself. When we got to the park, I was ready but nervous. At first, it was all simple things like running. Then, we started practicing grabbing the flags and catching the ball. That's when I felt uneasy because I had never caught a football. I felt unprepared. We started a scrimmage and I got put into defense and had a basic idea of what to do. My coach told me my position. I had to guard the best player on the field. He was fast and good at juking and catching, so I was extremely nervous about not being able to catch up to him. I felt like I kept failing during each play. I couldn’t take his flag away or stop him from getting the ball. We lined up, and as we were about to start, the coach said “last play”. I had done a few good things but I wasn't feeling too confident about making the team.

The play started and I followed my guy. He tried to juke me but I stayed on him. He turned around and was going to catch the ball and I started to block him. We were going at it until I was able to drop him. As we were leaving, the coach complimented my defense. I felt proud of myself.  A few weeks later, I saw the roster and realized I made the team. I was pretty excited. When we started, we lost our first game but won every single one after that until we lost the final.

My coach was the best. He made us feel like family and I felt close to my teammates. I always had someone to talk to. I found more than just a sport, but a feeling of belonging. When it ended I missed it a lot and I felt sad. I was always going to miss them and would never forget our memories. As the season ended, I realized that the reason I wanted to join a sport was that I wanted to be a part of something. I played sports because I liked the sport but I wanted to play to be a part of a group and be around people that share the same passion as me, and that was what I found in flag football. To me, it was a place where I could release all my stress and feel good about myself. I also learned that pursuing a sport is having to commit and make sacrifices.

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