Nothing is Impossible
Impossible is nothing. At first, I thought that trying out and making this team would be impossible. The soccer team, Port Washington Lightning, was a year older and the kids were more skilled, bigger, and stronger. However, I needed to tryout for a new, better team, in order to get better and play soccer at any level in college. However, I didn’t want to try out for a new team and leave my comfort zone with my friends on the Port Washington Xtreme. My dad told me to give the Lightning a try and that’s what I ended up doing even though I didn’t really want to.
I went out onto the field very nervous and intimidated for the first day of tryouts. This team played in a league that competed with teams from all over the Northeast called Northeast Regional Premier. My old team had just played teams from Nassau County, so this was a huge difference. I was convinced that I was not going to make the team, but I tried out only to please my dad. I was also convinced that even if I did make it on some freak occasion, that I would not join the team because I felt that I didn’t belong.
I remember clearly my conversation with my father after the first tryout.
“Dad, the players are so much better,” I complained to him, “even if I make the team somehow, I’m not joining the team.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he responded, “if you make the team that means that you are good enough to play with them and you should definitely play with them. There is a reason for them to choose you to be on the team…there not just going to give u a spot on the team to be nice; they’re going to give u a spot because you deserve it. If you don’t make it that’s fine, just go out there and do your best.” He said this to comfort me but I still felt the same way.
“Alright, I guess.” I muttered and walked away, my mind unchanged about the issue.
To add to the situation, everyone else on the new team knew each other very well because they had been playing together for over 5 years. Only two other kids were trying out but they were in the same grade as the team members. This made me feel very much like an outsider and not worthy of being on the team. Especially when one of them jokingly told me that I shouldn’t be trying out for the team. All of these thoughts made me even more nervous while trying out and I was convinced that it was impossible for me to play on the team.
Little did I know that I was capable of playing with these skilled players and I was the one that made the team (not any of the other two). I received this surprising news through a phone call. The coach had called my dad.
“Andrew, I would like to offer your son a spot on the Port Washington Lightning.” The coach told my dad on the phone.
My dad told the coach he would call him back and he came to tell me the news. I was in disbelief and mumbled to myself, “Oh crap,” because I didn’t really want to make the team, let alone try out in the first place. Although I told myself before that I was not going to play for this team, I knew I couldn’t reject the offer. So we both agreed to accept the offer.
Before deciding to tryout, I had been on a team that was my age level, the Xtreme. I was on the team for about 5 years and had become good friends with my teammates. We shared many fun experiences and good memories. Everything was going well and there was no need to change it. The team wasn’t the best but it also wasn’t the worst. However, we started to lose some of the more skilled players to better teams as time went on. As this happened, I got closer and closer to becoming one of the best players remaining on the team. Once I was not getting challenged anymore, my dad and I both decided that I needed to look for a new, better team. The problem was finding a new team. I was positive that no team would be the same. I didn’t want to leave my friends and good times on this team.
After being on this new team, the Lightning, for only about two years and I have become a much better soccer player as a result. If I were to stay on my old team, I would not have been challenged and I would not have gotten better. I am not the best on my new team which means I am always challenged improve.
Making the team also helped me in many other ways. Now I was playing with the varsity level players at my high school, so I was very prepared and I made the varsity high school team that year. I became very close with friends on the new team because I was playing with them on the high school team also. We go on many trips and have a lot of fun. This was nothing that I imagined it to be. This was the same team experience as the Xtreme except this was at a higher level of play.
This decision to just give the tryout a try showed me that nothing is impossible.
I went out onto the field very nervous and intimidated for the first day of tryouts. This team played in a league that competed with teams from all over the Northeast called Northeast Regional Premier. My old team had just played teams from Nassau County, so this was a huge difference. I was convinced that I was not going to make the team, but I tried out only to please my dad. I was also convinced that even if I did make it on some freak occasion, that I would not join the team because I felt that I didn’t belong.
I remember clearly my conversation with my father after the first tryout.
“Dad, the players are so much better,” I complained to him, “even if I make the team somehow, I’m not joining the team.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he responded, “if you make the team that means that you are good enough to play with them and you should definitely play with them. There is a reason for them to choose you to be on the team…there not just going to give u a spot on the team to be nice; they’re going to give u a spot because you deserve it. If you don’t make it that’s fine, just go out there and do your best.” He said this to comfort me but I still felt the same way.
“Alright, I guess.” I muttered and walked away, my mind unchanged about the issue.
To add to the situation, everyone else on the new team knew each other very well because they had been playing together for over 5 years. Only two other kids were trying out but they were in the same grade as the team members. This made me feel very much like an outsider and not worthy of being on the team. Especially when one of them jokingly told me that I shouldn’t be trying out for the team. All of these thoughts made me even more nervous while trying out and I was convinced that it was impossible for me to play on the team.
Little did I know that I was capable of playing with these skilled players and I was the one that made the team (not any of the other two). I received this surprising news through a phone call. The coach had called my dad.
“Andrew, I would like to offer your son a spot on the Port Washington Lightning.” The coach told my dad on the phone.
My dad told the coach he would call him back and he came to tell me the news. I was in disbelief and mumbled to myself, “Oh crap,” because I didn’t really want to make the team, let alone try out in the first place. Although I told myself before that I was not going to play for this team, I knew I couldn’t reject the offer. So we both agreed to accept the offer.
Before deciding to tryout, I had been on a team that was my age level, the Xtreme. I was on the team for about 5 years and had become good friends with my teammates. We shared many fun experiences and good memories. Everything was going well and there was no need to change it. The team wasn’t the best but it also wasn’t the worst. However, we started to lose some of the more skilled players to better teams as time went on. As this happened, I got closer and closer to becoming one of the best players remaining on the team. Once I was not getting challenged anymore, my dad and I both decided that I needed to look for a new, better team. The problem was finding a new team. I was positive that no team would be the same. I didn’t want to leave my friends and good times on this team.
After being on this new team, the Lightning, for only about two years and I have become a much better soccer player as a result. If I were to stay on my old team, I would not have been challenged and I would not have gotten better. I am not the best on my new team which means I am always challenged improve.
Making the team also helped me in many other ways. Now I was playing with the varsity level players at my high school, so I was very prepared and I made the varsity high school team that year. I became very close with friends on the new team because I was playing with them on the high school team also. We go on many trips and have a lot of fun. This was nothing that I imagined it to be. This was the same team experience as the Xtreme except this was at a higher level of play.
This decision to just give the tryout a try showed me that nothing is impossible.
