This is my first year of playing soccer since I was in early elementary school. I decided to go out for soccer again to try something new in high school. When I first started coming to open gyms for soccer I still wasn’t sure if it was for me. We were in the gym and played mini games with a smaller ball. It was hard for me to handle the ball and pass it. As I started to come to more of the open gyms it started to become more fun. I started to get the hang of it a little more. When it started to get nice out we went outside and used normal size soccer balls. We would work on passing the ball and touching the ball. At first, it was a struggle when I would try and control the ball. I definitely needed to work on it. I didn’t really know the rules of soccer so when we would scrimmage I would play defense and didn’t fully know what I was doing so people had to explain. I finally understood what offsides meant so it was easier to play defense after that and I started to get in the right spot. When practices started we ran a lot. I knew soccer involved a lot of running but it hit me hard. After the first couple of practices I finally started questioning why I went out, but I remember it was just to have fun with the game. That made practices a little easier. I slowly started to become better with the ball and passing. I had to work on it a lot. I ended up buying a soccer ball so I could kick it around at home. After a week of practice we had a scrimmage early on a Saturday morning so be evaluated. This was my first actual “game” I have played. It was a lot of running and I got pretty tired. Overall I thought I did pretty good for my first time. After the scrimmage our coach came up to me and asked where I would want to play. They had me play right and left back, right wing, and defensive midfielder to see what I was comfortable with. I told him that I was the most comfortable at right back. And he said “that is what I was thinking too.” A few days later we had our first game against Sigourney-Keota. It was a very cold game. When the game started I wasn’t expecting the play that much. The first half is going on and around 10 minutes till the end of the first half, our coach tells me to go in and I was kind of surprised. I went out there and did alright. The second half I ended up playing almost 20 out of 40 minutes. We ended up winning three to zero that game. We went back to practice the next day and it was a light day. After that first game the coaches had me playing with the starters at right back. The next game I ended up starting. I never expected to be starting. I was just going out to have fun but never expected to actually play a lot. Ever since that second game of the season I have started every game. I have started to actually like the game of soccer. It is a lot more aggressive and competitive than I expected. With starting to like soccer I think I found something new I enjoy and I will most likely be playing soccer for the last two years of high school.
My New Experience
Shay Burns, Staff Writer
May 16, 2024
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About the Contributor
![Shay Burns](https://pcmoutlook.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_9207-400x600.jpg)
My name is Shay Burns. I am a sophomore at PCM high school. This is my first year in journalism. I joined this class because it seems like a fun class to be in. It forces me to try new things. I play football, basketball, and baseball. I like to spend time with friends and family. I am excited to be in this class this year.