My Outlet by Jackiy Cervera

The ability to play sports is a wonderful privilege that everyone should enjoy. Sports are an outlet for stress, they allow the soul to breathe for a second, and they allow the mind to enjoy itself. I believe that sports, if you find the one that you are good at, can help you better yourself. Sports are good for the body and soul, they help people get healthier, both physically an mentally, and help release stress. My favorite sport is soccer, and I have been playing soccer ever since I was a young girl. Soccer was always something that I did when I was bored, but never took seriously, until my first year of high school.
It was my freshman year, and the first year that I had actually joined a soccer team: The Kenwood Academy Girls Soccer Team. I was nervous, but eager to join. I walked into the tryouts that were held in the gym room, and immediately felt a sense of intimidation. I watched the girls dribble the soccer ball, and take shots, and I questioned my ability to do the things they were doing. The first day of practice was discouraging, I could not kick the ball the right way, I could not juggle the ball with my feet, and I had no type of coordination. Yet, something was telling me to stay committed to the team. After a couple of weeks of laborious practices, and many games, both successful and unsuccessful, one game in particular was very special to me. I heard the whistle blow, and was ready to play the game. After some time of kicking the ball back and forth between the teams, the ball finally reached me. I took possession of the ball, and dribbled past the team, and into the penalty box. It was the moment of truth: I got ready to kick the ball, and I could hear the people on my team and on the sidelines yelling, “SHOOT! SHOOT!” So I did… and that was my first goal.
We ended up winning that game, and I felt good about myself. My attitude felt better. I felt as though I had accomplished something huge. My day was better, my smile was brighter, and I felt a sense of belongingness, as though I belonged to the team now, as though I made an impact to my team. It felt great to be a part of something: my own soccer team.
The next day after my very first goal, I also carried myself with more pride. The feelings that I felt after the game transferred themselves into my next day, and even into the rest of the week. Whenever the subject of soccer or sports was brought up, I would feel a sense of pride rush through my body. It is something that cannot really be described, a feeling of accomplishment, something that makes me love the sport all the more than I already do. I believe that if it were not for me joining the soccer team at Kenwood Academy, I would not be the person that I am today. As absurd as that may sound, it is true, because soccer game me the social skills that I lacked, and it still gave me the discipline and dedication that I needed for life.
Soccer may not be the sport that everyone loves, and it may not be the sport that everyone enjoys playing. A sport in general, is something that can transform a person, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst, discounting the negatives, and excluding those people who do not like playing sports at all. Playing sports had been my outlet in life, and I believe that soccer is my balance in life. If people would give sports a chance, they could probably realize the same thing.