Dear Family, Friends and Coaches:
Thank you so much for all your support. Soccer has always been a part of me but without your constant encouragement and guidance, I don’t think I would be where I am now.
I currently play on an EDP level club soccer team, and I’ve been playing varsity soccer since sophomore year. This year, I’ve never felt more support. Junior year has already been filled with immense stress. For athletes trying to commit to collegiate level teams, time management has become vital. Between grades, high school/club soccer, and keeping up with NCSA or CaptainU, it’s hard to not want to scream; however, that’s where friends and family come in. Without my friends' incessant love and advice given this year, I don’t think I would be able to bear junior year. Little things like shared quizlets for honors English vocab tests or simple hangouts at Buffalo Wild Wings genuinely help relieve the stress. So thank you friends for being there for me, and for putting a smile on my face all the time. Thank you for all the posters made for me, and cheering me on at my soccer games. I treasure all the support.
Being on a club team essentially means you must travel from state to state and compete against high level soccer teams for notice from college coaches. I know car rides are always so tedious, so thank you family for sacrificing your time to drive me two hours or more just so I can enjoy the hobby I love doing most. Thank you for always cheering for me and my teammates through the coldest winters and the hottest summers, and for filming games so I can provide NCSA with footage of me playing. Thank you for putting in the money and time to have me play for a very good club team. FCUSA has been one of the most valuable things in my life, but I know how expensive club teams can get, so thank you so much for making sure I can play. These little things are usually overlooked by me after practices, tournaments and games, but I hope you know how appreciative I am to have parents willing to do all of this for me.
Thank you family for your continual worry for me and my grades. Being an athlete, it’s hard to be asleep before 10 p.m. I know how stressful it can get watching me stay up late to study for subjects like AP World or Physics and then having to play a soccer game the next day, so thank you for looking out for me and the amount of sleep I get.
Lastly, I owe four coaches a huge shout-out. Coach Quigley, thank you so much for giving me the confidence I have now. Although you had never played goalie before, you helped me develop into the goalie I am now. My long-term goal is to commit to a college or university by the end of this year. If I commit to a school for soccer, I hope you know that you’re a major reason why I could reach my goal. Coach Waggy, thank you for believing in me, and pushing me to be improve. Coach Butler, thank you for trusting me enough to be the varsity goalie; I know my height must have been a concern to you, so thank you for believing in me. Coach Novak/Scarola, thank you for putting me in goal when I was young. I honestly would not be a goalie now if I didn’t start as one back on your travel team.
Thank you all,
Lea
