Team Player

“Don’t be afraid to skin your knees. If you get knocked over, just get back up.” My father spoke softly to me as we stared at the field. I would soon be lacing up my soccer shoes to play in my first game. To play in my first game against all boys. My small town didn’t have any sports team only for girls mainly due to the fact there weren’t enough girls in town to form even a basketball team. I was nervous because most of the boys had been bullying me about wanting to play soccer. Soccer was the only sport I ever wanted to play so my parents signed me up.  

The parents of all the boys on the team almost had as many problems with me playing as my classmates did, thinking I was going to take time away from their kids. But, fortunately for me, there were no rules saying I couldn’t play so here I was, ready for my first game. I had been practicing every day for weeks to make sure my touches would be on point and had been running everywhere I could because I knew none of the boys liked playing outside midfield. Ninety minutes later, I had a dozen new bruises, a skinned knee and three goals to my name. But nothing could prepare me for the nasty looks I got from the parents on my own team. I smiled to myself as I knew I was better than their sons.