With summer camp coming up for quite a number of teens, I thought this story from our archives might encourage some who aren’t as fond of certain sports. ~Adar

By Malinda Moutz

It was a blistering-hot, sticky, humid day in August, and I was about to do something I did not want to do: learn how to play soccer. I didn’t have anything against the sport itself, I just knew it was not going to be for me. Sure, there were a lot of people who did like to play. But when I went to summer camp that year, I really didn’t think I would be one of them. However, I also came to camp with the goal to try my best at everything I did.

So as the merciless sun beat down upon us, we were instructed how to play soccer. Then we did some drills: kicking the ball around some orange cones and to each other, and so on. I was trying hard, but I wasn’t all that good. It confirmed my suspicion that soccer wasn’t for me.

The second class we had, we played our first real soccer game. I wasn’t feeling well the first half, so I got out of having to play. But standing there on the sidelines gave me a chance to think. I reminded myself, try hard. I played the second half, and I was actually doing okay and even having fun.

The next time we played, I did a lot better, and was enjoying myself very much! I was cheering for others, they were cheering for me, and we were all having a great time. When the second half was every bit as fun as the first, I decided that I liked soccer!

I was really pumped for our next game, which was to be our last. I was trying very hard, which made me like it more. Bruises, sore muscles, heat, humidity—those things no longer mattered to me, because this was the last game of a sport I loved. It was an awesome game!

A few nights later, the camp instructors announced the names of the people who were to be in the “All Star” games—the grand finale of sports at camp. When they announced my name, I was surprised and excited! I was a “star” in a sport I didn’t think I’d like. The All-Star soccer game went well, and that night I was awarded with “Girl Soccer Player of the Session”!

Because I stuck with it that summer, soccer is now one of my favorite sports. I play every week. And when I am out there on the field, breathing the fresh air and running on the newly cut grass, it reminds me of playing soccer for the first time several summers ago. When I look back on that summer, I realize that I learned a lot of lessons. Try hard to do your best at everything you do! Stick with it! Be all you can be! Even if it is something you don’t like, you may end up loving it. There are going to be those muscle cramps and hot sunrays of obstacles in our lives, but don’t let that stop you. You will achieve success and meet goals! It is not just about physical glory or awards, it is about having that deep-down satisfaction that you’ve given it your best.

Just as I became a better soccer player those weeks in August, I have become a better person applying those same principles. So, try your hardest, and you too will be a better person, achieve goals, and really, truly, have a ball in life!