Student Athlete

I am proud to have become a student athlete.

With Covid waning, or at least a temporary window having opened up, we have finally made it on to the pitch. A year later than planned. But missing a year of competitive soccer pales in comparison to the hardships millions have faced -- including my own home, where my dad has suffered mightily from long-haul symptoms, and the house next door, where my two neighbors, a husband and wife not much older than my parents, lost their lives to Covid within a week of each other. They were two people who were always nice to my family, raised their own kids before we moved next door, and threw back thousands of ours baseballs and soccers balls that had made their way into their yard. Always with a smile.

That year without soccer has also opened my eyes a bit. Since I was a kid its always been school and sports that filled the vast majority of my days. Sports left little time for anything else beyond classwork. The year without soccer (although I never stopped individually training or working out) has been illuminating. I already miss a lot of the new things I had time for these past months. Yet, I am also excited to develop a bond with my new teammates and see if we can make it to the NCAA national tournament this year.