I had not thought very hard about how much soccer has actually impacted my life until a few weeks ago when I was asked “What is your passion?” The answer came to me automatically and without much thought; soccer. That question was followed with “Why?” What I thought was an obvious answer came to my mind; because I love it. I could not expand my answer any more than that. I did not think that I needed to. I assumed that those four words completely expressed my thoughts on the matter. Thinking back to how simply I answered those two questions, I began to ponder the deeper meaning behind those words. Why am I so passionate about soccer?

The answer to this question came to me accidentally this past week in a class discussion about reminiscing childhood. Soccer has been apart of my life since I was four or five years old. I remember playing for a recreational league in the summer and looking forward to Mondays and Wednesdays because those were the days that I had a game. I would put on my soccer shorts which were so long, they went down well past my knees, and wrap my shin guard straps around three or four times because my legs were so small. At that age, the game consisted of ten boys and girls from both teams all clumped together running up and down the 25 yard field trying to score a goal in 3 foot nets. During the game, children on the other team became your enemies, but as soon as the game ended you were all best friends again. That was my childhood.

As I aged, the attitude and stress surrounding the game became more intense and people began asking me about where I wanted to play in high school, and then college. None of that affected me very much. When I feel the stress getting to me, I think back to the simple days when it didn't matter how well I played or who was watching. I held on to those memories because I didn't want to let go of the past and the many precious memories that came along with it. That is the reason that I still play to this day. Every time I am out on that field, I play with the same attitude that I have since I was a little girl. It keeps me somehow connected to my youth. Whenever the word soccer even enters my mind, I feel happy. It has always been there and serves as an escape from the real world.

Soccer to me is an escape to the stress and burdens of my everyday life. When I step on the field I get to briefly revisit the simplicity of my childhood only if for 80 minutes. I now know that the reason that I love soccer so much, is not simply because of the game itself, but because of the connection it has with my childhood. Soccer to me is like a time machine, with every game comes a trip back in time to again experience the happiness that I did as a child.