Campus Life

UNICEF, Soccer and an X-Box 434 - 4/22/2013

As a child growing up I was always taught to be open to new experiences and to never turn away the opportunity to expand my horizons. In the past year, one area of my life that was already influential took an unexpected twist for the better. Throughout my life, the one constant in terms of loving has been sports. Football, basketball, and baseball were the main sports that I was exposed to growing up; however, I have always been a sports fan and loved to participate in any sport that I can. Something about the nature of competition and the excitement of entertainment has always made me a passionate sports fan. Over the past school year, due to a simple X-box game, I have become more exposed to a sport that is now one of my favorites -- SOCCER. EA Sports FIFA 2013 is the video game that has gotten me more involved with the sport. I have always known about the sport and have played it before, but never competitively. However, after learning more about the culture of the game I've come to realize how much more it is than a sport. To some people, soccer is a lifestyle. Their countries' pride is exhibited through World Cup Championships and their childhoods revolve around a ball laying (or bouncing) at their feet. As I learned even more about the game and becoming friends with some of the great people on campus that play, I had no option but to develop my game. This obviously has not been an overnight process but it turns out that if you enjoy playing, it makes it that much easier. My new interest in soccer became useful last week during the Faculty/Staff vs. Students charity soccer game for UNICEF. All of the proceeds for the game went towards children’s health and education and a lot of soccer talent was displayed on the student and faculty/staff side. Following a two goal performance and a bit of reflection, I realized that I had finally experienced a small piece of the impact that a simple sport can bring to a group of people. Over $1000 was raised for UNICEF and the game was one of the most memorable sports experiences I will ever have. I have never been a huge X-box player and now most of the school knows that I’m not a great soccer talent, but because I wasn’t afraid to try new things I have found a new interest in something that I may have never experienced before.