When a group of 17 year-old girls get together and share years of memories with each other, people can expect fighting and drama and whatever else girls can complain about. But my club soccer team is different. We don’t seem to fight or complain about drama within the team. And if we did, our coach would surely make us run until we puked as punishment.
For the past few years, my team, the Northwest Arkansas Lightning ’95 girls Black, have traveled around the world competing in tournaments and showcases for soccer. A few years ago, we even entered in a tournament and traveled to Sweden and won. In the early years, there was some drama, but now, there’s none. No fighting, no crying, no drama. It’s GREAT. We’re the best of friends, sisters practically. I feel closer to some of the girls on my team than some of the people I’ve known my entire life. We just get along so easily. It’s probably because we’ve been together for so long as a team.
On some weekends when we are playing in far away places such as Georgia or Tennessee, we all board a charter bus for hours on end. My team always claims the back of the bus as ours. That way, we don’t disturb the parents and the other team traveling with us. The other team sits there in their cliques talking behind other girls’ backs. My team, on the other hand, is telling stories, playing games, and laughing our butts off. Sure the bus can get crowded at times, but hey, my soccer team makes the best of it and creates memories that will last a lifetime.
Another thing that makes my soccer team different from others is that when we reached the age when we were able to play high school soccer in the spring, my team didn’t turn against each other and fight high school against high school. Nothing changed; we were still all sisters just like before. It was strange playing against my teammates during high school season, but after the game, we always laughed and said hello to each other.
Of course, the day will come when we play our very last game together. It will be the end of an era for us. Tears, laughter, and goodbyes will be shared. Then we’ll all head off to college and maybe find a new team to bond with. No matter what happens, I’ll always remember my teammates and the memories we’ve created. I love my team, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world!