Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious
triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with
those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they
live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Picture it: dusk settles over the field in the waning
moments of a hard-fought playoff match. Your team started off slow
- maybe it was nerves, maybe intimidation - and fell behind 2-0.
The ship's been righted, though -the defense has stiffened a bit,
and you've matched your opponent goal for goal since that point.
Your team is now down 4-3 in the final minute of the second half.
One of your teammates splits two defenders, breaks free toward the
goal, and is tackled from behind. The referee's whistle pierces the
chill fall air: penalty kick. You make eye contact with the coach,
who gives you a look that says, "You up for this?" And in that
split second, you ask yourself: do I want the weight of my team's
fortune's on my shoulders? Am I willing to risk disappointment and
that feeling - whether justified or not - of having let my
teammates down? Do I want the ball?
Soccer gives young players the chance to display, exercise,
and develop that mark of character glorified since the days of the
ancient Greeks and long before: courage. Just stepping on the field
requires courage. It may not seem so, but taking part in a
competitive soccer match is nothing less than raising your hand and
saying, "Even though I am unsure of the outcome, and even though
there is a chance that I will experience disappointment and even
what I may at first perceive and feel to be failure, I am willing
to walk through this fear for the love of the game and the
opportunity to support and compete joyfully with my peers." To
emphasize: courage is not the absence of fear, but feeling the fear
and walking through it. The lessons learned from so doing are
transferable to all aspects of the soccer player's life: personal
and professional, amongst family and amongst friends.
If the hypothetical player mentioned above steps forward and
takes the penalty kick for his team, then, regardless of whether he
makes the kick, he has already won a more important battle. He has
stepped forward and dared to do a mighty thing, knowing that
failure is a possibility - the seed of courage has taken root, and
will only grow stronger from there.