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.