By Tayler Chauvette

 

Despite the unfortunate outcome on Monday, October 22, it has been an amazing season for our Blazer soccer team, one that I had the chance to experience first hand as a player. I got the opportunity to play with twenty other amazing players, all of whom made my freshman season an unforgettable one.

It is never easy being new to anything, but it is especially hard to be new as a freshman. I came onto a team with six other freshman. This means that there were fourteen players who had been teammates for at least a year, but most for more years than that. This was as intimidating as it could get. Yet, it did not feel this way. Of course, we all knew we were freshmen and certain boundaries come with that.What I didn’t know was that I was coming into a family. I made twenty new friends without even knowing it — friends that listened to me rant about a math test (I definitely ended up failing that), acknowledge that the freshmen carry all of the equipment, even though, it is supposed to be done by everyone on the team (we all knew that wasn’t going to ever happen), or our crazy conversations and stories on the bus.

There have been many times where my teammates have made me laugh. One time in particular being when we played Stow. It was a closer than we would have liked, and Stow had a very quick and skilled forward. One of HB’s defenders (her name will not be said to stop further embarrassment from this event) happened to be guarding this specific player when she played one of her best moves. And, believe me when I say, this defender’s ankles were broken so hard they were pointing in different directions, and she fell hard. The entire bench erupted in laughter. I can honestly say I have never laughed so hard. The defender’s sister happened to be sitting next to me, and I think she was embarrassed to be her sister.

While I have many more stories (funny or not) that I could tell you, there is one that stands out to me the most. It was a regular season game, and one of our key players was hurt a few days prior to the game and was unable to play. I was called off the bench to start; something that shocked me. Needless to say, I was very nervous; there were butterflies in my stomach that fluttered each time our goalie screamed at me (something I totally deserved) about something I had done. I felt intimidated by the skills of my own teammates and the players on the other team, and I did not feel good enough or ready to be playing. Unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me that game, and I did not play well at all. But, instead of yelling at me or telling me to stop sucking, one of the seniors took me aside during the half and told me that there was a reason I was playing, and that it is okay to be anxious, but I still need to play my game. Though I did not know it, I needed to hear this. After this pep talk, I played better, but not as well as I knew I could play. The same senior could tell I was still frustrated with myself, and she continued to tell me that I was fine. While this was by far not my best game, it was the game where I truly felt apart of the team.

For this and so many more reasons,, the Blazer’s 2018 soccer team was an amazing experience; one that will make my freshman year unforgettable.