Springtime is a season buzzing with athletics: travel sports, track, tennis, water polo, and many more. While there are a number of sports to choose from, this season the interest in soccer has skyrocketed. Almost every season, the women’s soccer team sees at least one or two girls with no prior knowledge who pick up the sport. But this season the women’s soccer team is overflowing with interest. With 7 new members trying out the sport this season, the number of new freshmen is extremely high.
“I thought it would be a really fun opportunity and experience to try something new and challenge myself and to learn something new, alongside my friends,” Landry Cook (‘28) said.
When deciding to join a new sport it can be a hard decision, especially with so many different options in the spring, choosing something you are good and comfortable with seems like the obvious choice. But these few freshmen, decided to throw themselves into the deep end and try something new.
“I was really scared at first, I made the decision to play soccer instead of track, my usual sport because I wanted to challenge myself with a new experience,” Eleanor Hoonhorst (‘28) said.
Nerves can be high when trying anything new, but when trying out for a sport you’ve never played before, they can be even higher. Some of the girls trying out found comfort in numbers, supporting one another in this new sport.
“We really had to just step it up and go show ourselves to the soccer team no matter what our skills are,” Abria Eckert (‘28) said. “Doing it together, kind of, took the pressure off and made it a fun opportunity for us.”
Most would assume that skill level and knowledge of the sport would create a divide in the team, but most players would beg to differ. The environment of the team so early into the season is nothing but support and positive communication.
“There are really nice girls on the team,” Zoe Hurcomb (‘28) said. “They’re so inclusive. And it makes me so happy to get on the field every day with my new friends, they help me get better and are very patient.”
Even though the season is just kicking off and they’ve only had several practices, the girls seem to have a very positive attitude towards the outlook of the season. Although their skill level and experience in the sport are lacking, their attitudes make up for it. With a supportive team, patience, and determination, these girls have confidence that they will have fun this season.
“Even if we don’t win, I think that we have to accept that because we are new at the sport. Our goal I think should just be to go out there and have as much fun as possible,” Eckert said.
