My Exclusive Community-- Assignment #1

            Throughout my life, I have been apart of various sports teams, such as soccer, softball, ice hockey, and golf.  In my opinion, in all sports there is a sense of community and it feels like you always belong.  You are bonded with your teammates, maybe not through personal experiences and your background, but you are united through a common goal: to succeed.

In high school, I was always into sports and always busy with team activities.  My junior year of high school I was apart of my Girls’ Varsity Soccer team.  Going into preseason, I had a different feeling about that year more than any other year.  We got along extremely well and we just clicked.  It was unlike anything my coach and our school had ever seen.  My talented team had scored more goals in the first half of our season than the soccer program had produced in the last 3 years!  What an accomplishment to be apart of.

I was not only part of a team and sisterhood; I was also part of a community.  We had our differences and we did not come from the same places, but we were bonded our love for soccer and for each other.  We had a perfect regular season with an exceptional record.  The playoffs were next.  We stepped out onto the field wearing out purple and white, out heart on our sleeves.  “Leave it on the field” my coach said before we went out.  I scored our first goal and at that moment I had never felt more proud to be apart of that team. 

We ended up losing the game 2-1, but I had never felt apart of something so big, powerful, and overwhelming.  I think that is what it feels to be apart of a community.  It is just this amazing feeling of belongingness that I believe is indescribable.  My heart was filled with pride to be a Purple Ghost and at that moment when I walked off the field with tears in my eyes, my best friend and sister put her arm around my shoulders.  I think it was at that moment that I realized this team was a family and we were apart of an exclusive community made for the 2012-2011 Girls’ Varsity team.

I honestly believe that there were elements that allowed this sense of community to come about.  When I scored the first and only goal, I felt as though my team valued me and I was essential to our success.  Individually, that was such an amazing feeling.  Also, when the game was over we held our heads high and all our fans stood in the stands and clapped for our accomplishments of that night as well as our amazing season.  Having “outsiders” look in our exclusive community, I was never more proud to be apart of something that people looked upon as something special.  Lastly, when we hung up our cleats in the team room we all looked up at each other and instantly held one another’s hands.  Our bond was complete and we had never been more united than that final moment we shared together.