The outcome was not to be; the opposing player had deceitfully kicked the ball out of the goalie’s hands. I called a penalty and awarded a kick to the home team. “Horrible call ref! You need glasses. Are you blind?” the coach screamed. I advised him to return to his bench or I would have him removed from the field. As the head soccer referee, I enforced the rules.
Identity defines a person. Whether through sport or hobby, an identity separates one from the masses. My identity is rooted in and displayed by my love of soccer. Soccer has helped me mature, become a leader, and try new experiences.
Soccer is unique to me. Why? It has encouraged me to be a referee. Every call I make defines the flow of the game. Occasionally, players, coaches and even fans try to intimidate the referee. Soccer refereeing has taught me to stand firm, and battle through the intimidation.
In addition, soccer has helped me develop as a leader. When I am not refereeing a game, I am playing soccer for my town. My position on the field is stopper. As stopper, my responsibility is to help the defense when they are pressured and to help the offense score goals. On the field, it is chaos, players running around while simultaneously trying to watch the ball. That’s where I come in. My job is
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Both while refereeing and playing soccer I am profoundly analytical, watching every play and breaking down what happened and how to take advantage of it. I have applied this style of thinking to my life. One example is playing chess. My dad once explained to me, “Every player on your team has strengths and weaknesses; in chess each piece is like one of your players, they all have different aspects that can be utilized.” When I play chess, I use the same strategy as soccer. Each move has consequences and rewards. The only difference between the two is that soccer has the risk of losing a goal, where in chess it is losing a