I was seven years old when I started playing soccer for the Joliet Park district. I remember my first-ever game, and I didn't like it at first because it involved a lot of running and I wasn't very good at it. However, my dad insisted that I continue playing and transferred me to an actual club to help me improve my skills. Unfortunately, even after joining the new club, I still struggled during practice sessions, which were almost 30 minutes away from my home. It became clear to me from my very first practice that I wasn't going to enjoy playing soccer.

During my first practice, I met all of my teammates and coaches. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling of nervousness and fear. As we started with a passing drill, I felt out of place because everyone seemed to be much better than me. When it was time to pick partners, I was left standing alone without anyone. I felt like the odd one out and had to ask my coach to be my partner, which was embarrassing. The second drill was a mini-game with the entire team, but I struggled and made several mistakes. To make matters worse, everyone started yelling at me and getting angry. After practice, the coach discussed payments and other details with my dad. I regretted coming to practice and didn't want him to do that. Every time my parents took me to practice, I felt nervous and scared, watching the sunset go down while trembling in the car.

On the second day of practice, things started to go even more downhill for me. The practice sessions were harder than before. There was a particular drill that was so confusing for me that I couldn't understand it, no matter how many times the coach explained it to me. My teammates began to make fun of me, telling me to go back to the park district team. They also started to bully me by pushing and shoving me around. I no longer had the motivation to play; I wanted to give up.

"I pleaded with my dad, 'Please don't pay anymore and don't make me go back'. But he didn't listen and forced me to play. I would cry during practice and even when I got home. On the second day of practice, things got even worse. The drills were harder, and I couldn't understand one of them, no matter how many times the coach explained it. My teammates made fun of me, telling me to go back to the park district team. They also bullied me by pushing and shoving me around. I lost my motivation to play and wanted to give up. During a drill, I started crying, and one of my teammates, who was very nice, told me that “everything would be okay."

I couldn’t handle it anymore. I couldn’t handle all the bullying that my teammates caused me just for a sport I didn't like. It was unfair. Since then I realized that life isn’t fair. All you have to do is cope with it and move forward. So next time they messed around with me I told myself that It wasn’t gonna happen again. So one of the guys pushed me during a game and I got up and punched him right in the face. I punched him so hard I knocked the wind right out of him. He threw one back so we got into the ground and I got on top and punched him even more. The coach separated us and yelled at me. 

After I began standing up for myself, my tormentors ceased their taunts. However, my coach's demeanor towards me noticeably changed - not that he was ever particularly fond of me in the first place. I confided in my father about my desire to leave the club and seek out a different one, and to my surprise, he took my concerns seriously. He empathized with the harm the team had inflicted upon me. I ultimately joined a new team, one I truly enjoyed. The members and coaches were kind and considerate, and I felt a sense of belonging.

They stopped picking on me ever since I started defending myself. But my coach didn’t like me anymore. Not like he ever did. I told my dad I wanted to leave the club and to put me in another one but this time he actually started to listen. He felt bad for all the damage the team has cost me. So I joined a different team. It was a team I actually liked. My teammates and my coaches were very nice and respectful. I felt at home.