Senior enjoys playing two fall sports

Ryan Glover l Digital Editor

I play soccer and football during the fall sports season. Growing up I always played soccer, mainly because my parents didn’t want me to get hurt in football.

I loved soccer and played for many different teams from travel to rec leagues. I didn’t start football until 11th grade. I never thought about playing two sports until I saw how Chad Ryland did it and was very successful.

At first, I was very scared of both sports. For soccer, I was scared of what my coach might have thought and how he might have sat me because I missed a practice for a football game. I was super nervous for football because I never played before or been on a team.

Luckily, it all worked out junior year and I made good friends with another kicker who made it fun. Additionally, my soccer coach was very accepting and supported my goals.

Though it seems all cool to play sports, things get complicated. Initially, I couldn’t go to both practices in one day because they were at the same time. So, we made a compromise that I would go to football every Thursday and soccer every other day, still practicing football one-to-two other times each week on my own.

Soccer games were rarely on Fridays, so that made football games easy for me. But sadly, there had to be two soccer games on Fridays. I would go play soccer then leave straight to football and get there about an hour before game time.

All these games and practices take up time and I don’t get a break. I dream about sleeping in after a late Friday night football game, but can’t happen when I always have Saturday games usually in the early morning.

Practices take up lots of time. When soccer is over, I can’t rest most nights because I have to practice kicking.

As of right now I believe I am very successful in playing both sports and finding a way to fit a social life around everything else. I am halfway through my second year of this, so now I have the hang of things when they feel like a norm to me.

If anyone is looking to play two sports at the same time I would 100% recommended it, but just know it is no easy task.