But some of my favorite memories come from when it helped me to realize that I wasn’t interested in being as cautious as the other girls in the game. There were the times we played on muddy fields and I could count on being able to get to the ball easily any time it flew into the muddy part of the field. Being almost the only player willing to get dirty was a huge advantage.

And of course getting the invitation to try out for a traveling team was a thrill, especially as my sister didn’t get one. That old competitive spirit! In a mostly nice way, but what siblings don’t enjoy one upping each other?

The most frustrating year was the one in which my mother was dragged into coaching. Not because she was a bad coach, but because almost none of the players on the team wanted to do so much as practice, or even attend practice. There was a reason why my reluctant mother ended up coaching. You try working with a team where neither the players nor their parents really care how things go.

But for the most part things were good most years as I played soccer. It was fun. It helped me, a very shy kid, have an outlet where I didn’t need to be shy. Didn’t stop the shyness, but it was a release when I played.