Erik Norstedt

Soccer has been a big part of life ever since I was young. It was the national sport where I grew up so naturally it was played by everyone. At recess we would go outside and immediately start picking teams. We would use our shoes as goal posts and our jackets as the sidelines. There was no referee so you had to use personal judgement when making a call. By the end of recess the game had turned into chaos and the bickering players were ready to fight one another. Then we realize that recess is over and run back to class. When I moved to the US soccer had taken a back seat to football and other sports. This however did not curb my enthusiasm toward the sport. My first week here I tried out for a local club team in Athens. The most noticeable difference in playing in the US was the heat and humidity. It took a while to get used to but I was able to make it through the first season successfully. When the spring rolled around I joined my schools soccer team. I was able to meet new people and learn teamwork and sacrifice. I went on to play soccer for my school and club team until my senior year in high school. It was a great experience because I was able to learn things that couldn't be taught in the classroom.