Kemya Hopkins challenged on the soccer field

December 2, 2022

Feather journalist steps onto the soccer field

Another new year promotes more challenges and opportunities to learn about people, skills, hobbies, and more. Each month Feather journalist Kemya Hopkins challenges herself to go outside of her comfort zone. In this article, Hopkins challenged herself to try soccer for two days and get an inside look at what goes down on the soccer field.

[/media-credit] Hopkins attempts juggling a soccer ball.

Last year, the FCS girl’s soccer team won the CIF Central Section Division Five Championship. This month, I dared myself to step out onto the soccer field, getting first-hand experience of what the champion team goes through on an average practice to get ready for their upcoming season.

As practice began, I wasn’t expecting the hard work and determination required for what was ahead. The team started off with warm-ups; working together in unison made it extremely difficult to keep up with the team. Shortly after warm-ups the team and myself went straight into exercises.

The most challenging aspect was learning different soccer exercises very quickly, making it frustrating to keep up with the ball. Weaving my feet in and out to maneuver the ball was hard to comprehend, making it challenging to work in unison.

Junior Emma Connolly enjoys playing with her team and strengthening their shared bond.

“I love the girls. We all have a family type bond and we’re always there for each other,” Connolly said. “I love coming to practice and working hard while also having fun doing it.”

Connolly shares the highs of competing in soccer.

“It’s about having a competitive mindset and honestly it’s fun to see the wins and getting awards for what you’ve worked for,” Connolly said. “There’s a lot of adrenaline, with the lights on and it being dark outside it makes it easier to go and play.”

My experience was complicated, challenging, and extremely tough. After getting a glimpse of what soccer players do in everyday practice, I can confidently say that it’s more complicated than it looks. It requires lots of coordination and willingness to work in unison.

For anyone interested in soccer next year my advice would be to focus and try to make the best of your practice. Staying focused and knowing that you will not be perfect on the first try is key.

One thing I can take away from this challenge is the team’s hard work and dedication to the sport. Every time an exercise got tough or complicated the girls would work even harder to make it perfect. The team reminded me that making mistakes is normal in the sport.

With my fourth challenge complete, I have learned about the diligent work required of Fresno Christian’s soccer teams. Stay tuned for my next challenge – volunteering at the Marjaree Mason Center for a day.