At first, I thought he was joking. I literally smiled and laughed a little to myself, before I started thinking, “Wow, he really is keeping up this act for a long time.” I started to put together the solemn tone, the disheartened and scarily stoic expression, and the fact that he kept saying “cut.” Then it hit me. I was being cut from the high school team that I'd been a part of for the past two years. Sometimes I wish there was a video camera recording me when my coaches told me; I would’ve loved to see what I looked like or how my face changed once I realized. Every year you have to try out. Every year there is no guarantee you’ll make it. Even though you made the team last year, it doesn't mean you will this year. Do your best over the three days. I’ve heard all of this a number of times. Did I not try hard enough? Did I not give it my best effort? Honestly, I can’t be sure. I’m confident that I definitely did not play as well as I usually do, but I don’t know if it was for lack of effort or just that I had a bad day. Either way, it doesn’t change the end result. I got cut. I’ll be honest, that at first, I was devastated. I was confused about what happened and didn’t understand where I went wrong. I even called my coach to ask, “What do I need to do better next time?” His answer is still something that confuses me. He said I was a good player, and that there was nothing more I could’ve really done. The thing was that there were seniors, a number of them, that could play my position, and there just wasn’t enough spots. Again I’ll tell the truth, I did sulk around for a few days. It really did affect me that I wouldn’t be able to play the season with some of my best friends, some of which would be graduating the coming year. I wouldn’t get to travel or have weird insiders from trips. However, I had my mind set on not letting this one thing control me. I definitely was not going to give up playing during the club season. Maybe I’d even try out again next year, just to prove a point. I vowed to stay positive, work hard in the time period I wouldn’t be playing, and come back even stronger. I learned something that I have a hard time accepting sometimes. I rarely ever fail, but now I’ve learned how to accept it a little easier. I learned that I won’t always get something that I work hard for, and that’s just life. This was honestly one of the first major setbacks that I’ve ever experienced, but I can say that it’s made me a better person. I’ve always been a person who bounces back, so here we go.