7 minutes, who knew how stressful a simple 7 minutes could be. 7 years, that’s plenty of time. Let’s start with 7 minutes. Running a timed mile felt terrifying and utterly impossible, considering that getting cut from my high school soccer team was at stake. I had waited my whole life to play soccer in high school, but realizing how competitive it was, made me question it all. 7 minutes, four 200-meter laps, 1 minute and 45 seconds for each one. Simple. But the urge to give up slowly started seeping in and my love for the game was the only thing getting me through, or so I thought. “3...2...1… GO”. I never had much confidence in myself as a soccer player. I had played on a local travel team from the age of 7 with the same teammates. They were not only my team, but they were also my family and before I knew it, that was all taken away. I was in sixth grade when I was cut from the team, it was a day that changed my life forever. Here begin the 7 years of my life I will never forget. “Second lap, 1 minute and 40 seconds you’ve got this.” After dealing with getting cut from my team, I decided to join a local club team. It was the start of my freshman year and it wasn’t long before I got dragged down by my new coach for simple mistakes before I knew it, I was watching the game from the bench. This continued through the next year, and my self-esteem had completely withered away. I let my coach convince me that I wasn’t good enough and never would be. “3 minutes and 30 seconds start to pick up the pace!” At this point, I knew I had to do something to improve. I couldn’t let other people determine if I am a good player or not, that’s on me. My grandfather has been one of my biggest supporters from day one, but he watched my ups and downs and would just say “keep your head up and play with your heart”. It wasn’t until the start of my spring season with my club team that I truly understood what he was trying to say to me. He wanted me to play the game I loved. I was too worried about what the coach was going to say and wasn’t playing my game. “1 MINUTE AND 30 SECONDS LEFT, LETS GO!” exclaimed my coach. I was already way behind everyone else. As I came up to the last turn, I heard someone yell “25 seconds”. I found myself running faster like I hadn’t already been sprinting. I looked over to see my cousin, varsity captain, running alongside me yelling, pushing me through the last seconds. I took my final steps over the finish line to hear the time “6:55!”. My soccer career has been a rollercoaster ride, but if it taught me anything, it's that even when you think you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. It is now 7 years since I was cut from that team. I am a three-year varsity level athlete, Senior captain, one of the top players on my current club team and now going forward with my dream to play in college. Everyone has room for improvement and sometimes family motivation is just enough to get you there. My grandfather's words and my cousin's motivation truly helped me get to where I am today.

Tucker Agosto with the GOOOAAALLL!!!