This season, Frisch soccer reached a new level of intensity. We came together as a group with many talented players, but at the end of the season, we emerged as a team that knew exactly how to play to each other’s strengths, and how to handle a challenge. We started off the season strong, mercying the first teams we played and winning by large margins. But, instead of letting it get to our heads, our coach taught us to view each opponent as a new challenge. In our pre-game huddle, Coach Ryan always made sure to remind us that this game was another chance to grow as a team. Regardless of the opponent or the score, we were pushed to give it our all and to respect the opposing team by playing the best we could throughout. In one of our games, we soundly defeated the team, yet after the game Coach made everyone on the team run sprints. He didn’t care about the score; he cared that as a team we did not run our hardest and push ourselves to our limits.
Fitness was a very important value this season. We learned to be okay with discomfort, and to play even when we were tired, because, as our coach constantly reminded us, the other team was tired as well. Coach Ryan taught us that playing for a team isn’t just an individual experience, it’s about representing the team and the school. He showed us how to use that knowledge to drive and fuel us. He ingrained in us the idea that whichever team wanted the win more would get it. We finished off the regular season undefeated, but all of our coach’s training—mental and physical—prepared
us for the challenge of the playoffs.
While our first playoff game against Ma’ayanot started off with a balanced score, as the game progressed, Ma’ayanot became tired, and we did too. But we let that exhaustion motivate and fuel us to do better. We were okay being tired; what we weren’t okay with was not reaching our full potential on the court.
Our semifinal game against Kushner was even more competitive. At halftime, we re-grouped together tired and sweaty, the game tied. We were all stressed, the possibility of losing more real than it had ever been. But Coach Ryan remained calm and composed. He had complete faith in us, and simply reminded us to play smart: find each other on the court and take many shots. Slowly but surely, we built up a lead, and came away with a hard-fought victory.
During the championship game, our coach reminded us of how much fun we had this season, and how much fun we could have playing together for the final game. Everyone on the team played. While the final score was 11-3, our real victory was putting our best on the court and playing together as a united team for one last time. We walked away with trophies, but more importantly a newfound respect for the sport and a drive to continue to seek out intensity.
