davidrz – ENG1101 OL22 Composition 1

During the Fall of 2019, the beginning of my 12th grade year, I was playing my last soccer season for my high school team(Law and Tech Jets). I was heading into the season feeling prepared to give it my all, but a bit scared over the unknown challenges that were to come. The team knew that our biggest challenges were facing these two very challenging teams in the league, Emma Lazarus and NYC iSchool . I believed in the team and was very hopeful to try and win the league. The league started off with a sensible loss, it was our first game and we faced Emma Lazarus. We knew we were up for a challenge, but a 7-1 loss in the first game can have a mental toll in you if you’re not prepared for it in case. But the ambiance in the team was always good enough to pick our emotions up before and after a game. After that, the sun vanished the clouds and our team went on to win the next four games! The four games that we won were filled with so many amazing and some suffering moments. I remember the four games being crazy fun because some crazy and unexpected goals were scored, we won a game or two where we came back from losing in the first or second half of the games, and the team gained so much hype and confidence from winning four games consecutively. And for me, this boosted my confidence so much because I felt more effective as a striker, as I was scoring more goals and giving more assists to my teammates than my previous season. My statistics in the team were improving, showing that my hard work and knowledge was paying off. But after our fourth consecutive win, we had to face NYC iSchool. The team was so confident in each other heading into this game as we were in our best levels of soccer yet. We knew we had the fight in us as the four previous wins were there to prove it. Our training sessions before the game were filled with intensity and lots of motivation as we wanted to bring a fight to them in our soccer. But we also knew that we had to stay more defensive and be ready for what was coming. The game went on with lots of intensity, but it ended with a 4-0 loss for us. We took the loss knowing we did our very very best. We had to win our next and final game and have Lyons Community Soccer Team lose to enter the playoffs. This went on to happen and we had to face NYC iSchool in the playoffs(Semi-final) to go on to the finals. The team was already very honored to be in the playoffs because we knew that entering the playoffs was always a challenge, but our hard work led us there. We lost 4-0. It was a hurtful loss for the team, but we took out the best things from the loss and remembered that that was our best season yet and that the team has improved so much as it was shown during the season. We stayed 3rd place and left home happy, even though we wanted more than that. But I cannot forget how amazing that experience was for me. And now looking back at it almost two years later, it helps me not stay down and unmotivated during the pandemic and during my hard times in college. I learned that there is no reason for me to believe that I’m not good at anything or that my descended level of soccer and fitness will forever stay like that. I had to overcome many mental obstacles and remember how amazing I was playing soccer during those times, and to not forget them. Because I was not that good at soccer for no reason, I did not score 5 goals and gave 6 assists in 8 games for no reason, I did not always bring some fear to my rivals for no reason. I learned that no matter how hard I fell to the ground from my mistakes, I can get up even stronger and recover from it like a warrior, and not forget the person I was once. And now I am ready to get back at playing soccer and hopefully being one of the best in the world. It can be good to dig back to the past but remember the good things. Just like Tame Impala says “If it calls you, embrace it, If it haunts you, erase them.”

(Yes, looking back at the bad things can help you learn from your mistakes, but that’s another topic to talk about. Hopefully re-reading the lyrics can help understand what I mean.)

An intellectual home is an intimate place, meant for one person (or more if preferred) to create and find peace and comfort to achieve their best academic work. It is crafted from the personal mind and heart to bring ideas to life for a better experience while studying. Salvatore Scibona wrote a short story called ” Where I learned To Read” , published by The New Yorker magazine on June 13 & 20, 2011. He lets us dive back in his life to inform us of how his life changed before some struggles he faced. Scibona always had the TV on all day and described it as it was “singing like a siren in the crowded house” (paragraph 2). According to Scibona, reading is very important for him to do, even though he couldn’t understand it nor correctly know how to read being in the 11th grade. But it made him happy. He even copied out the first paragraph of a book by Annie Dillard on his bedroom’s dormer wall. Reading took part in his inspiration in life. He seems to have been a very simple and stress less kind of person. This can be proven when he is given a college brochure by one of her classmates. That brochure gave the information needed for Scibona to be interested in his education and future college. There were no electives, no tests, no grades, and even no textbooks. Such an attractive college for his interests. That college was St. John’s College. It interested him so much that he would scrap all his plans just to attend that college, considering it a vocation. That simple brochure was a life-changing moment for his life and upcoming future. He spoils into his future and is now in St. John’s. During his senior year, he made hanging out with his friends on the weekends part of his schedule. This is very understandable as having a social life is very impactful for many if not all of us. He even had drinks with them. Therefore, Scibona’s intellectual home is all about being picky and simple for himself. But being lazy, egotistical, and a dejected teen-ager were all part of this as well. Having what can be considered as lonerist traits. It was all as easy as learning how to read that took him to be successful.

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