Childhood Games

Jorge Tapia

Stewart

ENG 1113

September 9, 2015

Ok

When I am a looking back at my childhood and comparing it to the present, the element of sports had always been there. One afternoon my father came home from work and he had a gift for me, it was a total surprise because I did not know what it was even after I had picked it up. They turned out to be my first pair of boxing gloves. Being in competitive sports my whole life has taught me many things from how not to get injured to how to become a great team player. Participating in sports, helped me make lifelong friendships and connections that I otherwise would not have had.

When I was younger, my father played baseball and basketball on competitive teams. I aspired to be like him but no matter how much I tried, I just was not as good at it as he was. So he thought I should pick up soccer. A week before the season started, he asked me, “Jorge, do you want to play on a soccer team with your brother?” and I was six at the time, I was so excited. Then I realized I knew nothing about soccer and I was a little worried and did not want to embarrass myself. The first day, we were late. Really late. We saw the Barcelona jerseys and we were so excited because our idols, Messi, Zlatan and Ronaldinho, played on Barcelona and we were happy to have their jerseys.

We were so late that we did not have time to warm up, but I did not think it was a big deal. I was just ready to play for my dad and make him proud of me. He had this look on his face I had never seen before and it made me feel like he was already proud. The outcome of the game was great. I had 2 goals and 3 assists. This became a day I would never forget.

I played with this team for four years and before the fifth season started, I got news that there was only room for one more player. I knew my little brother loved playing and my dad support him, so I decided to leave the team so he could play.

My cousins started boxing first and couple weeks later, my dad got me a present and took me to the gym with him. I instantly loved boxing. I met a trainer who then later on became more of a mentor to me. Not long after I picked up boxing, my father was killed in a horrific event. I was 10 years old. My brother soon gave up soccer, but I still boxed. I relieved my anger in the gym.

My coach took me to many boxing competitions, in state and out of state. I came home with trophies, belts and medals every time. I always secretly wished that my father would have been able to see me box. I had a feeling he would be one of those dads in the crowd yelling, “That’s my boy!” when I walked on the stage. His death only made me go deeper into sports. It was something we both loved and I did not want to give that up.

I picked up soccer again and I played all the way to high school. I switched schools my junior year and ended up playing on a team with five players I grew up playing with. It was cool looking back at how little we were and now here we are again. At this time, I stopped going to the gym for a while. I just wanted to focus on soccer. I wanted to be the best that I could have been.

When I say sports mean everything to me, it is because my father got me into them. My father was everything to me. Our bond was unbreakable. We would watch all of the soccer games, boxing matches, and basketball and baseball games. It was hard to keep up with as a kid, but my father loved it and so did I.