My name is Martin Alvarado and I am originally from Basalt, Colorado. This message is to all the athletes out there. Putting effort before and after the season is a big part of hard work. Hard work leads you into a successful season that can make you champions.

In middle school, our football team went 6-0 for the four years we were there. We beat all the teams we played throughout middle school by more than 20 points, and we didn't allow them to score. My position was usually tackle on offense. You would have to protect your quarterback or make a hole for the running back to get through and get yards so we could advance.

At one point a starting defensive end got injured and was out the whole season. He ended up spraining his ankle and the coach yelled out my name to go in for him. I was excited to get to play more but it was something new to me. It was something I had never done before. I was used to playing offense, not defense.

My nerves started to get the best of me. I was nervous because I was a starter and team captain. I did not want to cause any fouls and make my team lose yards. Causing a foul on a team can cost a team the game. The players have to think about their actions and what they do during the play.

One game, my teammate got heated really fast on a play then started a whole fight against the other team. We ended up losing around 25-30 yards and had to gain them back after that foul.

I was able to manage my nerves as I kept playing in that new position.  I realized that I was able to be calmer because we all became a family.  During the summer we would hire a trainer to get us in good shape before the season started. We put in a lot of effort that summer in order to get far at the start of our 8th grade season, and it was the best season we had.

It was so much fun playing different teams throughout my first season, and I was well recognized by my teammates’ parents as a good player. They begged me to keep playing throughout middle school. I played my 6th and 7th grade years and we went 6-0 as well.  I would learn to play this position by watching films and other sports that were related to the position I played. It looked like an easy job to get done but it’s a lot harder than it looks. If a player on defense gets by the offensive line then it could be your fault or other players that are on that same line as you. The whole play will get blown out.

This sport is inspiring because many kids can get free scholarships to big universities and possibly get drafted to the NFL. I am very thankful to all of my coaches and my teammates who taught me how to play the real sport of football. After doing this sport throughout my middle school years, I have learned that I became a better person within myself. It made me a better human being and I’ve been a lot more active since the last year I played. I became inspired to start hitting the gym and lifting weights.

This experience has motivated me to think about my future. I would like to coach a middle school team and teach them what I was taught back then. I am also thankful to my parents for showing up and having fun watching me play and leaving early from their jobs just to go watch me.

I learned that hard work pays off.

© Martin. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.