From an early age soccer has always been my passion. Every day I would push myself to train to be the best I could be, whether it was by myself or with my team. Playing a sport comes with battles, for me, it was always injuries. Every high I seemed to have faced in my career faced me with a low of getting injured. No matter what, I wasn’t going to let being hurt keep me off the soccer field. Rehab was frustrating, painful, and slow but I refused to quit because I owed it to my teammates. The many seasons of injuries taught me that grit and determination means showing up and pushing through the pain and tears.

Toward the end of my sophomore year, I began to feel a pain in my IT band along the side of my thigh. It hurt to kick, run, and jump. The pain frustrated me, but I didn’t say anything because I was scared it would limit my playing time. By my junior year, the pain had grown stronger and more constant, turning practices and games into something I had to push through rather than enjoy. What started as a manageable ache became impossible to ignore, forcing me to confront the reality that my body was breaking down even as my love for the game stayed the same.

As my junior year went on, I began training more intensely in hopes of moving up to a better club team and getting recruited to play in college. At the same time, the pain continued to grow until I could no longer manage it. I finally went to the doctor, where I was told it was time to stop pushing and start managing the pain. I received a PRP shot that was supposed to help, but it did nothing. The next step was an MRI, which revealed a torn labrum in my left hip and I would need surgery. As my senior year approached I was worried I wasn't going to be able to play. Luckily I got the all clear as I hopefully wouldn't make the injury worse.

Playing through the season was definitely challenging and on some days it felt like there was no reward from the pain I was in. At the end of the day I was with my best friends playing the sport I never thought I would have to stop. As it approached the end I had to make a hard decision, if I was going to keep playing after I got my surgery. This was no easy decision because this sport had been my life for the past 16 years. Ultimately being in pain took away the enjoyment that I once had and I chose to not continue playing.

Walking away from soccer was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, but it was also the most honest. For so long, I believed that grit meant ignoring pain and never stopping, no matter the cost. Injuries taught me otherwise. They showed me that strength isn’t always about pushing forward, and determination isn’t always about staying. Sometimes it’s about listening to your body and choosing yourself. Soccer shaped who I am, but it no longer defines my worth. Even without the game, I carry its lessons with me resilience, discipline, and the courage to let go when holding on hurts more than it helps.

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