Under the weather

I often get asked, “What made you choose soccer as a high school sport?” The truest answer I can give is that I truly have no clue. Don’t get me wrong, soccer is my favorite sport, other than volleyball, but the spring weather just plain sucks. You never know if you’ll be able to actually compete or not, and that can mess with even the best of athlete’s heads. Living in Wyoming has always had its challenges, but spring weather is among the worst, in my opinion. One day it could be a great sunny day, and the next, basically a winter blizzard. Being a high school athlete in these conditions is stressful, to say the least. Not knowing whether or not you’ll have a nonproductive indoor practice adds to that stress significantly. I can’t speak for any of my soccer teammates, except for Mads, but I absolutely hate cold practices and the cold in general. For some reason, I have an opposition to pants and refuse to wear them when playing sports. I would rather wear my standard “short shorts,” even on the coldest of days, than sweatpants, and I know that can’t possibly help my conflict with the bitter wind chill of Wyoming. Many people in the community have had experience with my choice of attire in the cold season that lasts all of 12 months in Wyoming — just ask Mary Orban! All jokes aside, there have been times in my career as a high school soccer player in which our season has been shortened to less than seven games actually played due to cancellations because of the weather. However, as I imagine my mother reading this, all I can think of is, “oh, you’ll be fine, get over it.” And so I shall, as I realize I do only have a limited number of those freezing cold games left in my career. So I think I might be able to just stand a couple more.