Andreas Chronis
Age: 11
P.S. 79
Whitestone, New York

A Team Can't Fly Without The Left Wing
I am eleven years old and in the sixth grade at Public School P.S. 79, in Whitestone, Queens. I live with my three brothers, my father and stepmother. My mother past away when I was seven yeas old from a rare lung disease. My father was born in Greece and his dream has always been for his sons to excel in soccer. I began my soccer career four years ago.

My dad took me to my first try-outs with a team called Eleftheria. I knew nothing about the sport, bu I did as the coach told me and to my amazement I made the team. I remember coming home to tell my mom who was bed-ridden that I had made the team. She was so happy and I wondered if she would ever come to see me play.
As time went on my skills and strategies improved and I moved on to larger and more competitive leagues. I am now on a team called Gottchee, which is a well-known traveling team throughout New York City. When my coach and trainer realized my abilities of "determination, strength and speed," he decided to move me to a stronger position as front left wing.

I soon realized that I loved the sport of soccer and if I wanted to excel and go beyond playing as a child, I would have to dedicate many hours of my time to perfecting my skills. Soccer is a sport that runs all year round with three days of practice for three hours each day. We have games every weekend. Practices are difficult and sometimes I feel exhausted but I have learned that soccer is a sport that teaches you so much more than skill. I have become more disciplined with my spare time and this also has helped in my schoolwork.

Playing soccer has exposed me to many different people and places. I have traveled to Minnesota, Florida, Boston, Philadelphia, and Michigan. I have learned from these trips that the world is not larger than Queens, New York. The children I have met come from many different cultures and I have met their families and I know about many different cultures such as Mexican, Italian, Colombian, and so many more.

As I played more and more soccer, I learned the importance of helping and depending on others I had always believed that I could do everything myself, but playing on a team made me realize that I can do nothing without the help and support of my teammates. Secondly, I learned that losing is a tough situation to feel good about, but I am learning that when we lose a game we learn more and that winning all the time is not the best way to become a better player. Playing soccer with a competitive team has taught me that every player must contribute to the game and be determined to do his best. I have learned that giving up only hurts my team and myself and even when I feel like quitting there is something inside me that says, "you can do it." Finally when I am in school I find myself using some of the skills from soccer in the classroom. All of these experiences have helped me in school and in my life. I have become a person who likes to plan ahead and never give up and always do the best I can.

My father has been the strongest influence in my life. He works a full-time job and makes it to almost every game my brother and I play. Before each game he gives us tips and after each game he goes over all the good plays we did and how we could have done some plays smarter. Most of all, he is there for me all the time. My mom never got to see me play on the field, but my dad would go home and tell her. She passed away soon after I began playing. I know my mom sees me play from heaven and I know she smiles at me on the field.

I was only seven when she died and my dad tries his best to help my brother and me live good and happy lives. He once told me that "soccer was a good way to help me become a better person" and I didn't quite understand what he meant. Today, I do understand that getting to play soccer helped my brother and me feel good about ourselves, we learned to try our best all the time and we have met and seen places and people that other children would benefit from seeing. Even today, when I score a goal, I look up to the sky and I know she is watching me.