I have just come back from an injury in soccer, but during my absence, some other players played extremely well and pretty much took my place in the team, and lately I have not been getting much playing time at all. For me, the sport has since last a lot of its appeal and fun that I had in my first three years in the sport, especially because a lot of my other senior friends have already quit. However, if I quit now, I am not sure if I will be able to write that I have been in the sport for four years. I really want to be able to write that on my college application, especially considering the amount of effort I have already put into the sport so far this year. Does anybody know if I can still write four years if I quit right now? I know that I will be able to do so once first semester ends, but the semester doesn’t end for another month and a half, and I want to know if I can quirt right now. Thanks
What colleges have you applied to
because my friend was in a similar situation last year but since UC’s don’t look at first semester senior grades he was fine
Yeah I’m not worried about UCs and schools like that - I’m worried about privates like the Ivies that actually look at first semester grades @BucketsUCSC
You’re SERIOUSLY over-estimating the difference between:
Soccer 9-11
and
Soccer 9-12.
Unless you’re being recruited, the amount of time it took you to read what I’ve just written is the same amount of import the colleges will place in the difference btn 3 and 4 years.
You have played 4 years so put that down on your application. The main reason that you have played less this year is that you were injured. This still counts at 4 years’ participation.
Must be awesome to be the soccer coach at your school…
Winner never quit, and quitters never win.
Frankly, character counts at the top schools, and quitting a team in the middle of the year is indicative of a “me first” attitude that doesn’t reflect well on anyone. Nor does the fact that all you seem to care about is whether it will impact your chances.
Why not play recreationally instead? You can still say that you’ve played for 4 years and you’ll get more playing time which will bring back some of the joy. It’s also a lot less intense - no traveling, if you miss a game, no one guilts you (very much).
For those of you saying that all I care about is having soccer on my application, I can see how it may seem that way, but I assure you that it isn’t so. I have loved soccer ever since I was 5 and won’t stop doing so, but with this lack of playing time and all my old friends having already quit, I don’t find much more enjoyment in playing on the high school team. However, I have already put 3 months of effort into the sport this year and would just like some validation for my efforts. Therefore, all I’m asking is if you guys think it’s okay for me to write that I have done soccer this year or not if I quit right now. I know that if I quit after one semester I will be fine, but I’m not sure about right now
Around here, soccer is a fall sport. Is this a year round team?
I think that since you’re half way through the year, you could probably put down that you played four years. But I think there’s a higher issue here. If you were my child, I’d ask you to finish out your commitment because it’s the honorable thing to do for your coach and your team. My son really didn’t want to play football his last year, and that was fine by us, but he knew that once he started the season he needed to finish it out.
In my school at least, a number of good kids get cut from Varsity sports.
So you made the team over kids who would have loved to have that spot.
And you’re going to quit because your friends aren’t on the team??? Really??
I think you’ve made a commitment to the coach, to the other members of the team and to your school, and that you need to honor that commitment.
No, I don’t think you are obligated to continue. It would be a commitment if it worked both ways - the coach commits that every player gets a certain minimum amount of playing time and the player commits to showing up to practices and games. But coaches at many high schools are committed to winning, period. And that means that students who aren’t getting any playing time are not obligated to keep attending. If the coach decided that his bench is too shallow as a result of too many people deciding its not worth coming, he can ‘rerecuit’ the ones who left by committing to giving them more playing time.
^That isn’t how sports, especially high school sports works. There is no “commitment” from the coach to put a player in the game. The point of a high school (varsity?) team is to win. I can’t imagine my coach’s face if I was replaced midway through the season for my starting sport and I just said “call me up when you are committed to give me playing time.”
If there is no commitment from the coach, then there is no commitment from the player. Commitment is a two-way street. If you are on the bench the entire season, you have every right to put your time elsewhere. I’m not suggesting that he tell the coach to ‘call me if you need me.’ But I am a believer in letting ‘market forces’ work in this case. A coach whose only commitment is to winning, rather than to his players, deserves what he gets.
I understand all these differing viewpoints, and let me try to address all of them. At my school, not many players are cut from varsity directly: cuts are usually made at the freshman or sophomore level and it is extremely hard for new juniors and seniors to make the team unless you’re REALLY good. Secondly, I understand that I may have a “commitment” to my team and that my coach may be disappointed, but honestly, I don’t think he’ll miss me too much at this point since we’re a pretty good team without me and on top of that, people have quit before and unless they were a varsity starter, he didn’t really bat an eye. Obviously when I quit I will explain myself to the best of my ability and thank him for the past four years (because I really do respect him and appreciate the opportunities and lessons he has given me), but I doubt that he will have a problem with it.
Ultimately, my decision has been pretty much made right now. I am really just looking for answers as to whethert I can write four years of soccer or not; I’m not really looking for lectures on quitting.
Put down whatever you are comfortable with . But are you sure you want to quit a sport you have invested 4 in years in when there is only a month or so left to the season? IMO there is more to being part of a team sport than your personal playing time.
Yeah you guys shouldn’t guilt trip @valedictoriangod obviously he doesn’t enjoy the sport anymore I mean why do something you don’t really like anymore if it isn’t part of your future plans. Would you adults continue your jobs if your boss gave you a 20 k paycut because you went on maternity leave or whatnot
@happy1 So you think that putting 4 years would be okay? And believe me I have thought about this extremely hard - I’ve been playing the sport since I was 5 and it is no easy feat just walking away from it like this, never to play again. But in the end, it really doesn’t feel fun to me anymore. As much as I like my teammates, they are not really people that I’m extremely compatible with and I just simply feel that there are much better things that I could be doing with my life.