During a child's life many people chip away at who they become and leave a lasting impression. Soccer has always been apart of my life and all of my coaches have molded me into the athlete and person i am today. The one that stands out in the forfront of my mind when it comes to influencing my life is Colby Bird my freshman soccer coach. At the beginning of the season he set out his expectations and goals and made us do the same. The top two things that were on his extensive list were number one have fun number two and win games while accomplishing number one. I was an immature freshman on a varsity team of upper-class men but by the end of the season I had grown from learning from Coach Bird.

I have memories in my head the play like a movie reel every time i flash back to my first year of high school. There are millions of inside jokes and pranks that we all played on each other on and off the field. Coach Bird helped form a group of girls into a team. He taught me to respect the girls around me and to be a reliable teammate. I showed up to every game and practice with no second thoughts. I learned that if you are not giving your all then it doesn't just affect you it affects everyone around you not only on the field but off. He carried on traditions that now will live on forever because he has embedded them into each and every player's heart. And that is exactly where my memories of that year will stay Coach Bird has impacted me in ways that are indescribable and i have learned things about myself though his coaching