Encouraging Words Brought on by Hard Work
Hassan Mahmoud woke up one early morning in his home in Abu Dhabi. After he stretched his back and cleared his throat, he noticed that the cold flu he had incurred from a couple days ago was still ailing him. He cursed under his breath. He had been trying to rid himself of anything that could hinder him because today was a big day. He decided to try out for Raha International High School soccer team and today was the first day of training. He glanced at his alarm clock and shook his head. He had to suck it up and get going.
He slipped on a basic, red work out shirt as he waltzed into the kitchen. His mother, Sara Mahmoud, was there, making toast for him. “Ready to kick some butt out there?” his mom asked, making him chuckle slightly. “I’d say so, but I’d rather kick the ball.” he replied as he munched on the toasted bread. His mom nodded and sent him on his merry way.
Hassan sprinted down the sidewalks that surrounded his neighborhood and school to get to his destination. The quaint town bustled around him and the birds tweeted neatly in the trees, signaling the rising sun. Early morning trainings were not his cup of tea, but he knew he had to get used to it if he were to have the gumption to stay on this team. Each step counted for this moment.
The moment he arrived, he felt like he belonged. The only problem was that every other player seemed to be a senior. Many of them seemed much older and more accomplished. “They looked as if they were on the team for way longer” he thought to himself as he swallowed his worry. He went out on the field and attempted to warm up.
Once they got into some practice match play, Hassan noticed how much the coach, Luke Ross, was complimenting the seniors. “It was almost like he completely forgot I was there, and he wasn’t noticing me at all” he mentioned. He felt a bit unaccomplished, like he wasn’t noticed. He breathed in deeply, noting that this wasn’t a cut sport, so he would still be able to play on this team. But making his mark might be more difficult than he originally envisioned.
A week passed and it was their first official match against Al Bateen Academy. Hassan had prepared mentally for this moment by trying his best at every training practice he had went to. He was proud of how he was doing, even if nobody was appreciating him for it. Hassan was ready to show everyone what he got.
He couldn’t believe it. He was struck with surprise. Hassan was not playing defense, winger or even center. He was benched. He sat on the green steel while sipping the water bottle he didn’t need to use. It was just to ease his boredom, and the need to move his feet against the grass to kick a ball.
Half of the game had already gone by with nothing. Both teams were at a standstill, being 2–2 on a tied game. Hassan sat and started critiquing the players he saw. Many of them held the ball too far away from their feet while dribbling, making their kicks higher in stride and easier to steal. He noticed the other team’s defenses were too great as well. They needed speed.
He was finally put in as a center towards the end of the game. He was barely used in the final match up. They ended up barely scraping by that game with 2–3.
Hassan approached his coach and asked, “Hey, am I going to be able to play today? What can I do to play more?” His coach dodged the question and asked, “Hassan, do you play any other sports?” It was almost like he was suggesting that Hassan should go do another sport and quit this one. “I run sometimes, that is about it” he said truthfully. His coach only shook his head and said, “You could do something else. I haven’t seen much from you.” Hassan’s spirit was crushed under the weight of his words. Was this coach even doing his job right? Discouraging a kid so early in their career is not on the top of the list for coaching job requirements. Hassan was only a freshman at this time, the feedback he received was destructive.
No. He did not give up so easily. Hassan learned to not let people bring him down like this. Soccer was a no-cut sport for a reason. If the coach wasn’t going to notice him now, he was going to make it happen by getting better than ever. Hassan kept showing up to each practice and even more. Basically any moment of free time he had was taken up by extra practice. He would set up cones in his backyard and would weave the ball and his feet in and out of the cones. He kept timing himself to give himself the fastest of feet. He would shoot goals by himself out with his own foam goal and lime green ball. He would run every day as well, but decided to add a ball into the mix to get exercise and practice fast, close dribbling. He would do anything in his power to make his legs the best they’d ever been.
It had been another two week since his first match, and the next one was upon them. They were facing The British School Al Khubairat, which is known for their killer soccer program. All of their players had amazing defenses and can move their feet for fast passes. This match was set up to be a tough obstacle.
After advocating for himself, Hassan was placed into the playing field a quarter of the way through the game. His position was being a winger while occupying central field. Hassan gritted his teeth in excitement and ground his shoes in the dirt. The whistle blew, starting after half time. Hassan sped forward, the ground beneath him feeling like it was giving away. His fast feet scraped against the grass so hard it could light it on fire. He saw the ball in his sights being carried by the other team. He swiped it from right under him and sped off towards the goal.
He felt his adrenaline fading until he heard his mother’s and teammates’ cheers, “Go Hassan! Go Hassan!” He kept going faster. The defensive players guarding the goal saw him and were instantly intimidated by his outrageously effective speed. He saw an opening through the defense to pass it towards one of his team’s offense players. He made a smooth pass, and his teammate scored the goal. Although he made an assist, majority of that point was pit up to his speedy skills.
The match ended with a sweeping victory for Hassan’s team, that being 5–1. Before Hassan went home with his family, the coach pulled him to the side for the time being, forgetting about how much appreciation he had gotten. He was generally confused because he thought the coach didn’t like him or his skills. The coach put a hand on his shoulder and patted it slowly. “Nice job out there today, Hassan. I should put you in more often!” he joked as he waved and ran to help pick up more equipment. “Thank you so much coach! See you next game!” he called after him. “You better be there kid!” Hassan was left with his jaw hanging out. He actually received positive feedback from his coach. He may have gotten just an assist, but those words were worth their amount in gold. His intense free time training paid off in a different way than he thought, and it was very appreciated.
He kept playing on the high school soccer team until his senior year, besting players in races for the longest time. It was all because of his hard work and earned encouragement that he still plays till this day.
