An open letter to graduates.

An open letter to graduates: 

Dear graduate, 

You made it!  For some, I'm sure it was a very difficult ride, filled with all-nighters, hours in the library, copious classroom notes, and lots and lots of coffee. For others (the kind of people that most people don't like), you were able to rely on your natural gifts to skate through, baffling your classmates at the ease in which you could recall information or make astute connections.   I am sure that most of you were able to strike a balance between work and play that allowed you to make some great memories and walk across the stage to receive your diploma.  In the long run, it matters little how you got here, but that you got here, so Congratulations!

First of all, take time the time to say thank you!  I think this applies to all aspects of life, but there isn't a better time to do it than after finishing such an important milestone.  Thank your parents for putting up with you, supporting you, and pushing you so that you could get to this point.  If you are currently sitting at home on the couch, unemployed, wondering "where do I go from here?" while your parents are constantly nagging you to look for jobs, it is only because they can't stand having you around the house.  JUST KIDDING!  It is because they love you, have seen you work so hard to get to this point, and want to urge you to continue moving forward.   Thank your teachers for spending countless years educating themselves and planning so that they can teach you tools to success in your future (and of course, vital knowledge).  Thank your friends for putting up with you during college and sticking by your side no matter what (we all know that the best, healthiest decisions aren't always made).  A sincere thank you can go such a long way, and sadly it is something that is not said enough, so say it!   

Secondly, please make sure to give yourself a minute to reflect on your job well done over the last four (or more for some) years.  Make sure that you take time (in your own way) to decompress and process the fact that this chapter of your life is coming to a close and a new page is about to be written.  Take a minute or two to think about all the great times you had during your journey, because college is truly unlike any other time in your life.  Pretty soon, you will be in the working world, paying bills, starting families, buying homes, and doing adult things.  It is certainly a scary reality, but college is a stepping stone to get to this place, so embrace the excitement of new opportunities.

Along the journey, make sure to maintain contact with former teachers, professors, and employers.  We are living in a hyper competitive time where who you know could make the difference between a job and sitting in the living room watching TV.  If I could go back in time to change one thing about my college experience, I would have spent more time trying to develop a more professional relationship with my professors.  For those of you that were able to make these connections, make sure to use them to your advantage!  Speaking from experience, there are few things that make a teacher prouder than watching their former students go on and have success in their fields.  Take time in the future to visit your school, not only to see your underclassmen friends, but also to say hello to your teacher, coaches, and college employers: they will be super interested to hear how you are doing, and to help any way that they can.  If you are out of range for a visit, send a quick e-mail or write a letter to check in on their year.  Don't only contact them when you need something (a recommendation for example), but because you are genuinely interested in how they are doing!

While you travel through life, there are few things more important than having companions to accompany you as you go.  Therefore, make space in your busy lives to spend time with your friends and family.  Since I have gotten out of college, I have had the good fortune of having an amazing core of friends from both college and high school, that I have been able to visit with on a pretty regular basis.  Although we have all taken different paths, we have made it a priority to stay in touch and remain close.  It is always a treat to relive old memories while creating new ones.  While I have many amazing friends, I have also regretfully lost some through the cracks, because I didn't take the time to reach out to them or respond to a message that they sent.  If there is someone like that in your lives, take a minute to reconnect, you won't be sorry. 

Maintain a hunger for learning.  There will never be a time in your life when learning isn't vital.  In all fields of work, there are always going to be advancements and opportunities for professional development.  TAKE THEM!  Not only do these chances make you more marketable in the job world, but also help you to be better at your job.  Away from your job, take the time to read some books.  Not only are they exciting ways to using your imagination, but they will help expand your vocabulary (and if you read some of the classics, you can sound smart in book conversations).  If you think that maybe, someday you want to pursue a Master's Degree, don't wait!  Your brain is in the perfect place to continue to take classes.

Stay resilient!  We are living in a time filled with recent college graduates.  While it is wonderful that so many of us now have the opportunities to fulfill that dream, it definitely creates a nightmare when it comes down to finding a job (especially with a history degree).  You will likely apply to hundreds of jobs and many of them may never give your application a second look, and that's okay.  Just make sure to know that something will fall into place and that as long as you stay positive and continue to work hard, you will end up where you are supposed to be.  Its these challenges that shape us into the people that we will become and going through them with your head held high will only make you stronger!

Enjoy the little things and if you don't notice the little things, take time to do so.  There are so many parts of life to enjoy, whether its the annoying little birds that wake you up in the morning or the way the sun paints the sky as it sets in the evening, so stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and enjoy those moments.  I know that you've heard all of this before, but seriously, if you are having a down day just take a moment to appreciate the blessings that you have and the beautiful things that are around you, and I bet things will look just a little bit brighter.

Finally, live life in a manner that you are comfortable and happy with!  If you aren't, don't be afraid to make a change so that you can be.  Obviously, there will be times where you will feel completely run down and overworked, but make sure that this is because you are setting yourself up to have a long fruitful career doing something you love.  There is nothing worst than being stuck in a rut and just letting the tires spin.  If you aren't getting that traction, don't be afraid to try new things to maintain a happier lifestyle.

In summary, be happy, resilient, thankful, driven, and follow good values.  I know its a tall order, but strive to make the best of every situation that you end up in!  I know you will all work hard to make great decisions, nuture friendships, and have successful careers in whatever it is you are doing!

Enjoy adulthood!

Until next time,

Noah

Happy Mother's Day!

I may be biased in saying this, but I strongly believe that I have the best mother in the world!  She has been a mother since she was twenty-four (crazy to think she was younger than me) and it has always been clear that she loves her boys to no end!  Through the years, she has provided us with strong guidance, a calming presence, and has really and truly helped shape us into the men we are today.  So with that said, this Mother's Day post is all about Mom!

For many of the years prior to starting school, Mom did not work, but instead stayed home with Isaiah and me.  While she stayed at home with us, we did so many fun things.  Our days were filled with board games (a lot of Candy Land), going for walks around our neighborhoods, and most importantly, learning.  We started simply with letters and the sounds they made, then when I was good at that, we moved on to words and what they look and side like.  While I was learning words she taught me how to write the letters and words.  I learned quickly from such an outstanding teacher, and moved on to math.  Mom made flash cards with simple math problems that I would excitedly answer.  Thanks to Mom taking an active role in my learning, I entered Kindergarten with a very solid educational foundation.  This foundation became apparent when I was invited to join my school's gifted and talented program in first grade.  Mom could have very easily chose to find a job and make more money for our family, but made that sacrifice to make sure that her kids were well cared for and off to a great start in life.  One of the many sacrifices that she has made to make sure that we have had all the opportunities to find success.
My Mom's desire to help us learn however, definitely did not stop once we got into school.  I can remember her volunteering regularly in our classrooms to read to the class or lend a hand where she was needed.  It was clear in those times that she not only wanted us to have a great education, but that she aimed for the success of all of the students in the class.  On one very stormy, scary day in Mississippi, she came in to read to the class and as she left, I begged her to let me go home early with her so I could be in the comfort of my own home during the projected storm, but she insisted on me staying in school.  Later in the day, I had to suffer through several tornado drills, one of which occurred as we were boarding the buses.  As we went inside, I made sure that I was near Isaiah (who was in Kindergarten) and comforted him while we waited for the swell to pass.  When we got home, Mom apologized for not letting us come home, and let us build a pillow fort as we listened to radio updates on the storm.  She was obviously concerned for our safety, but also didn't want us to miss important learning!

 I think both of my parents played a really large role in my upbringing (and continuing practice) in the Catholic church, but being home with Mom meant that I was also likely going to go to daily mass at the local retirement community (St. Catherine's Village).  I fondly remember attending mass and then afterwards going out back to the kitchen so I could have a coca cola with the priest and the old folks.  I wasn't as shy then as I am now, so I would ham it up for the residents, while Mom chatted with them.  Afterwards, we would spend time looking around the parking lot to find the largest pine cones around (they were huge!)  Usually, when we got out of church, we would stop by the library so that Isaiah and I could pick out new books to read at home.  As children, we devoured books. 

On Vacation In Maine!

Another major sacrifice that my Mom made, was to move down to Mississippi when my Dad took a job offer down there.  She had been away from Maine before, but with her family all living in New England, I am sure it was difficult to make the move away from them again to go down to Mississippi.  She has always been extremely close to her family, so it was always a very great experience for her when we got to come up north and spend time with them.  We would come up for weeks at a time and spend countless hours with our cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  Mom's devotion to family and family values has provided such a great model for us to follow as we have gotten older.  As her parents have gotten older, she (and her siblings) have spent more and more time making sure that they are being properly cared for and have everything they need to live a comfortable life at home.  She is truly one of the most caring people I know.
I definitely have some qualities of my father, but if someone were to compare me to either one of my parents, I think they would find that I share many more qualities with Mom.  Mom is quiet and even keeled, but confident in the things she does.  She has a burning love for God and all the people around her.  Since we have grown up, she has gone back to work and currently educates people who were recently diagnosed with diabetes how to diet and manage their new disorder.  I have never witnessed her in this practice, but I imagine she does so with patience and enthusiasm.  Like me, she holds her feelings close to the chest, choosing to internalize concerns rather than sharing them with others.  There have been very few days when I ask her how work was when she doesn't respond "work was work," or "it was okay."  I was usually hard to tell if it was a bad day or good day unless I questioned her further.  She has a propensity to put forth quality work, but on occasion is known to push her work to the last minute (that's where I get it from) so that she can go for long walks, cross-country ski, or work in the garden.
Mom is definitely an outdoors fanatic.  As she has gotten older, she has stuck mostly to walking, hiking, xc skiing, or working around the yard.  When she was younger however, she was an avid downhill skiier.  Our love of skiing definitely stemmed from Mom dragging us out of bed early on the weekends so that we could get first runs on the mountain.  The rides up were always a groggy blur, but once we got on the mountain, we would only take breaks to eat lunch.  She still skis alpine now and then, but now that we aren't around, she has lost her skiing companions.  She was also quite the tennis player.  She has never been super competitive throughout her life, but in playing tennis with her you could see glimpses of frustration or joy after a good or bad shot.  On the court, she has always been the most consistent player, using her experience to keep the ball in play and being in a great position to send the ball back at me.  I'm not sure that I ever beat her (for the record, my serve has since improved greatly).

She's smiling even after going through childbirth with Isaiah!

There are so many more things that I could write in this blog, but I will save them for future post.  But for now I will just say that I speak for all the boys in saying that my family has been blessed to have such a wonderful, loving mother.  Her natural goodness and zeal for life has pushed us to aspire to live like her and be the best people that we can be.  If there was a better combination of genes than Mom and Dad's I would be surprise (I am biased).  So with all that said, Happy Mother's Day Mom!  Thank you for always being there with a word of advice or a strong guiding hand!  I am the person I am today because of you and Dad!  I'm glad that I can continue to absorb your kindness and share it with others!

Mom's always the centerpiece to an amazing family!

 Until Next Time!

Happy Birthday Joe!

Not only is today National Star Wars Day, it is also the birthday of my oldest brother Joe!  If you know anything about Joe, it is very clear that he is the oldest in a house of four boys.  When we are all together as a family or need to make a decision among the brothers, Joe always takes the lead role, deciding what we are going to do and when we are going to do it.  As the third, this is fine with me, because I am a roll with the punches type of guy, but for Josh and Isaiah, this can sometimes be difficult. 

Guarantee he's singing "What It's Like" by Everlast

Joe is about five and a half years older than me, which isn't a huge age gap, but he was far enough ahead of me in school (he graduated high school when I was in seventh grade) that our social lives never really intersected.  I think having two older brothers became a huge advantage to me as I went through life experiences that I had seen Joe and Josh go through years before.  Joe has never been one to struggle in a social atmosphere, as he is friendly, outgoing, athletic, and very goal-driven.  There has never been anything that Joe has done that he does not strive to be the very best at.  I have always envied the success that he has had in all walks of life, and really look up to him (there is something about all the brothers that I strive to emulate).
When I was very young, there was nothing that I wanted to do more than to be able to play soccer like Joe.  He was never the biggest or strongest kid on the soccer field, but he always found a way to make his impact on the game felt, whether it was by scoring goals or beating defenders one on one.  In Mississippi, I watched from the sidelines for years with a ball on my feet, practicing moves that he was using against kids his age, knowing that someday I would have the chance to use the same moves.  I watched with glee as his teams won state championships and out-of state tournaments and in agony when they would lose closely contested shootouts that seemed to end at midnight.  Once we got to Maine, I got to watch with pride as Joe was one of only a few underclassmen to get playing time on an undefeated state championship winning team (which had to have been one of the most talented teams ever in Maine).  Due to my love of the sport, the head coach of that team asked me to one of the ball boys for the varsity games.  As a fifth grader, I was on top of the world.  I held the post for the next few years.

Joe's High School Soccer Days

 It was from this vantage point that I got to watch Joe score 27 goals in the season following the state championship, to lead another talented team in scoring.  There was one thing that could be said about Joe, and that was that he lacked no confidence.  He has always thought highly of himself and it reflects not only on the soccer field, but in school, as well as his job now.  I remember one game, they were playing Brunswick, and Joe was facing a defender one on one and someone in the crowd yelled "go by him Joe!" Joe probably could have passed the ball and beat the defender, but always a showman, he nut-megged the defender and basked in the cheers coming from the sideline.

URI Celebrating one of their A-10 championships (Joe is slightly hidden in the back)

He was so good, that he was able to continue his career at the University of Rhode Island, where he played alongside a handful of future MLS players and Geoff Cameron who represented the United States in the previous World Cup.  It was a real pleasure to get the opportunity to watch these games live, as the skill and the atmosphere was unmatched.  At the time, soccer was one of the two biggest sports at URI and it was apparent based on the size of the crowds.  I was so happy to have been able to attend the game in which Joe scored his first (and almost second if not for an offsides call) collegiate goal.  His college career was obviously met with more success, as they won their conference championships three of the four years he was at school.  He takes pride in being one of the "locker room guys" during this stretch.  

How could the ladies resist?

Beyond the soccer field, I admire Joe for being a great brother.  He has always been there with advice and a guiding hand to help me prevent making the same mistakes he did when he was younger.  I remember when I had my first girlfriend, the first question he asked was "does she laugh a lot?"  Now that may seem like a silly question, but there is something so important to finding a girl with a great sense of humor (fortunately, I have found exactly that).  I also envied Joe for his constant success with the ladies.  His confidence seemed to help him in this department as well.  I won't dig in too deep because I don't want to embarrass him, but I always wanted to have whatever mojo Joe had in the girl department.  Unfortunately, I have not met his current girlfriend, but I have heard that she is wonderful and I look forward to meeting her soon!
Joe's swagger even existed when we would play pick-up sports around the house, particularly basketball.  We would play two on two: me and Josh against Isaiah and Joe, and for years, Joe carried their team to the closest games with us.  Isaiah was not super talented at any sport until he got older, so his goal was to not turn the ball over to me and to pass it to Joe, and Joe would do the rest.  Nothing made Josh more angry than playing driveway basketball with Joe.  It lead to many a scuffle in the driveway (or a punted basketball).  When Joe was little, he broke over 30 windows playing baseball in the side yard.  When he was around, he was always trying to get us to play sports (which I loved).  Even though we are growing up fast, he still pushes us to play driveway sports when we are all home (Josh and Isaiah have grown progressively more resistant.) 
It is no wonder that Joe has found success in everything he has put his mind to.  He has come from great stock and has made solid choices to put himself where he is now.  He is currently working in sales of promotional products and like everything he does, he treats it like a competition and wins over his clientele.  We only see each other a couple times a year since he is in DC and I am in Boston, but it is always a pleasure.  He also makes sure to try to call at least once a week to stay updated on my life (something that I am really thankful for).  He is an outstanding brother and I wish him the happiest of birthdays today!

Happy 31st Birthday Joe!!

Until next time!!

My life in youth sports!

 

See the kid up above in the pink, taking a goal kick?  Yeah, you guessed it, that was me!  For as long as I can remember, I have loved playing sports (particularly soccer) and have been fortunate to be athletic enough to participate in several organized sports through the years.  I think a lot of this yearning for sports was spurred on by older brothers who also loved sports, and as I covered a few blog posts back, I really wanted to be one of the guys.  Outside of organized sports, I have spent countless hours practicing all kinds of sport from tennis to soccer to golf (I have a good story about golf that I will share some other time).  All of the time spent playing with my brothers or by myself paid off, as I have been able to have a diverse, exciting career in organized sports.

The Mississippi Years: "One Sport Only!"

Living in Mississippi definitely gets a lot of the credit for my later prowess on the soccer field.  In the town we lived in, we received a lot of quality training from semi-pro players, and were exposed to a basically never ending soccer season.  The weather in Mississippi, as anyone who has visited it can tell you, is very hot all year long!  This heat allowed us to play year-round athletics, whereas New England has very clear obstacles that one must get around in order to play an outdoor sport all year.  

Due to the nature of a year-round season, it made sense that my parents implemented a one sport only rule during our time in Mississippi.  Athletics were expensive and they just didn't have the time to tote four kids to different sports all around Mississippi.  At the time, I was too young to play travel soccer, so I did rec, where we had a couple of games and practices per week (those specifics I don't really remember).  For one season, however, I was able to play baseball, and that is where I will begin.

The Yellow Team (Baseball):  

I can honestly say that I do not remember much from my very short-lived baseball career.  I do know that I was on the yellow team and that there is photo evidence that I played baseball.  I also remember that the specific league that I was in was a coach pitch league.  I vaguely remember running the bases as well as making some plays in the field, so I was at least able to hold my own (I think).  I also know for a fact that I was not a fun person to be around if we ever lost (and that went with every sport).  My most vivid memory of my one season of baseball, however, came not on the field, but at the year-end team party.  At the party (a pool party, in a gated community, if my memory serves me correctly) each player received a participation trophy for a job well-done in our games.  I got my trophy, looked down at the name, and read Noah Spoffaro.  I guess that they thought I was Italian.  My family all got a kick out of the misspelling (coincidentally not the only time my last name has been misspelled).

The Yellow Team (Soccer):  

The first soccer team that I played on was "the yellow team."  I have very little recollection of playing on this team, but I do know that for some reason, I ended up playing on a lot of yellow teams throughout my soccer career.  I also remember that I wore white cleats (what a boss).

Blimpie (The Pink Team):

As I aged up in Mississippi, I entered a league in which each team was sponsored by a local business. The first team sponsor that I played for was Blimpie.  I don't think I have ever eaten at a Blimpie, but I do know that it is quite similar to Subway or Amato's.  It was in the league that I really started to stand out for my play.  Prior to and while playing in this league, I spent a lot of time practicing my own skills on the sidelines of my older brothers games.  I spent hours juggling, and was rarely spotted without a soccer ball.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to play with my older brothers in the yard, which helped me stay fearless against kids who were the same size as I was.  One valuable skill that I learned when I was playing on Blimpie was the slide tackle (taught to me by Joe).  In the specific league that I was playing in, goalies were not yet allowed to use their hands, so therefore had to make saves with their feet.  The new found slide tackling skill became priceless.  In the game I played directly after I learned this new skill, I immediately put it into practice.  The coach put me in at goalie (see me above taking a goal kick) and I was a brick wall.  Anytime any the other team came close with the ball, I ran out of the net and slide tackled the ball away (A pretty impressive skill set for a first grader).  I was also one of the few kids at that age that had a brief idea of positions and didn't spend the entire game swarming around the ball like a pack of bees.  If I was outside the pack and the ball got to me, I would be all by myself with the goalie!

Check out those cars in the background!

Baptist Hospital (The Red Team):

This team was cool for a couple of reasons: 1. My Mom and another family friend were the coach and 2. my Dad worked at Baptist Hospital, so I was pretty proud of our sponsor.  I don't really remember what it was like having my mother as a coach, but I'm sure I didn't mind it.  She wasn't really the type to be an overbearing coach, more like the kill them with kindness type.  While I was playing on Baptist, I also learned a new move from my older brothers that would stay in my arsenal for the rest of my life: the pass to myself around the defender move.  For a second grader to be pulling out those kind of moves, was advanced to say the least.  Since I was one of the older kids in my grade, I was placed in the league that consisted mostly of kids from the grade above mine.  Since I grew up playing with my older brothers and their friends, this was a welcome challenge.  Even as a second grader, when I stepped onto the field, I had the confidence that I could compete with any of my opponents, older or younger.  The only game that I have ever been filmed by my family occurred while I was playing on Baptist.  My aunt and uncle (who had a video camera) came down to Mississippi to visit us and video taped it.  Watching it back, it was clear that I was one of the better players and that I loved the pass the ball to myself move.  It was definitely my signature move for a while.  It was great that they filmed the game, but they arrived to the game a little bit late, and missed my game winning goal.

Pizza Hut (The Yellow Team)(THE RAGE):

When I entered third grade I was picked up by a team that was sponsored by Pizza Hut (which made for a really great end of the season party).  We were called the rage.  I'm not sure how that name originated, but we liked it!  This team was by far the most skilled team I had played on to date.  Most of the kids on the team were a year older and thus a year more developed.  Playing on this team challenged me to step my game up, and that I did.  Most of the clear memories I have of my early days of soccer came while I was playing on this team.  I am going to digress for a moment to say that playing soccer in Mississippi was so special to me, because the league I was in and the teams I played on were so concerned with skill building.  The adults in the system weren't obsessed with winning (I was) and allowed players to get playing time to help them grow in confidence on the field.  The emphasis on fundamentals really helped as I got older.  Anyways, back to THE RAGE.  There was no trophy or reward for record in this league (just a trophy for participation), but I did not ever want to lose.  I remember losing one game during my time on this team and boy was I upset.  My parents had to console me while I bawled on the sidelines following the game.  As I remember, we played that team again later in the season and beat them (just for good measure).  At one point in that season, we won a 10-7 offensive battle: I scored 7 of our team's goals.  It was during my time on this team that I made my first all-star game and got to participate in a competition against other town's best players.  Down in Mississippi, this was a really cool process, as they had an opening ceremony the night before the tournament.  Unfortunately our team did not have a great amount of success, but it was a really cool experience.

The move to Maine:

WYSA (A collective memory):

We moved to Maine when I was going into fourth grade.  Needless to say, my love of soccer did not die with the move.  In fact, soccer was the only non-school sport that I played in an organized fashion in Maine.  My first exposure to soccer in Maine came not too long after our move, as my parents signed me up for an age group league.  One benefit of living in Waterville was that unlike a lot of towns in Maine, there was actually a reasonably strong feeder program for soccer.  My time playing in WYSA definitely helped me learn to become a much more gracious loser.  Due to the nature of the league, there was a variety of skill levels on each time and a very equal amount of playing time.  In my first game ever, we lost 6-4 (I scored three).  The team we consisted had some really good players (Jochem, Juice, and Teddy) and it really forced me to step my game up.  Following the game, a couple of the parents approached my parents and asked if I would be interested in playing on the local travel team, The Maine Novas.  Obviously, I was thrilled and told my parents that of course I wanted to play!  Luckily, my parents were supportive and I was able to get a spot on the team.  The only catch was that they had already given out all their uniforms, so I had to come up with a yellow jersey.  This wouldn't be a problem, since I got to keep my Pizza Hut jersey!

Maine Novas (Yes, another yellow team):

Playing on the Novas was such an important part of my life for the next eight or so years.  I met most of my closest friends and generated bonds with longtime teammates by playing with this team.  It definitely took me a little bit of time to get used to the styles of play of my teammates, but shortly after starting, I got the knack of things really quickly.  We had a really good team and competed very closely with the best teams throughout the state of Maine.  Our closest competition always came during the regional finals, when we would face Bangor or Ellsworth/Black Bear United (a collection of players from the Ellsworth/Belfast/Bar Harbor area).  For whatever reason, we always seemed to get stuck and lose a painfully close one to Black Bear (I think most of our players were already thinking about hockey season).  During my time playing with the Novas, we won one state championship, and boy was it a memorable one.  We were playing Scarborough and were down 1-0 going into halftime.  We had already played the semi-final earlier that day, so we were pretty exhausted, but we got our oranges and re-energized for the second half.  The Scarborough team had a really big for his age sweeper that we were having trouble getting around.  Finally with about 15 minutes left, Matt broke through and scored the goal that tied the game.  We finally had life!  With about 10 minutes left, I received a pass near the top of the eighteen yard box, beat one defender and shot the ball as hard as I could.  I watched the ball, as it sailed towards the goal.  It felt good off my foot, I just hoped it was on target.  The ball struck the post (thankfully it was round), and deflected into the goal.  The team went CRAZY! We were playing in Winslow, so many of the parents and siblings were able to come out to watch.  The crowd cheered loudly and I celebrated so hard that I nearly had to be substituted out of the game.  We survived the last 10 minutes to escape with a thrilling 2-1 victory!  As seventh graders, we were elated.  The team naturally changed throughout my time on it, but the core stayed the same.  When we weren't playing, we spent a lot of time carpooling together and hanging out (especially when I moved to Mathews Ave).  Unfortunately, the team was composed of players from several towns in the area, so as we went to Middle and High School, we were competing against many of our teammates.  This made victories against them so much sweeter and defeat was bitter, but we remained friends and teammates in travel soccer.  We played in a golden age of the Maine Novas and had a great amount of success for the program, including wins in the Coastal Challenge and the Falmouth Fall Classic. (If anyone reading this has a picture of any of the Novas teams, I would love to post it on this! Share it with me!)

Maine Terriers:

This was the last team that I played on that wasn't associated with school.  As I got older, many of my friends were focusing on other sports (mostly hockey) and didn't have as much time to devote to playing travel soccer.  I had played against many of my teammates, but there was definitely a longer adjustment period learning how to play with them.  We were competitive in our games, but I never felt as cohesive with this group as I had playing with the Novas.  Playing on the Terriers did present the opportunity to travel out of state to play in tournaments as well as competing in the state Snicker's Cup to have the opportunity to play in the Atlantic Regionals.  Unfortunately, we never made it that far, because there was one team that pulled ODP players from all over the state and was regularly one of the strongest competitors at regionals.  They often walked all over their Maine opponents (they beat us 6-0 on the dreariest of days).

Soon, I will talk about my jr. high and high school career, which was met with a lot of successes and growing experiences!

Until next time!