Something Important to Me- By Thomas Dean

    After a long day of school, after sitting in a desk for six hours, I always need to get my energy out. I can always to turn the sport I have played for over ten years, soccer. Whether it be it going to an organized practice, or simply kicking the ball around in the yard, I always set aside time to incorporate soccer into my day.

       Soccer has always been a crucial part of not only my own life but my whole family's. Like his brothers, my father played soccer, up until a few years ago (due to back problems). He played in high school, college and in a men's league. This influenced my brother and me to play soccer when we were young. My brother and I played through middle school and I still play to this day. Like my father's parents, my parents (and sometimes other family members) never fail to be on the sidelines of each of my games, whether it be in Sparta, or even out of New Jersey.
 
     However, this is aside from the point. Soccer is more than just a sport for my family. It's something that everyone in my family can relate to, whether they played it, or not. It is something we can all talk about at the dinner table at the end of the day. Its something to fill that awkward silence that appears in conversation with relatives after the "How is school going," part of the discussion concludes. It took our average family's bond and increased it tenfold.

 
           With that said, soccer is important to me for more than the exercise and the running. It's important to me because it brings my family together through something we can all relate to.