Ali Zaman: ” Sports Isn’t Just A Hobby, It’s Passion ” @a249x

Sports have played an important role in my life ever since I was very young. My interest began early in life since I began to walk. I loved the excitement that I would feel when football matches started, especially when the scores were close until the very end of the game not forgetting the happiness that over comes me when my favorite team wins. I started playing football at the age of 5. and started professionally when i was at the age of 11 I believe playing sports has helped develop and change me into the person I am today.

One of my most memorable moments was at my first football match where I scored the last score for our team to win. The July heat in Kuwait was unbearable. It was the semi-final game. Sweat dripped off my nose as we ran back & forth to get the ball “GET THE BALL!” The coach yelled as he spit out sunflower seeds. We were down by one score in the last minutes. I was running towards the ball and had no team mates next to me, but I tried my best and snatched the ball from the attacker. I was ready for this moment; this is why I stayed late after every practice; this is why I was the captain of the team; this was my moment. In the next few seconds, I had the chance to show my strength as a scorer and my ability to be a leader under pressure. I stepped up and ran to the other team’s goal and pass by all the attackers and the coach screamed, “Ali, SHOOOT. Let’s go number 17!” That made me even more nervous, but now I was more determined than ever to kick the ball. I knew that I had to find a way to lead my team to victory. All of my hard work and dedication should payoff now! The goalkeeper went through his motions and just stood there like a wall which is hard to breach. It felt like he was staring at me, daring me to shoot!, just like in the movies. I ran for the goal, and when I was near I kicked the ball with all my strength. The ball was kicked like a shooting star into the right corner of the goal. My coaches and teammates leaped for joy because we had just won the semi-final game! “Ali, way to give it your all! All of that hard work paid off in that kick. You’re a great player and you have earned my respect.” I believe my strength gave me the ability to kick the ball this hard that day. My teammates and I would always joke around about who had the biggest muscles, who could bench the most weight and who could run the fastest. I was the strongest that day!

I feel like being a part of this team and other teams, taught me a lot about getting along with people. It taught me that you had to get along with everyone on the team because each player has his job to do. I did my job by scoring when my team needed me most. When my coach selected me to be team captain of al arabi team, I felt like it was because I had gained the respect of my coaches and teammates. As team captain, I remember the time I had to give a speech to my team because we had won an important game. “Ladies,” I joked. “We played a great game. Y’all shouldn’t hang your heads. We gave it our best and that is all I can ask from you. We ran, threw, and hit our hardest until the game was over and after all the hard work it paid off. We should be proud of our effort and the way we played the game.” I was nervous, but knew it was my responsibility to cheer my team up when they were down. This experience has helped me become more independent so I’m obtaining the ability to talk like a leader in front of my team and a group. Sports helped me realize that you can’t win at everything in life all the time until you work hard for it. So, through sports, I have learned to cope with losing and winning. I have a special sign in my room that says, “You Can Learn Little From Victory…..You Can Learn Everything From Defeat.”

These experiences have taught me how to be a more gracious winner and loser.