A Soccer Life

By Drue Aikin

• Ever since I was little I had a soccer ball at my feet.

• I stared playing at age four and I’ve been hooked since then.

My Mom is Haitian so you could say it’s in my blood

My favorite player is Crisitano Ronaldo

• Arguably the best player in the world! • I always loved soccer but when I saw him play

in the 2006 world cup I tried to emulate his style play.

And of course since Crisitano Ronaldo wore Nike Vapors, I did too.

My first soccer club was Concorde Fire

These guys were my brothers. We were one of the top teams in the country

We traveled all over the country year round. Holiday or not, we were playing soccer.

• Every Christmas we made our way down to Orlando to play in the Disney showcase. I went every year since 8th grade.

This was my last Disney showcase, and it was also our best one because we won all three of our games.

I won a lot of tournaments with this team and played some of my best soccer

As I got older the competition rose. We lost this game for the regional championship, but with each loss you learn and move on

• In between school soccer and club soccer I was able to do participated in the Olympic Development Program for Georgia soccer.

During high school soccer I was able to captain the team for my Junior and Senior year

My Senior year we got to the Elite 8 which was a school record for Men’s soccer

Although I chose not to play in college I still love the game. I’ve traveled all over to see different European teams play.

• When I saw Manchester United play for the first time I became a die hard fan. I’ve watched every single game since 2007 and haven’t missed one game, so you could say I’m a bit obsessed.

I got the privilege of going to see Manchester united play at the legendary Old Trafford stadium this past summer. It was one of the best moments of my life.

• Soccer has and always will be a part of my life whether I’m playing or watching. It has given me the opportunity to go to many different places and it has shaped my perspective on how I see the things because with soccer you meet people from all over the world. After all it is the “world’s game.”