The 4th/5th grade soccer team

By Apollo Rojas, 4th/5th grade soccer coach

Every week I play soccer. I am not the best player on the team and I don't score a bunch of goals. I am not a superstar. I am not an MVP. I just play hard. Playing soccer has given me the opportunity to play with people from all over the Bay Area and with people from Japan, China, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, South America, and several other countries. And playing soccer allowed me to coach soccer for St. Mary's.

Coaching soccer for St. Mary's was the first time I ever coached young kids. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed coaching and how rewarding it was. I had a blast running practices and teaching them "the beautiful game.” I learned that I could have just as much fun coaching soccer as I could playing it.

What I will remember most about the team is the personalities. They are a bunch of characters. It's important to be professional in life, but it’s also important not to be a robot. It's important to enjoy yourself especially when you are young. So I hope every single one of these kids enjoys themselves regardless of what sport they choose. And I hope they continue to look out for each other.

Regardless of our record, I enjoyed the experience. It's an experience that was better than I had imagined and made me want to continue coaching. My kids showed me they have a lot of toughness hanging in games when they had fewer players than the other team. That is hard to do and I was extremely proud of them. I enjoyed all the time I spent with my players, my assistant coach and the AD. It was my privilege to coach for St. Mary's and I wish them all the best.