Elizabeth McMahon 3/9/10 “They” Piece ACE 8/9 It didn’t matter if it was early on a Saturday morning or late on a Monday evening, Rachel arrived to soccer practice eager and ready. As soon as she had outfitted herself with all the proper equipment, she was out on the field juggling, shooting or simply fooling around with the ball. She wasn’t a loner or anything for she always encouraged others to join in, but she wasn’t going to let anyone hold her back either. Rachel came to practice with her own ball, which is actually quite uncommon considering the fact that the coaches supplied the ones for practice. The ball was pure white with deep emerald green stripes that wrapped all the way around it and shined as if it had never touched the dirt and filth of the ground outdoors. It seemed to have a certain sentimental value to Rachel. Having her own soccer ball provided Rachel with the opportunity to start up whenever she wanted, which was always right away. When it was time for practice to begin, Rachel always tucked her ball away neatly either into her bag or a corner, so that it would remain untouched and safe until her return. Alongside her beloved soccer ball it was often noted that Rachel brought along textbooks. If one arrives earlier than usual to practice there is a chance that she might come to find Rachel off to the side of some tumultuous field quietly studying. When placed into the basic high school social hierarchy Rachel would undoubtedly be characterized as a nerd. She was a member of the robotics team and received what could be called an unnatural thrill from math and science. Rachel’s talent and passion for science and technology could be summed up by the third item she carried with her in her bag – her MIT acceptance letter. Perhaps the most eccentric items Rachel carried were her cookies and fresh eggs. Although it always made her teammates wonder, Rachel occasionally brought a batch of fresh baked cookies to practice although, to most people’s distress, they weren’t ever for sharing. Rachel would trade her homemade cookies for a carton of Ashley’s fresh eggs from her chickens. That’s the thing about Rachel; you never quite knew what she was going to pull out of her bag next. The things they all carried included the basic matching black Nike bags, high black socks, warmups (which on cold days all seem to find their way into giant heaps on the sidelines), hair ties, shinguards, electrical tape and prewrap of assorted colors, slide shoes and of course cleats. No two players had the same cleats and so they became a way to express one’s individuality; from Liz’s lime green one, to Lea’s which were that pure new white, all the way to Miranda’s whose sparkling ruby red one’s with the black puma on the side secretly made everyone else jealous. Most carried some form of drink, whether it was Gatorade in any shade of the rainbow to good old fashioned water, although there always seemed to be someone who forgot. Alex K. always brought along her running shoes considering the fact that she always seemed to be coming from track. No one really blamed her though, for she was the third fastest runner in sectionals for the 55 meter dash. Alex P. had her tape ball, which had grown to about the size of a lacrosse ball, while Liz secretly fostered the growth of her own. Ashley, who was out for a knee injury, carried her brace along with what usually turned out to be very bizarre books. Mosh and most of the older girls carried car keys, the tickets to their freedom, and Carrie
carried her booming, yet encouraging voice along with the tough decision of which college team to sign herself to. Before a game they all carried the same mental preparation. Like samurais who meditate before a skirmish in order to visualize their valor on the battlefield, after strategizing and a quick pep talk they too were told to imagine themselves making the perfect pass or the bicycle kick goal. Then there was Rachel, with her stunning white and green soccer ball and her eggs, cookies and textbooks all off to the side, out on the field trying her hardest, working to get better and encouraging others to do the same.