There have been many different experiences in my life; the most exciting one began at the end of my ninth grade year. In June of 2000, I graduated from Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School. The Three Village School system consists of five elementary schools that merge into two juniors High schools and ultimately combine, at the beginning of sophomore year, into one High school, Ward Melville with a population of approximately 3500 students. I was excited about entering Ward Melville because I was starting a new school and would meet new people.
Simultaneously, I met Mr. Stephen La Rosa, one individual who has made a definite impact on my life. Mr. La Rosa, the Varsity Soccer coach for East Islip High School on Long Island and coach of the Long Island Region's New York State Empire Girls Scholastic Soccer team, became a very important figure in many aspects of my life. As timing would have it, right after my graduation, I went to try out for the summer 2000 Long Island New York State Empire soccer team. I am always nervous at tryouts and usually do not get selected because of my inability to "showcase myself" during the drills and scrimmages. I play my best in a game situation and am not nervous when playing a real soccer game. Surprisingly, I made the first three cuts of the Empire tryouts and was called by Mr. Larosa late in June and was advised by him that I had become one of 24 players chosen to attend the weeklong camp to determine the 16 players who would travel as a team to Binghamton, New York for the Games!.
During the camp, I came to know Mr. Larosa as a good and fair coach who was prone to making players "drop" for fifteen sit-ups when they made an error during a .
scrimmage. The camp was intense with two practices or scrimmages a day. Each day I.
Would see a player or two leave at night, not to return in the morning. There were .
Constant cuts happening and on the last Friday, I, along with another girl were the only .
