Will Clark Mrs Rogers English III 14 February 2014 A JOURNEY THROUGH SPORT Sports. THEY FASCINATE ME.

AS A YOUNG BOY, I SAW MY FAMILY CHEER, EAT, AND SOCIALIZE TOGETHER DURING GAMES. IN GREEN BAY, FOOTBALL IS A BIG DEAL. GROWING UP, PACKERS FOOTBALL ALLOWED ME TO TALK WITH GRANDPARENTS, NEIGHBORS, AUNTS AND UNCLES, HELL, BASICALLY EVERYBODY. THE THING ABOUT IT IS, PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED TO HEAR NEWS ABOUT THEIR FAVORITE TEAM. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, SPORTS CONNECTED ME TO PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY AND MY TOWN. AS I GROW OLDER, IM STILL IN AWE AS THEY HELP ME CONNECT MORE AND MORE DRUDGING through an airport is something I would wish only on an enemy. AFTER FIVE MINUTES OF WATCHING OUR LINE BARELY MOVE, MY TALKING AND HUMMING, TURNED TO QUIET GROANS AND PEOPLE WATCHING. I looked around and saw OTHER zombie-like stares. As our plane was about to arrive, I dreamt of traveling without my SISTER. AHHH, I SIGHED, MY EYES CLOSED AND MOUTH SMILING. My daydream ended as our plane began to board. I looked up. To my horror I saw a TALL man wearing a turban. This guys going to blow up the plane. Nope wont happen, PEOPLE DONT DO THAT. But what if he does, I know he wont, but what if he does?

What if that BUSINESS WOMAN over there blows up the plane? Why arent you afraid of her? Ok, he wont blow up the plane. I HAD not fully convinced MYSELF. He was middle-eastern, six foot a million, and wearing a turban in an airport. Why THE HELL DID HE HAVE TO WEAR A TURBAN? Others looked on edge as well. It was normal that I was afraid. It was normal that I was afraid FRESHMAN YEAR I BEGAN PLAYING RUGBY. The sport isnt school sponsored, so the first day of practice I knew nobody there. WITH MY SIZE NINE CLEATS I FELT A LITTLE OUT OF PLACE: THESE GUYS were huge. Are they going to like me? I hope they like me. I cant mess up. DURING THE practice I noticed something ELSE, THIS TEAM HAD TONS OF FOREIGNERS. At the end of the practice the coach had us bind together in a large circle. Basically, I was being hugged by a 6 foot 5, muscular senior, and SOME, stout 25-year-old looking guy with a beard. It was different, it was really different. We all introduced ourselves and said where we went to school. For some reason, I still felt out of place. I BEGAN maKING friends with the freshmEn, but the older guys I didnt talk with much. That all changed after the first game. I had never seen big guys run with the ball in a sport, and all these guys from different schools and different backgrounds were playing fantastically together. They tackled over each other and passed the ball across the field. When we went up by 40 points, I got a chance to go in. After the game, we WENT TO GO EAT. THE OLDER GUYS EVEN LET THE OTHER FRESHMEN AND I SIT WITH THEM. As the season went on I learned more and more about the guys I was playing with. I saw a

team where the players did everything for each other. This upcoming season will be my third year, and OVERSIZED carpools and vulgar stories are still the norm. IM THANKFUL THAT FUN ISNT ALL THIS SPORT HAS GIVEN ME, JUST LIKE FOOTBALL IN GREEN BAY, IT HAS CONNECTED ME TO NEW PEOPLE. IN MY THREE YEARS, I have played on A team with people from 5 different continents. Ive heard stories about going to school in Portugal, Japan, South Africa, Chile, and Brazil. Ive tried to understand Uzbek, Arab, Japanese, Afrikaans, Portuguese, and Spanish. I HAVE FAMILY IN Uzbekistan, Palestine, and Mexico. FRIENDS from North St. Louis, Florissant, and Wentzville. BUDDIES from England, South Africa, and Jordan. I have BROTHERS I can visit some day in Chile, Brazil, Portugal, and Japan. I have been a teammate to men in the United States Navy, the United States Army, and who NOW play in college. IM APART OF A TEAM where Muslims, Catholics, Mormons, Atheists, Blacks, Whites, and everything in between, BEAT UP teams bound by their similarities. RUGBY HELPED CLEANSE ME OF PREJUDICE AND TAUGHT ME TO WORK THROUGH DIFFERENCES. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE SPORT TAUGHT ME THAT THERE IS MORE OF THE WORLD ID LIKE TO MEET.