Carlos Elias

Block 4
The Tryout

On a normal day during the spring of 2016, I walked to the parking lot where my
mom picks me up from school. The day was bright and shining, and there were almost
no clouds in the sky. The beautiful church of my private middle school was towering
over my head, as if God was staring down at my life.

When I first saw my mom, her first words were, “You’re going to tryout for this
Surf soccer team tonight.”
My first reaction was that it caught me off guard. I asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes! I think you should do it; it’ll give you more opportunities,” my mother
encouraged.

This surprised feeling quickly went away, since I remembered that I am trying to
leave my old soccer club. I had gone to previous tryouts for a club I had my eyes on, but
this new tryout is for a club I would’ve never thought of playing for. Surf Soccer Club is
the biggest club in San Diego, and it is nationally known for its top competitive play. This
tryout suddenly became a big deal for me.

When I got home, I got to my bed and contemplated about what was ahead of
me. I knew that this was one of those events that you automatically know has the ability
to change your life. I thought about how I was not good enough for the club, and how I
should just make up an excuse for not going. However, I didn’t have the brain or guts to
do so. So, when the evening came by and I changed to my soccer gear, I hear a voice:

“You ready?”
“Yea.”

As my car drove past the entrance of the field, I saw the bright lights illuminating
my fighting grounds. Out of all the kids on the pitch, I saw a tall figure commanding the
young boys. That man would soon decide my fate. I presented myself to him, and it was
time to show my skill. Juke left, dribble right. I handled the ball with care, but the whole
time I was worried that I might mess up. I ran my heart out, and by the time it ended, I
was exhausted. I was walking out of the pitch, knowing that I probably wasn’t good
enough. The voice that stopped me was from my mother.

“Wait up,” she said. “We need to talk to the coach.”

I was not in the mood to face rejection, but I weakly replied, “Fine.”
 “Hey, I really noticed you on the field,” the coach kindly said. “I believe you really
have the skill to make a good contribution to the team. However, this decision to join my
team has to come from you. Do YOU want this spot?”

This million-dollar question brought me back to the days of my then current club,
my neighborhood club. I thought of all the friends and experiences I made throughout
my years at that club. The overall atmosphere of that club made me feel right at home. I
knew I would always miss that feeling.

“Do you want this spot?”

I knew this new Surf team would change the way I played soccer. Surf is like a
business, and it holds its players to a higher accountability. “The Best of the Best” is
their motto, and I knew I would have to meet this expectation.

“Do you want this spot?”

I finally had the force in me to form an answer. “Yes, I’ll join.”

“Great!” as he shook my hand. “I’ll give you my phone number, and I’ll send you
an email…”

I don’t really remember what he said after that; my mind was stuck on the fact of
how this all happened. I was excited, but also scared of the unknown.
“I told you to go to this tryout!” my mom said as we drove back home. “You’re
going to be great in this new team.”

--------

A few weeks later, I am there walking onto the field playing for my new team. I
put on my game jersey, and I feel the cold material of the shirt pressing against my
back. There are shivers down my spine, and I was so nervous that I barely wanted to
run. However, it was time to prove why I was on this team.

Emotional Truth:
This defining moment in my life reminds me that it is necessary to have
confidence to go far in life. Even though I believe I was not confident at all in this
situation, luck was on my side. However, this experience helped me realize that I should
not be afraid of failure, and that it never hurts to create as many opportunities for
yourself. In this specific story, I had the help of my mom and my friendly coach to guide
me in the right direction. But what my coach said was totally right, these decisions have
to come from within, not anyone else. There has to be this intrinsic motivation in order to
put yourself to new opportunities. This takes a lot of courage, but it is necessary for the
development of one’s skills and achievements.

Exposition: Going to my mom’s car after a normal but beautiful school day.
Inciting Incident: My mom tells me that I am going to this soccer tryout for Surf Soccer
Club.
Rising Action: Contemplating in my bed, going to the tryout, seeing my coach for the
first time, and playing in front of him.
Crisis/Climax: Coach asks the defining question, and I accept his offer for joining his
team.
Falling Action: Coach gives me details for signing up to the club, and my mom
congratulates me for joining the team.
Resolution: I am on the field waiting to play my first game with my new team. It was
time to show why the coach picked me to be on his team.

Edits:
-To Rodrigo’s recommendation, I added emotion to the final part of my story where I
was in a soccer game. I believe this was the correct choice because the emotion is able
to relate to the audience more, and it also acts like a sense of continuation. This means
that whatever big event happens next in my life, I will always be nervous yet anxious to
prove myself. I felt the same way during the tryout.
-I made sure key switches in the scene or dialogues were set into new paragraphs