Seoyun Choi
Division of International Studies
Soccer is my greatest teacher because it has taught me the value of being a true leader. When I first started playing soccer, I was only one of the two Asian players on my team. I remember feeling neglected and discriminated against because before I got a chance to prove myself, I was labeled as inferior and incompetent by my coach and felt insignificant to the team.
However, in the next season, greeted by a new coach who made sure I learned to suit myself to new positions, I was able to grow up and believe in myself. He organized training sessions in which the team could understand the importance of the positions others played by helping one another practice. With all of the encouragement coming from my coach and even teammates, I also began to think of myself as a crucial member of the team.
Through the leadership he had shown, I was able to learn that authority can be used to achieve a common goal and eliminate injustice. Witnessing even the weakest players pursuing equal practice and game time, I was able to realize that the power of the leader could be used to shape a community and change it into a better team.
According to Theodore W. Adorno’s concepts on education, enlightenment abolishes the individual in a society centered towards economic power, which in my case was a victory in matches. By applying this to my experiences in soccer, I felt that it is important for the leader to steer clear of using individuals as anonymous members. The role of a leader is important in that one should educate towards self- development by valuing individuals.
I later used this method when I served as the captain of an allgirls soccer team here in Korea. My team encountered a communication problem due to differences between the seniors and juniors. In order to create an atmosphere of teamwork, where each teammate was valued, I had first planned several comfortable meetings before practices, so that the new players could understand and get closer to each other. I also used these meetings to gather opinions about how the individual players wanted to train, and which positions they felt comfortable in.
By first focusing on giving extra help to players that were unconfident and praising them no matter what, even for the smallest milestones, I was able to reach this goal. Seeing every member of the team smiling at the end of each game, even after a loss, led me to feel the joy and pride of being a true leader.
Now here at Ewha, I am part of our school’s soccer club, both as a player and a member of the management team. Being able to partake in my favorite hobby with other members of the Ewha community has led me to fall even more in love with the sport. Being able to exercise on a regular basis within my busy school life, meet people of all kinds of majors and ages, and feel an even deeper sense of belonging at Ewha, all these experiences gave me all the more reason to enjoy my favorite sport.
Being back home in Korea for the last few years, it had been hard to find an all-girls team to play soccer in. Moving from team to team almost yearly, I had forgotten the beauty in team sports; the feeling of community and belonging. I am beyond happy with my team here at Ewha, wearing my green uniform with pride. It is not an exaggeration to say that soccer is what shaped the person I am today, and I am excited to see what more the sport has in store for me.