Balls to the Wall

How many of you know Cara Abernathy, a fellow student at St. Charles Community College? Well did you also know she plays indoor soccer?

Cara shared that she loves the sport and she enjoys playing indoors and outdoors but with indoor soccer she has the advantage to play all year long. Abernathy has been playing soccer on teams since she was in 4^th grade. "I have always taken a great interest in sports, especially soccer." Abernathy said. "My parents started signing me up at different organizations to play outdoor soccer up until 7^th grade when I started indoor soccer, just to try something new. While in high school I joined the school's soccer team but I still enjoy playing indoor and actually prefer it."

The rules for indoor soccer are actually a little different than outdoor soccer which makes it a little more challenging. There are walls surrounding the field so if a player kicks the ball way out of bounds it's not getting too far. Nets as tall as ten feet reside over the players that are in position of the goal area. The number of players also differs from that of outdoor soccer as well. "It's a lot more challenging and personal because there are only seven people on an indoor soccer team where as there are eleven on an outdoor team. The field and goal is also smaller," Cara said.

Cara plays her indoor hobby at Madison Square Garden complex located behind the Brunswick Zone off of highway 70. "We used to play at Vetta Sports Club located right next to SCC," Cara added. Cara's team has games every Sunday since she plays on a co-ed league. "There are about 12 games in a season and then there are playoffs that follow after the games."

What makes soccer so interesting to Cara? "I like the intensity of the sport and the need to think ahead and show ball skills, Abernathy said. She also pointed out that soccer is one of the very few sports played that involves your feet so it takes special charisma and skill. Just like any sport soccer can be very testing at times. "There are always better players and you as their opponent have to figure out how you can use your skill, in a different way to even it out so the other team doesn't score a whole bunch of goals" Cara added.

Joining a sport or starting a new hobby is a great way to make friends and learn leadership skills. Being part of a team can make one feel good about them self and feel good about achievements. Cara was proud to share one of her achievements that she and her team accomplished this year. "We got into playoffs and were playing for first. We tied by the end of the game so we had to go into overtime. We ended up going into a double overtime and then went to a double round of penalty kicks before being declared the victor." Abernathy said. "It was a hard game but we felt so good about ourselves afterwards."

Anyone can play a sport or participate in an activity in the community whether it's indoor soccer or a creative writing society, get involved and set goals for the future. College students especially should take advantage of extra curricular activities because it builds a good resume and looks impressive to future employers. So get out there and get involved and have fun while doing it.