My journalism class at school had us write features about someone in our class and I wrote mine about my friend Katie Webb, and I wanted to share it with you guys, as this was the first article I ever wrote for my school, and it inspired me to develop a love for journalism.
Katie Webb, an eleventh grader at MA, has taken her dreams to the next level, determined to succeed in her near future.
Webb began the journey of her dreams in the fall of 2007. As a ten year old who had just started fifth grade, she was continuing to become aware of her surroundings as she experienced and learned about the joys of life while learning important life lessons. Soccer was one of these experiences. “After I found out my parents had signed me up to play for and represent a soccer team, I became extremely nervous,” Webb explains. “I was not exactly sure if I wanted to play or not, because I had never been part of a soccer team before, let alone had any experience in this type of sport.”
Webb did not let these uncertainties and insecurities get the best of her, and as she went to practice and participated in the games, soccer became second nature to her. Webb believes the best part of soccer is when you play well, claiming that “it makes you feel great because you’re helping yourself and a whole group of people succeed.”
Today, Webb is currently a part of both the M-A soccer team and a club team. She has been on the M-A JV soccer team for two years filling the position of defense, and is completely dedicated to practicing all the time along with competing every weekend. Along with being part of M-A’s team, Webb fulfills the position of midfielder in her club team, the Stanford Tidal Waves, and is still with them today, going into her third season with the team.
“I like being part of a team where we have to bond and work together,” Webb states. “There are only two people from M-A at my club team, so I have the opportunity to make new friends from other schools.”
In August 2013, Webb was given the journey of a lifetime, traveling to El Salvador to play soccer with her club team. According to club coach Ernesto Cruz, “Forty duffel bags were packed with 1,000 pounds of old soccer uniforms and gear collected from local Palo Alto and Menlo Park communities that were donations for the kids living in El Salvador.” This trip was clearly breathtaking for Webb, as she and her team got a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“There were seven of us, and once in El Salvador, we were paired with six national soccer players. We got to play two games with them and we won both. It was awesome,” says Webb. Teammate Jessie Hall also stated, “It was amazing to be able to bond with the El Salvadorian players and hear about the struggles they face just to play soccer.”
Webb claims that learning about the struggles that others face just to live their dream playing soccer is what makes the sport so worthwhile. But according to Webb, the most important part about this sport is the bonding with her M-A and club team, saying that in the end, they feel so much closer to each other, claiming that they feel “like we have all known each other for years.”