Chapter 35: THE PENAL SYSTEM – ROOKIE: Surviving Your Freshman Year of College Soccer

It doesn’t matter how much the coach likes you, if you break a rule, there’s going to be a consequence. There has to be. Why? Because coaches are forever concerned about setting dangerous precedents. When it comes to the standards of the team, everyone must be held accountable, and that duty ultimately falls to the coach. When coaches fail to hold players accountable, chaos quickly overruns the program.

If you stumble into a situation that involves some type of punishment, do yourself a favor and just take it like a champ. Don’t stand there arguing your case. Just nod your head and say thank you and get on with it. And for heaven’s sake, don’t drag your teammates down with you. If Susie got away with one and you didn’t, then so be it. Just swallow your feelings of grave injustice and accept that life isn’t always fair.

Almost every player will have to endure some form of punishment before her career is complete. Do your best not to take it personally. Just get it done quickly – and with dignity – and move on to whatever’s next.

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