A Hero's Journey: Thomas E

IDF is my family. It is the only club I have known. My two older brothers were here so it was the only place for me. I’m still at the beginning of my journey and I’m not sure if I’ll be a hero. I will have many temptations and challenges, but I have the right environment and the right mentors to help me along the way. The IDF coaches, my teammates, and the older club players challenge me to be my best every day and support me when things are tough. But they also demand I give my best every minute of every practice and every game.

Normally, IDF dominates our opponent. That was until one Saturday last fall when we faced an opponent: Mutiny. They had a ton of really tall players and 2 to 3 really skillful kids. I was in goal and had just given up my 3rd or 4th goal. I was really upset and frustrated. But then one of the players from our IDF Team 1 (U17-19) came up behind the net and talked to me. He said goals happen, and when they do, you just have to shake it off and keep looking forward as if the score is still 0-0. After the game, Coach asked me what I learned. After listening, told me to move on because we had another game to win. I never forgot the encouragement and advice. It helps me a lot now on the field and in the goal.

One of the benefits of IDF is that you get to interact with and play with older players. This challenges me to be tough and to get better. The day before the shut-down, a group of older (U14-16) players – and a few of us younger players with older brothers – met for a game of pick up. Playing with the older guys is so much fun. The older players are always willing to make plays to help build my confidence and to advise me on how to improve.

We have been at home now for 8 weeks. It is really easy to sleep in, play a lot and stay up late. It’s tempting not to do the drills Coach assigned. But then I realize how out of shape I can get really fast. And that doing the drills will help me be ready for when practice and games start back again. The Zoom sessions have been great workouts with my team and with Coach. It’s like being with family – even if it’s from a distance.

- THOMAS E, IDF PLAYER SINCE 2016