Franklin Orahood '24 Recruiting Profile

I started playing soccer when I was three and I played for my school team recreationally, but switched to select/club soccer in middle school. When I started high school it was the beginning of Covid and everything went online. I did not play soccer for 18 months because of Covid. My Freshman year was an abbreviated season because of Covid. I tried out for my high school soccer team when I was a sophomore, but I did not make the varsity soccer team, only junior varsity. Several of my friends with whom I had been playing with since pre-school did make the varsity team. I was upset and disappointed and so I made bad decisions and skipped some practices. As a result, I was cut from the team. Honestly, this was a shock to me and I had not thought through what would happen if I skipped practices. I realized how much soccer meant to me once I could no longer play. In the off season I got in shape by running and working on my foot skills and I signed up for instructional leagues to work on my game. I then approached the coach in the spring to apologize for my behavior and ask if he would reconsider letting me try out again and, thankfully, he said yes. He was going to give me another chance. I spent the summer working out and doing camps so I was playing competitive soccer. Now I am happy to say that my senior year I made the varsity team and am a starter. I learned a lot from this experience, including how much soccer means to me and that I want to have soccer in my life. More importantly, I learned that when I mess up I have to take responsibility for my actions and make good decisions or I will miss out on things that are important to me.