Colby Rumpf '19 Recruiting Profile

        How far do you have to fall before you can get up stronger than ever?  I found this out the hard way.  Throughout my entire life people have helped me when I needed it.  I have always been successful without trying.  I can easily pick up math, understand how to read and write very well.  I am especially able to play soccer very effectively since a young age.  All of these events have one flaw in common.  I never practice for any of these; they feel so natural.  Throughout elementary school, middle school and life in general I did not ever have to work hard at anything.  This was all about to change.  Nothing in life comes easy and I learned this in a very painful way.

            I played for a soccer team for three years called the Logan Blackjacks.  We were a prosperous team, starting out ranked over 60^th in the state to 2^nd in the state in only two seasons.  At twelve years of age when I joined the team, I was about the same size as everyone else.  Most were pretty short and slim; some players were a little chubby, so my natural speed carried me past these kids.   Sadly, I realized some players seemed to grow and mature physically much more than me.   It seemed as though I was slowing down in my level of play.  I went from playing the most important position, center midfielder, to playing left back.  Even my parents noticed, and became concerned about my skill deteriorating.  Fortunately for me, they still saw me play through rose-colored glasses.  They were always encouraging me. 

When my playing time was diminishing, I became very insecure.  My time on the field was about 20-30 minutes of a 90-minute game.  This was a career low.  I was used to playing most of the game; starting mostly every game.  I began blaming everyone else for my lack of time on the field.

As for my coach, he was a very intelligent mentor.  He had helped me when I struggled before, but not this time.  My shortened playing time became glaringly obvious when our team participated in a huge tournament in Bethesda, Virginia.  My family sacrificed a lot of time to come see me play.  The first game was ready to begin and I was not on the starting line.  I was upset.  All I could do was wait for my time to shine.  The entire first half flew by, and I became upset with everyone by myself.   I never went in for the entire first half of the game. 

The second half was getting ready to start and I was still on the bench.  I was even more upset.  I was furious.  I was broken.  Finally, toward the end of the game my coach called out to me, “Colby, go give Jared a break!”  I sprinted to my position and began to play pretty well.  I fought hard and won the ball from two players.  Then, only two minutes after I was subbed onto the field, I heard Jared call my name.  I couldn’t believe it.  The coach was subbing Jared back in.  Everyone was in shock.  My coach didn’t say a word to me as I ran by him and back to the bench.  The game ended, and I respectfully shook my coach’s hand as I do at the end of every game.  I couldn’t look him in the eye though.  I was ashamed.  I was mad, but I knew he wasn’t the problem.  I was the problem.  I was slow and wasn’t performing as well as he expected.

From that moment forward, I practiced everything I did to perfection.  I studied everything: the art of soccer, the art of strong mental and physical state, and especially school.  I learned the importance of hard work, discipline and dedication.  Nothing came easy.  This was a powerful negative experience that woke me up to the benefits of working hard.  I plan to carry this lesson through my whole life.  I plan to apply it as I finish high school and as I enter college.  My academics and extra curricular activities will improve tremendously with my enhanced dedication.  Now I can see the success of people I know and I can appreciate how hard they have worked to get where they are and I have learned a lot from them.  Having gone through these experiences has made me a better person in every aspect of my life.