The Importance of the Shinguard
Feb 15 '00 (Updated Jun 02 '00)
In the sport of soccer, shinguards are a must have. I'm a 25 year old soccer junkie, who has played competitively since the age of 6. I can tell you from experience the shinguard did wonders for me. Growing up, i never wanted to wear them because I always felt they were a hassle and were never too important to have. Little did I know! Playing at a level of competition that few kids may get to experience, you have to wear shinguards or you'll be tormented by defenders.
I was a forward for a club team that went to the national finals in 1992. Playing for the McGuire Cup is the most prestigious thing you can do at a club level and you play against the top competition. I played for the Louisville Soccer Club out of Louisville, KY. Kentucky never had a great reputation for the sport of soccer and producing young, talented players. We changed all of that. I know this has nothing to do with the importance of shinguards but I feel it's good for people to know what level of competition I played at. It gives you a feel for the type of player I was playing against and that without shinguards my career probably would have been cut short.
My bad experience I had with not wearing shinguards came during my freshman year in college during practice one day. I decided to be a really smart guy one day and come to practice without them. I figured nobody would go too hard in practice, especially because it was the day before a game. Well, as you would expect I happened to take a cleat right in the shin, leaving me in absolute pain. It happened as I was dribbling and one of our players decided to slide tackle me cleat up. I was not too happy but it was my own fault. I was out for the rest of the year and placed on crutches. I didn't break any bones but I had a huge hematoma on my shin which didn't allow me to run, or walk for that matter.
I know a lot of people out there do not like to wear shinguards and that some kids might think that it's not cool to wear them. But from my experience and seeing some of the things that have happened to other players, your career could be cut short by not having the correct protective gear.
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Epinions.com ID:
jwachs2412
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Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 24 members
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