At the start of the year, FirstPoint USA held a competition to become an honorary FirstPoint USA blogger, a competition won by myself, Corrie McDonald, 18, from Cornwall. Having been through the whole FirstPoint process, I have been writing monthly blog posts for the FirstPoint USA blog, with first hand experience and advice about each stage of the process. This month I reflect on my first month in the USA, playing soccer at Western Nebraska Community College.
So, I arrived in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, over a month ago now. All international students were allowed to arrive a couple of days before other athletes, so me and 3 other English students arrived at the airport on the same day, and our coach drove us to the college. It was a long day; I think I was up for about 27 hours, with the flight, drive to campus, and initial room checks.
The first 2 days in the USA, I spent opening a US bank account, buying pillows, and all that kind of stuff. I guess I was trying to get used to the 7 hour time difference as well. On the day of the other athletes’ arrival, I met my roommate, who is also a soccer player. We had a team meeting and both the guys and the girls went to the soccer field for a kick about.
The next day training began. Monday-Saturday: 6am-7:30am conditioning, 10:45am-12:15pm technical session, 3:30pm-5:00pm tactical session. After each session, we ate as a team in the school cafeteria, and then I would usually have a nap until the next session. The altitude is high here, especially compared to the fact that I’m used to playing at sea level. So with that, the heat, and the intensity of the training sessions, extra sleep was definitely needed!
For the first couple of weeks, there were very few people at the college, it being before classes nobody else needed to be there. So the soccer teams just kind of hung out with each other. There is a games room, where we would normally chill out in the evening to play pool, foosball and watch TV. But some days we ate out together, went bowling, swimming, went to the fair, went to the lake, watched movies, had a camp fire and made Smores. Both teams have really gelled together
Classes started a couple of weeks ago. The educational environment is different to the UK, the hardest part I have found is getting used to using maths again after not having done it for 2 and a half years.
I know it won’t be the same everywhere you go in the US - but here, people seem much more friendly and welcoming, maybe because I have an English accent. But I feel like I’ve barely had to adapt at all. I’ve fitted straight in and I genuinely love it here! I know I haven’t been here long, but so far, I couldn’t ask for any more!
Do you have what it takes to secure a soccer scholarship to the US like Corrie? Apply now!
