It was a good season for the Ann Arbor Pioneer Boys Soccer Team as they reached the regional final of the state tournament this season. One of the key players on the team was James Simon, who thought the season was successful. “We had a great season overall even if we didn’t achieve our final goal of a state championship. We worked hard and played well together, which was enjoyable to be a part of this team,” said Simon.
Simon is a center back for the Pioneers and says being a center back helps him become a better leader. “The position requires being a leader on the field, and it also requires to make smart decisions quickly. I like the role because I can see the whole game as it happens and have the ability to impact it as needed,” Simon commented.
Simon also had to overcome some significant challenges in the past few seasons as he had to deal with migraines. “They started chronically at the beginning of his junior year. I would often feel tired and groggy during the morning and would progressively feel worse as the day went on until I got the headache,” Simon mentioned.
Simon says it wasn’t hard to talk about his migraines with his parents, but it was tough to talk about with his teammates. “I wasn’t eager to tell my teammates. Mainly because I did not want to stop playing and feeling as if I let the team down, I initially thought that if I ignored the problem, it would go away on its own, which is certainly not the case. My teammates understood, and my parents got me medical care, which resolved the issue,” Simon said.
To mentally prepare for a soccer game, Simon tends to be calm, but as the year went on, Simon became more talkative as the season went along. “I tend to be pretty calm leading up to games, but obviously, I get more intense once it gets close to game time. Sometimes I listen to music. Towards the end of the year, some teammates and I started asking each other trivia questions before games to break some tension and start thinking,” Simon stated.
Soccer has taught Simon a lot over the years and will remember the lessons and experiences for the rest of his life. “It’s impossible to say everything soccer has taught me, but it is certainly a lot. I have learned how to be a team player and leader. Most importantly, I’ve learned that helping a team reach our goal means much more than any personal achievement,” Simon added.
Simon will miss a lot about high school soccer, but most importantly, he will miss his teammates and friends the most. “I’ll miss playing with people I grew up with. I try to take more positives from the experience than miss it, though, so I think more about all I gained,” Simon said.