Robert(Tate) Harrison '21 Recruiting Profile

My school’s soccer (The Walker School) team went to the Georgia state championship the year before I started high school. I had watched the older guys play since I was in elementary school, and the next year was finally my chance. I was especially excited because of our team’s previous success. Our soccer program has developed a reputation as one of the top high school teams in the single-A classification with 8 state championships and more playoff appearances than we can keep track of. So naturally, everyone was stunned when we missed the playoffs my freshman year after nearly a decade of playoff appearances. 

We felt as if we had let the program down. We needed to make up for our mistakes the next year. Our response to this disappointment would dictate my sophomore season. My parents repeatedly told me that there is something to be said for putting your head down and working hard. However, I was never able to truly understand what they meant until we missed the state playoffs. I learned more about my drive and my work ethic that season than any other. These are lessons that became applicable to all aspects of my life. As a team, we came back the next year and made it to the final four. I learned how work ethic and discipline, two things that I can control, can be more important than talent. Learning this also helped me succeed academically.