Chloe Martin '21 Recruiting Profile

Dear Coaches,

  My name is Chloe Martin and soccer has everything to do with who I am. Even as a young kid, I was overly athletic and was competitive in everything I did. I was the strongest and fastest girl in my grade, every year. Because of this, I fell in love with sports, more specifically soccer. 

  I started playing soccer when I was three or four years old. Ever since then I’ve grown up playing the sport. 

  I’ve always loved soccer because it helps me get through tough times, which happens quite frequently due to being a military child. Being a military child, I always move around—putting me at a disadvantage. Usually when moving to a different state or country you’re behind on their playing styles for soccer, their culture, and their ways of academics. Whenever I move to a new place, I have to try out for a new club team. A club team that has girls who’ve been playing together for a significant amount of time. It becomes very stressful and frustrating for me due to the long process of proving that I have what it takes to be on the team. However, playing soccer has taught me that even though I may start at the bottom, I can grow to reach the top and become a better player. Every day I can learn something that improves me as a player on and off the pitch.  This has shown me how progress is made over time, not immediately, and has strengthened my opinion on how younger athletes should be taught this at a very young age. 

  Now you’d think that being a military child for sixteen years that I’d be used to moving around, but I’m not. As many military children don’t. A lot of military children have major setbacks due to moving or many other aspects of military life. Their grades tend to slip because of stress, they break off connections with many people when they move, or they are forced into new environments causing more stress to be added on. But, there are moments where being a military child is rewarding. I’ve met incredibly strong women who love soccer just as much as I do, and have learned from them how to grow as a player and improve myself on and off the pitch. 

  This has caused complications; however, due to my sexual preference. Because of my preference, I’ve been subjugated to prejudice online, as well as been victim to inappropriate comments and questions by fellow peers. This has put a lot of pressure on me to put a foot forward on showing that people like me can make a difference and that just because I have a preference doesn’t make me any different from anyone else. This is a major reason that I play soccer, so I can show younger athletes that they can continue to pursue their dreams, no matter what. 

  Because of being a military child and moving around so much, I am a very diverse player in that I have experience playing with a multitude of different style of play. As such, I am willing to play anywhere the Coach needs me, and giving my all in said position. As a result of this, I am very coachable. I am more than willing to take on workload from a Coach to become a better player. Also, I am very athletic. I spend five days out of the week at the gym or doing cardio. I train for soccer almost everyday of the week, on and off the pitch (i.e game footage).

  I may not be the best in academics, but I definitely have the drive to put forth the effort into always raising my GPA, to become more involved in school clubs, join the National Honors Society, and help tutor peers in my strongest subjects, as well as soccer. 

  My main goal is to become my best self on the pitch and off of it. Taking mental healthcare for myself and other athletes is critical for improving ones self. For college I am determined to study Clinical Psychology, as it’ll help me to understand not only myself, but others better. I am a huge advocate for mental health associations such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). I believe that everyone, diagnosed or not, should seek mental health as our mind is not capable of dealing with all of our problems on our own. And I am most curious with Abnormal Psychology, as it provides a look inside extreme cases of mental illnesses. I am looking for a college that can help me continue my path into Psychology, as well as my soccer passion.

Sincerely, 

Chloe Martin.