From the playground to the turf, Senior Belen Gomez shoots for the stars in her soccer career.
Photo by Mateo Rocha
“Soccer is the one thing that I could do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” explains Senior Belen Gomez, who says she truly loves soccer.
Belen began playing soccer 11 years ago during recess on the playground at Teller Elementary School when she was in the second grade. “I was playing during lunch when one of my teachers saw me. She had a daughter who played on a club team and mentioned me to the coach and that was how I got signed up to play club,” explains Belen, who also mentioned that there was a meeting set up with her and her parents to discuss the details. “At first my parents said no because of the price, and the next week the club team came back and said that they would cover all the costs.” Soon, Belen was playing for a Division A team for the Denver Soccer Club called the Warriors. “Being on the Division A team was cool because it was the top team in the club.” Belen said that she felt that playing soccer for the Warriors was a great opportunity for her. “I had nothing to do at home and it kept me busy.”
Belen played with the Warriors for six years until she had to quit. “I stopped playing club because I got to an age where the club could not pay for me anymore and my parents couldn’t afford for me to play at that time. When I stopped playing club, I stopped playing soccer for two years,” said Belen.
The two soccer-less years ended for Belen when she tried out for the Hamilton Middle School’s Girls’ Soccer Team during her 7th grade year. “I got tired of not playing soccer and I wanted to do something new at Hamilton,” stated Belen. Not only did she make the team, Belen became one of the people who started the game on the field. She continued to play throughout her 8th grade year, and went to play for Thomas Jefferson High School. “Hamilton soccer was very different from TJ soccer because TJ was more competitive. We work ten times harder and condition a lot more. TJ soccer players also put their hearts into the game, take things seriously, and want to win.”
Belen says she couldn’t believe it when she made Varsity. “Making Varsity my freshman year and becoming a starter was a big accomplishment of mine,” said Belen. “I didn’t expect to make Varsity my freshman year, because I didn’t fee like I was good enough and I didn’t have the confidence or self-esteem. I was so happy and excited, and I didn’t know how to react when [Coach] Sara [Andolsek] called my name.”
Ever since then, she has been playing Varsity and has turned into a leader for her team. “Belen is a great asset to the team and she knows what she is doing. She helps out everyone and gives good tips to help us improve. She’s a leader and just an overall amazing player,” said teammate and Junior Rachel Uyemura.
Sara Andolsek, Head Coach of the girls’ soccer team, says she sees a lot of potential in Belen. “Belen is the same player as she was her freshman year, but she is stronger now. She is willing to learn anything and she is better at what she does,” said Andolsek, who added that Belen is also dedicated, courageous, and strong-willed. Belen brings a lot to the team and her coaches recognize that. “She brings enthusiasm, hard work, integrity, and team spirit to the team,” stated Andolsek.
Along with playing with the girls at TJ, Belen also practiced with and managed the boys’ soccer team. “Playing soccer with the boys prepared me mentally and physically. I learned a lot from the boys, and it made me not scared of playing with girls. The guys are a lot more physical,” said Belen. It was her first and only year practicing with and managing the boys’ team. “It helped me stay in shape and try to get better, which I think helped.”
Belen says she hopes for a bright future in her soccer career. “My goals for soccer this year are to become the team captain and beat East,” exclaims Belen. Another hope for the talented athlete is to get a scholarship and play in college. “I do plan on playing soccer in college, but I’m still not sure where. I’ll go wherever someone recruits me.”
Although Belen is the only one in her family who plays soccer, she says she has all of their support. “My family can never make it to my games and it’s sad not having their support on the sidelines; but even though they are not there, I still know that they support me very much,” said Belen.
One of Belen’s favorite athletes and role models is the famous Mia Hamm. “Mia Hamm is my favorite soccer player because she was an amazing player and a role model for a lot of girls. That’s how I want to be in the future; an amazing soccer player and a role model for other girls,” said Belen.
In addition to her soccer talent, Belen is also trilingual. She is able to speak English, Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL). Belen’s first language was Spanish, but she is fluent in both Spanish and English. 14 years ago, Belen’s brother was born deaf, and ASL was the only way to communicate with him. Belen started learning ASL when she was ten. “Sign language is hard to learn and memorize the signs,” said Belen. She says her mom taught her how to sign and she also learned by watching her brother sign. Her brother’s first language was ASL, and he is now learning Spanish. “He can now say some words in Spanish such as agua [water] and taco,” explains Belen.
Belen says that soccer is her passion. “I feel that I can take all of my stress out on the field while I am playing,” she says.
