Hello everyone! My name is Jessica Silkensen and I am 19 years old. Soccer is my favorite sport and has been a huge part of my life since I was about 4 years old. My dad played soccer and my younger sister does too! My dad wore the number 18 on his jersey so in a couple of these pictures throughout my ePortfolio, you will notice that I am wearing number 18 because that was my dad’s jersey number. My sister decided to follow the tradition and is now number 18 for her high school as well. I have played soccer in all kinds of aspects. I have played on grass fields as well as turf fields. I played on parks and recreation teams and club teams. I have also played indoor soccer at my local field house and Futsal which is like playing on a padded basketball court. I also played soccer for my middle school and varsity high school teams, and now I play for the women’s club team here at Longwood University.
Photo Essay
Travel Experience
In 2016, I went on my very first cruise. Since then, I have gone on two more cruises in 2019 and in 2023. On the I took in 2016, I traveled with my mom and dad, my little sister, and my Mimi and Granddaddy. This cruise was a Royal Caribbean ship and it was called Freedom of the Seas. The Freedom of the Seas sailed out of Florida and went to Labadie, Haiti; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Falmouth Jamaica; and Cozumel, Mexico. This was a seven-day cruise that I will never forget especially because it was the first time I went out of the United States.
I got to have so many of my firsts during this vacation. In Falmouth, Jamaica my dad and I rode a buggy up to the top of a mountain and did a series of three different zip lines. The last zip line actually went over the ocean and my mom could see us from the beach. In Cozumel, Mexico I went snorkeling with turtles and stingrays. On that excursion, I went with my dad and little sister. During our day in Georgetown, Grand Cayman we went jet skiing. My dad took my sister for thirty minutes and then took me for thirty minutes since neither of us could drive yet. Labadie, Haiti was my mom’s favorite because we got to have a relaxing beach day. We reserved a spot in a private beach area and had a nice quiet day.
As you can imagine, going to four different places in just seven days seems like a lot. Each place we stopped at, we got a full day to spend there. There was a certain time we were allowed to get off the ship and a time we had to be back on the ship. The other three days where we weren’t on islands were called sea days. Sea days consisted of hanging out on the ship and really crowded pools. On sea days there were various types of shows and sports tournaments. The shows for example, were comedy performers, diving acts, and ice skating performances. The sports tournaments included dodgeball, basketball, volleyball, water polo, soccer, and even surfing on the Wave Rider.
One sea day in particular my sister and I signed up for the 8-12 age group for the soccer tournament. My dad also signed himself up for water polo. Since we signed up individually we were just placed on a team. Luckily they saw we had the same last name and put us the same team! Our team had really skilled players on it so we ended up winning all of our games. We played three games in total that day. Playing soccer on the cruise ship felt super weird. It wasn’t like the ball was rolling by itself or anything but if I looked out to the ocean while I was running I felt so dizzy. Playing soccer on the cruise ship was a memory I’ll never forget. It was so thrilling playing up there on the top deck, with the wind blowing looking over the ship and the ocean.
Video Tutorial
Here is my video tutorial on how to do a Maradona and about Diego Maradona himself!
Movie Review
This movie is about Jess and Jules who live in London. They strive to be as good a soccer player as David Beckham. No matter what challenges were thrown their way, they were determined to play professionally.
The main character, Jess, has very strict rules to follow set by her parents. Jess always had to sneak behind her parents’ backs to play soccer. One day Jules, Jess’s best friend, sees her impressive skills in the park. Jules convinces Jess to play on a semi-pro all-women’s team in London. Jess wasn’t the only one who faced backlash from her parents for playing soccer. Jules’s mom wasn’t a big fan of it either. Jules’s mom thought soccer was a sport for only men and she just wanted to take Jules shopping for dresses and makeup. Despite her mom being unsupportive she continued to play soccer because it was her passion.
Jess made up a lie of telling her parents she had a job. Instead of going to work every day like her parents had thought, she went to soccer practice. Jess didn’t even have soccer cleats at first. One afternoon, Jess’s mom sent her out to buy shoes for her sister’s wedding and she purchased new cleats. Jess’s mom found out and was furious. Her parents forbid her from playing soccer for a while. Jess had such a special talent that even her coach tried to convince her parents to let her play. Her parents did not budge. After some time Jess realized how talented she was and how much passion she had for soccer. So, she decided to start playing again without her parent’s permission.
Jess and Jules found out that during an upcoming game, a college scout would be there. They were absolutely ecstatic, but not for long. This game was on the same day that Jess’s sister was getting married. There was absolutely no way Jess would be able to attend. Fast forward to the wedding, Jess was feeling so defeated. Jess’s father noticed that she was not enjoying herself so he let her go play her game. Jess’s father came to watch her and he was astonished. He had finally realized how much talent and skill Jess had. After the game, both Jess and Jules got offers to play in college in America. Jules’s mother finally came around and even started to learn the rules of soccer so she could watch Jules in college. Jess’s mother still didn’t want her to play soccer. But, to everyone’s surprise, Jess’s dad was supportive of her playing in college.
These girls are perfect examples of the theme of never giving up on your dreams. Despite the fact that they were women and society thought that soccer was only for men didn’t get in their way. Even though, they didn’t have much support from their families, it didn’t stop them from chasing after their passion. They knew they had a special gift and playing in college was their dream and they achieved that dream.