Learning Leadership on the Soccer Field
John Fitzgerald describes himself as being a “calm, laid back sort of guy.” But when he gets onto the soccer field, something happens that transforms his personality.
“I’m the opposite of quiet when I get on the soccer field,” says the second-year student. “I had the opportunity of being the team captain this year and that taught me to lead in practices and soccer games.” When you consider how many adrenalin-powered players are running up and down the field while the ball is in play, it is not surprising that leadership requires turning up the volume.
With 20 students on the team--and 11 on the field actively playing--the most challenging aspect of the game is, quite simply, maintaining teamwork. “Having everyone on your team on the same page and working together as one unit instead of people doing their own thing is important,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s hard to accomplish. Only a few of the good teams in every division have that, and those are the teams that win titles.”
Apparently, CCM is one of those teams. Under Fitzgerald’s leadership this year, the team made it to the NJCAA Soccer Men’s Final Four, a national competition that was held on a field in Dallas, Texas. The CCM team competed in the county and community college division.
“We were proud to make it to the Final Four,” Fitzgerald says. “I never expected to make it that far and be a part of that. I was the captain of the team, so it was really personal and it is always going to stick with me.” The team played hard and won third place. No small feat.
The players also had some free time in Dallas. “When we first got there, no one had been to Texas before, so we were not used to the accents,” he says. Apparently, the Texans were not used Morris County boys either. “Half the team bought cowboy hats to fit in around the hotel, but everyone was looking at us kind of funny because they knew we were from Jersey.” The team flew in on a Friday, played tournament games on Saturday and Sunday, then flew back on Monday with their third-place trophy. It was particularly sweet for Fitzgerald because his younger brother, Sean, flew out to watch the games.
Friendships made on the team can cross all sorts of borders. One year, one of the players was from Europe, where soccer reigns supreme. “We had a player from France on our team and he was still learning English,” Fitzgerald says. “One day, we were picking scrimmage teams for practice. We do that with hand signs using rock, paper, scissors, shoot. But in France, they have different hands signs for that. So someone else had to do it for him because he didn’t understand what was going on. We all had a good laugh.”
Fitzgerald is planning to go on to a four-year college and has narrowed his choices down to three. He is interested in pursuing a degree in Sports Management or Exercise Science.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was I was five,” he says. When he was younger, he was attracted to the sport because he enjoyed burning up energy running around the field and playing with friends. As he got older, it was about the competition. “Soccer allows me to be aggressive, let loose, and have fun.”