Kelli Saunders
Staff Writer
Mira Costa sophomore Sebelle Rojas is in the process of trying out for the Mexican National Team. In order to try out for the team, there was a series of scrimmages where players had to prove their ball-handling skills and knowledge of the game. A total of forty girls tried out in hopes to make it on the team.
“I was extremely nervous to try out, but as I started to talk to the girls, I realized that we were all very similar in ability because we had all played on similar club teams,” Rojas said.
The first round of tryouts took place in Santa Monica where they evaluated the 40 players through scrimmages and put them on teams of 16 based on the skill levels they demonstrated to the coaches. Each team practiced together five days a week for 4 weeks in Santa Monica before the Mexgames tournament, a tournament for various sports where Mexican-Americans are able to compete in boxing, taekwondo, soccer or wrestling.
“There was a lot of fitness involved in the practices with this new team, but it was like any ordinary practice for me because we did most of the same drills,” Rojas said. “The practices helped us to play as a team since we were all strangers to each other before.”
At the Mexgames there were scouts for soccer that evaluated Mexican American athletes for their national teams. Rojas played in 4 games and her team of 16 made it to the semifinals.
“Everyone that I played with was super good, so I had to push myself to show the scouts my best by running harder and thinking faster when I had the ball,” Rojas said.
At the end of the Mexgames, Rojas and 5 others were handed paperwork to confirm that they were either a quarter, half or fully Mexican and that they were 15 years old or younger. After the information is confirmed, Rojas and the other five players, that were chosen were given the opportunity to fly to Mexico over the summer to compete in the final tryout with all expenses paid for.
“I am so honored to possibly be able to represent Mexico with an incredible opportunity like this one,” Rojas said. “Being on the Mexican National Team would be an accomplishment of a lifetime because the competition to be on that team is so great.”
Rojas has already been talking to colleges as she hopes to continue her training at a higher level. In the future, she hopes to strengthen her skills by playing on the Mexican National Team and later becoming a professional soccer player.
“I’ve always wanted to pursue something bigger than just club soccer,” Rojas said. “It is my chance to become a professional soccer player.”
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