In-depth with our sports seniors
Edwin Escobar: Inevitable not to play soccer
Derek Gibbons, Sports Editor
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Sports
Born in Margarita, Venezuela, where baseball is religion, Edwin Escobar was destined to play baseball. Or was he?
"My dad was a huge soccer player and he loved the game and it was inevitable for me to not to play," said Escobar.
In Venezuela, everyone played baseball and baseball was everything. Escobar tried to the play the game that everyone loved, but considered himself, "not very good."
"In Venezuela baseball was all you played and either you were good at it or you had no friends. I wasn't the best, but I had some friends," said Escobar.
Escobar still remembers why he started playing soccer. He was watching the 1994 World Cup and was amazed by the game he saw. It brought such joy to him that he decided soccer was the sport for him.
"I began playing soccer at a very young age after watching the 1994 world cup," Escobar said. During the 1994 world cup final I was at an amusement park during the game. At the park one guy decided to bring a TV and watch the game. It was amazing that no one was on the rides and instead everyone was sitting in front of this little TV watching Brazil win its fourth world cup against Italy. When the game was over, people were crying of happiness and at that moment, I realized that playing soccer was what I wanted to do."
Escobar still looks back at when he started playing soccer. He would join in with his father and his friends in a dry, sandy field behind their house in Venezuela and he would play keeper. In the end though, being keeper was not the position for Escobar.
Escobar moved to the United States at the age of ten and has lived in Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. He attended Mt. Everett Regional High School in Sheffield, MA where he played three varsity sports.
"There I played varsity baseball, basketball, and soccer all four years," said Escobar. "I was fortunate to have that opportunity. I have never been good at basketball player and I don't think a man can walk with four balls, so I just played baseball and basketball for fun. Soccer is my sport and in high school we were a really good team, we had a lot of good players and we managed to put up some crazy numbers every season, so I had a lot of fun there. Soccer I would have to say was what I excelled at."
"My dad was a huge soccer player and he loved the game and it was inevitable for me to not to play," said Escobar.
In Venezuela, everyone played baseball and baseball was everything. Escobar tried to the play the game that everyone loved, but considered himself, "not very good."
"In Venezuela baseball was all you played and either you were good at it or you had no friends. I wasn't the best, but I had some friends," said Escobar.
Escobar still remembers why he started playing soccer. He was watching the 1994 World Cup and was amazed by the game he saw. It brought such joy to him that he decided soccer was the sport for him.
"I began playing soccer at a very young age after watching the 1994 world cup," Escobar said. During the 1994 world cup final I was at an amusement park during the game. At the park one guy decided to bring a TV and watch the game. It was amazing that no one was on the rides and instead everyone was sitting in front of this little TV watching Brazil win its fourth world cup against Italy. When the game was over, people were crying of happiness and at that moment, I realized that playing soccer was what I wanted to do."
Escobar still looks back at when he started playing soccer. He would join in with his father and his friends in a dry, sandy field behind their house in Venezuela and he would play keeper. In the end though, being keeper was not the position for Escobar.
Escobar moved to the United States at the age of ten and has lived in Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. He attended Mt. Everett Regional High School in Sheffield, MA where he played three varsity sports.
"There I played varsity baseball, basketball, and soccer all four years," said Escobar. "I was fortunate to have that opportunity. I have never been good at basketball player and I don't think a man can walk with four balls, so I just played baseball and basketball for fun. Soccer is my sport and in high school we were a really good team, we had a lot of good players and we managed to put up some crazy numbers every season, so I had a lot of fun there. Soccer I would have to say was what I excelled at."
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