I am a One-Percenter
"Ching-chong-ching-chong, 'Ya, I said it. So?'".
Stunned and confused, I wasn't sure what was happening when I heard my premier soccer coach, who was old enough to be my grandpa, utter those words out loud during practice. This was the first time I experienced a racially charged comment directed towards me, yet I wasn't sure what and why it was happening. As if a spotlight was shining on me, none of my teammates said anything. The only response I had was a blank stare followed by the lowering of my head. I was 11 years old and one of the smaller kids on my team.
A couple of weeks after, my mom picked me up from practice and told me with zero emotion in her voice, "You're not going back to that team. He's not allowed to talk to you like that." I still remember lowering my body in the back seat of the car so none of my teammates could see me cry as we drove away.
Back then, soccer was my life. The league I played in was the highest level of competition you could compete. My dream back then was to play for the US Women's National Team. I proudly wore my USA National Team jersey with Alex Morgan's name and jersey number on the back. Eventually, I found another high-level team to join, devoting a couple of hours each day outside practice to develop my technical skills. By 8th grade, I was on a team that competed in a national league where we would fly out of state nearly every month. Our team was ranked #2 in the country, winning our 5-state regional conference. It was not uncommon to have multiple Division 1 college coaches watch our games. It was not unheard-of girls in 9th grade to verbally commit to play college soccer. Nearly all my teammates played on this team with the understanding playing college soccer was the end goal.
In 10th grade, I was heavily recruited by several D1 and D2 schools. I was also invited to a regional All-Star camp and named as an ECNL Player to watch. Everything was falling into place and happening just like I dreamed. During official visits to universities to meet the coaches and teams, I was taken aback by how homogenous most teams looked. This was when I realized my very presence as a Korean-American collegiate athlete was a rare anomaly in college sports.
In middle school, I aspired to be like National team players Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath. However, in the last four years, NBA player Jeremy Lin and Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim have inspired me the most because they not only broke stereotypes within their respective sports, but they also defied the odds and gave hope to millions of Asian American youth (like me) that it is possible to pursue the dream of becoming a college and professional athlete as well as an Olympian in a sport Asian-Americans never compete in. This Fall, I will be among the 1% of NCAA female AsianAmerican college students to play college soccer at St. Edward's University.
According to the 2020 NCAA Demographics Database report, last year, only 303 college soccer players were listed as Asian-Americans out of the 28,000 women who played. Knowing these statistics carries a sense of pride and burden simultaneously. I'm proud to represent the Korean-American community and break the stereotype that we don't fit the aesthetic of a college athlete. My mom says that just me making it this far will make it possible for more KoreanAmerican girls to pursue college sports. I hope to inspire other young Asian female athletes who dream of playing college sports someday to unapologetically go for it!
