I enjoy football because it gives me a chance to participate in a sport that I can play with my peers. It is both competitive and aggressive, and a contact sport, which allows me to put my body's maximum abilities to the test.

The overall intensity, the high athletic demands, and the fact that it is a contact sport first attracted me to football. It was also a sport which I enjoyed playing at school, which encouraged me to play in an organized league.

The constant goal of getting better and becoming the best possible athlete that I can be motivates me to keep trying harder to excel in football.

In the next five years, I would like to attend a university of my choice, while playing football for their team, maintaining a starting linebacker position and making positive contributions to the football program.

My advice to kids interested in trying football is to find an organization in your area, do some research about the team and if it looks like fun, get involved.