Jackson: What's your why?

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GCU men's soccer player, Niki Jackson, spent this summer training with Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas, both professional teams in Major League Soccer (MLS). After a few nerves at first, Jackson shares his emotions stepping onto the pitch with world class players.

NIKI JACKSON / MEN'S SOCCER

A s a four-year old, I sat watching the television, oohing and ahhing while critiquing every move each player made. I knew one day I wanted to be on the screen doing the same thing, inspiring little kids to chase their dreams. I just didn't know how or when that time would come. Fast forward 16 years and now I'm taking on the opportunities of a lifetime- training and competing with some of the best pros in the league. The four-year old kid who was once sitting in the living room watching them, is now playing with them.

This summer I was blessed enough to have an opportunity to go play with two teams from Major League Soccer (MLS); Real Salt Lake out of Utah, and FC Dallas in Texas. Both much respected teams in the league. Of course when the two teams showed interest, I jumped on the opportunity to go test my skills with the best of the best. I wouldn't lie and tell you that there wasn't a lot of nerves running through my body, questioning my skills, or if I'm fast enough, or strong enough. But I knew God put me here because he prepared me and knew I was ready even if I didn't think I was.

Jackson ranked second on the team in goals (8), points (17) and shots (48) in 2015.

Utah was a team I had become close too, being that I came out of high school playing with the Real Salt Lake Academy team based out of Casa Grande, Arizona. So for me I was familiar with their style of play and the players/coaches. All summer long I tried staying fit for this exact reason. I got a text asking if I could be in Utah in two days to go train with their team, and of course two days later I was on a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. I landed on a Sunday, got settle in then Monday morning was my first practice. The night before practice, I laid in bed just pondering about what I have accomplished in my life to get to this point and how blessed I was to even be here. I didn't think much of this week's training because I thought it was just Real Salt Lake inviting a bunch of college kids to come train with them. It hit me when I started warming up the next day with the team. I was the only player that wasn't officially on their roster, at that moment in time I knew this was the real deal, this team actually had interest in me and wanted to see how I would compare with some of the best.

About a month later it was my time to fly out to Dallas, and boy was I nervous. Not knowing a single person on the team, and them not knowing me, I felt like I was walking into no man's land. I had been working my butt off all summer for this one week of training with FC Dallas. It's crazy to think you are measure off one single moment of your career. You could do everything right leading up to that moment but if you don't show up and be the best at that time, none of that matters to them. Walking into that stadium for the first day of training was breathtaking. It almost didn't feel real, there were reporters everywhere, cameras flashing, kids running up to you asking for autographs, I was living my dream. This was all that four-year old little kid wanted, but I knew if I wanted this to be an everyday thing, then I would have to perform this week. It was scorching hot that week of training but nothing that I'm already not accustomed to, being that I play college soccer in Arizona. This was my moment to prove to them that I had what it took to play at that level, one week and four practices is all I had.

I wouldn't lie and tell you that there wasn't a lot of nerves running through my body. But I knew God put me here because he prepared me and knew I was ready even if I didn't think I was.

When I was younger my Dad told me this quote and I've never forgotten it since. It was after a lost in the state finals when I was living in Memphis, Tennessee. I was 11-years old at the time, and ran off crying to my dad because of how upset I was that we didn't win. My dad goes son, "What's your why?" I was so bewildered at the time, I had no clue how to answer the question. He gave me the weekend to think about the question he had asked me, and wanted me to come back Monday with an answer. I sat in my room all weekend trying to figure out what he meant by that and how it was relevant to me. As an 11 year-old kid, I didn't really know how to answer or why my dad would even ask me that question. He came up to me that Monday morning while I was getting ready for school. I had no answer. My dad told me, "You must have a why in life. Know your why, know why you are doing something. Don't do anything just to do it, know why you're doing it and what you're trying to get out of it." Then he proceeds to ask me again, "What's your why", and I knew exactly how to answer it. I told him that my why is because I love the sport, and nothing can stop me from loving the sport. I know that I want to become a professional soccer player and I will do whatever it takes to try and get there. At that moment, I knew that losing that state final wasn't the end of the world and that if I stay true to my why, there would be so many more blessings to come my way for this sport. Having the opportunity to play for two of the top teams in the MLS was such a blessing for me, and only prepared me and got me even more excited to see what the future of this sport has instore for me.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Niki Jackson

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