German: A kid from West Phoenix

Lopes View provides GCU's student-athletes a platform to express their lives through stories within their sport, academic studies and community outreach.

GCU student-athlete Damian German is a member of the GCU men's soccer program. In August, in the first game at the brand new GCU Stadium, it was only fitting that the kid that grew up 10 minutes away from Grand Canyon University would score the first goal at the new stadium. This is German's message to everyone that grows up on the west side of Phoenix.

DAMIAN GERMAN / SOCCER

W alking out of the tunnel for our first game of the season, in front of 6,402 fans--the most fans to ever attend a college soccer match in the state of Arizona--was the best feeling I have ever had in my life. Not only was I representing my school and my teammates, but I was also representing West Phoenix.

Sitting inside the tunnel, you could hear the fans cheering and screaming for us. We walked through the smoke and as soon as it cleared it felt like the entire city of Phoenix was there to cheer us on. Walking out, I was nervous and right before the whistle started I still had jitters but when I realized they were there for us, I knew I wanted to put on a show for my hometown.

Representing West Phoenix is something I have always taken great pride in. Growing up in the roughest parts of Phoenix, I never imagined getting an education at a university and most of all representing it by doing what I love.

For as long as I can remember, I always had a ball in my feet. I remember always running and kicking the ball around the house with my mom screaming at me for breaking things or tipping stuff over. My parents were always working so they never had time to get me onto a team. At that time, we lived in small apartments on the south side of Phoenix, where I had a couple of friends with whom I would go outside and play soccer with.

From that group of friends, two of them played on a soccer team that I always wanted to join but couldn't because my parents never had time to take me. One day, without letting my parents know, I jumped in my friend's car and went to their practice.

When we arrived, I met the coach and told him how I wanted to join the team. He looked at me and said, "You're very small". That's all I could remember him saying because at the time I was nine years old. I was small compared to the other kids, as most were two years older, but he still gave me shot. I did something that practice that caught his attention because he let me stay and join the team. I have loved the game ever since.

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German walking out of the GCU tunnel against UCF. (Photo/David Patten)

My freshman year, I attended Maryvale High School. At that time, my mindset was leaving to Mexico to try to make it professionally, not caring about school. My parents, knowing they would never be able to afford for me to go to college, never talked to me about it or made me look into it. They were never harsh on me with my grades. The way I saw it, as long as I had a passing grade, it was good enough.

It was an amazing feeling to be the first player to score at GCU Stadium and I want to motivate any other kid that comes from the west side of Phoenix.

Since I never had someone tell me about college, I was just thinking about soccer. Living in the Maryvale county area, distractions increased and danger was always present, but I never fell into those temptations or followed in some of my friend's footsteps because it was the "cool thing to do" or because they had materialistic things I didn't. I was just focused on my goal and wanted to do it my way, not caring what anyone had to say.

Not many kids from West Phoenix get the chance to play Division I soccer. But often, they don't have the opportunity to go to college, and I want to change that. Maryvale can be one of the toughest places to grow up, but it made me who I am and I am proud to have graduated from Maryvale. We are changing the image of West Phoenix and proving to people that we can go to college and succeed at the highest level.

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German talking to reporter Kate Longworth after a 4-2 win over UCF. (Photo/Brandon Sullivan)

It was an amazing feeling to be the first player to score at GCU Stadium and I want to motivate any other kid that comes from the west side of Phoenix. I want to show boys and girls that growing up in my neighborhood, you can achieve anything you want to as long as you have good people around you and stay focused on achieving your goal.

I'm so proud to see kids from my neighborhood in the crowd at GCU Stadium when I am playing. I hope they see me and realize that they too can play for Grand Canyon one day.

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Grand Canyon University Athletics

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