Forever Pirates -- Anmarie Moreno

Our next installment of Forever Pirates features women's soccer player Anmarie Moreno, who played for the Pirates from 2012 to 2014.

The decision to attend Orange Coast College was without a doubt one of the most pivotal points in my life. As a fresh high school graduate that was supposed to be living in Hawaii attending the University of Manoa, I ended up returning home before the semester started and found myself at Orange Coast College. I grew up playing soccer my entire life and to be honest, 90% of the reason I even tried in school was a mix between knowing I needed to get a degree and never wanting my grades to keep me from an opportunity to play the sport I love. Luckily, I got into several schools because of those grades, but the soccer career didn't pan out as I had hoped. Now a former soccer player and a heavy sense of uncertainty; I had no idea what I was going to do with my life.

Fearful of paying large sums of money to settle on a major I wasn't passionate about, I floated around OCC until one day, a former club teammate of mine happened to find me there. She was a goalie and I played center-back, so it goes without saying we spent a lot of time together manning the back line of our defense. I had already been at OCC for about two years, working and taking classes. I probably changed my major three times trying to figure out where to go. She told me that she was going to be playing soccer for the school this upcoming season and that I should consider trying out. At this point, I hadn't so much as touched a soccer ball in years. After high school, I became so upset about the amount of blood sweat and tears I had put into the sport, that the idea of kicking a ball around only made me feel heavy and sad. However, my friend Kate persuaded me. Despite my hesitation, the idea of being able to be a competitive athlete re-lit a fire inside of me I felt I had been missing.

My experience as an athlete at OCC was incredible and I know that many athletes would agree in saying that a lot of us wished it was a four-year school. There was always a great sense of community between athletics. Head coach Kevin Smith was an awesome coach. He had the perfect amount of "laid back" and "get to work" type of attitude that allowed the team to enjoy the game of soccer. Don't get me wrong … we were serious about bringing our best every year, but it never was overbearing. I wasn't sure what would become of playing again, but I was fortunate enough to earn a starting position. Over the course of the first season, I slowly began to fall in love with the sport again. We made playoff runs each year and always came up short to dang Santiago Canyon. It was bittersweet every time, but we always left it all on the field. I played half that season with a broken foot, so we took no prisoners.

I would go on to be the captain of our team the next year, earn Orange Empire's MVP as a defensive player, be awarded OCC's Female Athlete of the Year and receive a scholarship to continue playing at Concordia University, Irvine. I will say one of the craziest things that came out of playing soccer at OCC was having my face on the side of the fitness complex for about five years. I never quite got over that one, but it was pretty cool to have had my little claim to fame.

In addition to rediscovering my love for the game, playing soccer at OCC is what led me to my profession that I am grateful to do everyday today -- Athletic Training. I had never even heard of an athletic trainer until one came out to work with us at our first home game. After struggling for many years on what I wanted to do with my life, I knew that this was the perfect job for me. It was an opportunity to be around sports, help take care of athletes through their careers and be a part of something that was bigger than myself. I started looking for programs and was lucky enough that Concordia also had a program that allowed you to be an athlete and an ATEP student at the same time. All the teachers within our kinesiology program were great, and I will always be grateful for the standard my anatomy and physiology teacher held me to. They expected us to know our stuff and once I got into higher-level classes that seriously came in handy.

Immediately after the season, I began putting all my time and effort into athletic training. My last year at OCC, we had an amazing ATC who played a huge role in my life. His name was Keith Candelaria, and he helped shape me into the athletic trainer I am today. He always exemplified amazing work ethic and attention to detail. He went above and beyond to take care of our athletes and teams and I strive to be the type of ATC that he was and still is.

This was a unique year to be an ATEP student though and I would soon find out why. During the spring, Keith and I spent many, many, many hours working with baseball team. Orange Coast College baseball is a very special program, that is no secret. Not only did my own experience as a soccer player drastically affect the trajectory of my life but this program that head coach John Altobelli built would instill in me a love for baseball that I have carried with me throughout my education and career. Alto treated Keith and I like we were a part of the team and the OCC baseball pirate family. I had gotten to know Alto during early morning gym sessions and his CPR class he used to teach. He may have helped me keep my straight A's that semester -- I seem to remember being a point short but he had mentioned it in a sarcastic manner -- I guess I'll never really know for sure. Alto was the man. I was honored how he respected my work ethic, I felt that was something we connected over. Naturally, as most of us do, I thought the highest of him.

I don't think I ever missed a game during this semester. It was an amazing experience full of ups and downs and the excitement of it all transferred into you whether you were playing or a spectator. Being there never really seemed like an obligation; I have wonderful memories of that year and tons of photos I had taken for the team. I always loved how there was this section next to us that the coaches' family would sit in with their children and wives. Everyone was connected to one another over this game, because of Alto and the coaches he surrounded himself with. I always thought to myself 'I want that'. That family that sticks with you and supports you and your team. We will forever miss Alto, Keri and Alyssa.

It was the type of baseball that Alto modeled that really made me love the game. Heck, my entire Master's proposal ended up being on researching hip association and its relationship with identifying precursors leading to injuries in baseball pitchers. I really poured my heart into this sport and took seriously my commitment to being an amazing ATC for ball players.

We made a playoff run that year and would go on to win the first of back-to-back championships. It was an experience I'll never forget … even Keith and I got rings! Seeing the joy of every athlete, coach, parent, even Keith and I, was rewarding and humbling. We knew how much work had been put in by everyone.

OCC will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart. It was a place that took me in and led me forward to be who I am today. After more than five years, there are coaches that I still talk to and connect with. In fact, I work with one of the former coaches from OCC now, Kevin Snapp, who equally exemplifies everything that Alto stood for. Keith and I still catch up from time to time and there are always open arms if needed.

I know that not every athlete is as fortunate as I have been. Some athletes have the life and love of their sport sucked out of them because of tough circumstances, difficult coaches and poor environments. No program is perfect, but I wish everyone could have the experience that I did. I hope that for some, my story helps athletes to see that there are good programs out there. That there are coaches who don't give up on you, that give you a chance to compete despite being out of the game for a while and that your dreams matter to them. There are coaches and people who believe in bringing the best out of you, for you. I'm forever grateful to have been around such amazing coaches and people who work to foster their athletes not only in sports, but in life. Thank you to OCC for helping to lead me down my path.

I am now a graduate of Concordia University, a certified Athletic Trainer working with baseball at the collegiate level, I went on to get my Master of Science in Exercise Science and am continuing to grow in my skills and profession to provide athletes with the best care I am capable of. Without the opportunity to play soccer and the amazing people who surrounded me at OCC, I'm not sure if I would be where I am today. FOREVER A PIRATE!