I attend sporting events of all types through work, but on Saturday, I attended a volleyball game for a wholly personal reason — my daughter was playing.

Youth sports played an incredibly large role in my life from the time I was 3. My dad pushed me into soccer, and I fell in love with it right from the get-go.

I played every season up to my pre-teen years, when I joined a travel team. My commitment increased to twice-a-week practices, with games on the weekends and about five or six tournaments a season, in fall and in spring.

Living in Little Rock, Ark., at the time, we traveled extensively to states in the south, spending weekends in Memphis, Dallas, Tulsa, Shreveport and more. When I turned 12, the stakes got higher, as each spring, we played in the state tournament, the winner of which qualified for the 12-state regional tournament.

Along with playing, I was a certified referee from the age of 11. My very first game was at the Plano, Texas Labor Day tournament, where I was a fourth official for Kari Seitz, a Women’s World Cup and Olympics referee.

My dad was the catalyst for my learning to officiate, as he would typically referee at the tournaments I played in — proceeds from which paid for our hotel, gas and food for the weekend.

I also played in the Olympic Development Program. Tryouts for that team, essentially state all-stars, happened in two or three Arkansas cities every fall, with practices through the spring and a camp in the summer at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

For six years, that camp was the highlight of my summer, playing against the best of the best in the south central and southeast United States. Two of those years, I played one week, then switched dorms and refereed the next.

Even at 15 when I was cut from my travel team and played for a recreational team for a season, I never lost sight of the goal to play beyond high school or to referee at a higher level.

Alas, in my infinite wisdom in my late teens, life began to take priority. I got to play a couple of years of college ball, but ultimately, I came to a fork in the road at 20 — give up college and pursue a pro career in the minors with goals of getting to Major League Soccer, or finish my journalism degree.

Begrudgingly, I chose the latter. I think it’s safe to say things worked out just fine career-wise, but I do miss those days of weekend tournaments and summer camps.

When I moved to Cassville to take on the editor position at the Democrat, playing in amateur leagues and refereeing also went by the wayside. These days, I touch a ball once a year, at the Cassville Alumni Game I am thankful to be allowed to play in since I was an assistant coach from 2018-2020.

This year’s game is Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. at Cassville High School, and I am already itching to get back on the pitch.

My lifelong love of soccer and passion for the game is something I hope my girls get to experience in some way. Our oldest tried soccer 5 years ago, but it wasn’t her bag. She’s since done cheer and has taken piano lessons for a couple of years, and volleyball is a new thing for her. I’m not sure if it will stick, but I hope if it doesn’t something else will.

We put our youngest in soccer in the spring, but she wasn’t quite ready. Her time, too, will come.

Even in our little town, there’s no shortage of opportunities to find a sport to play.

Mighty Mites football and cheer, Seven Valleys Soccer Club, multiple local softball and baseball leagues, the Cassville Baseball Club, Wildcat Takedown Club, Upward Basketball and the new youth volleyball program give kids of all ages the chance to foster not only skills, but the love of the game — any game.

For me, playing soccer for as long as I did taught me everything from how to set and reach personal goals to how to work within a team. Discipline, sacrifice and many other formative characteristics were developed with that.

Refereeing taught me how to lead, as well as how to be fair and impartial. Those qualities engrained in my mind help me navigate my role as publisher day in and day out.

As a parent, I hope to help my children find that passion I found. Whether it’s soccer or softball, music or math, it’s more important than ever in today’s world to give kids opportunities to find their voices, their callings, the skillsets that will take them beyond the field or the court and into adult life.

Cassville High School football quarterback Jaren Stearns told me after playing against Seneca two weeks ago that the start under center was a dream come true.

Here’s to hoping more of our local youth realize such a dream, or even a sliver of it. Those moments work wonders down the road.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers in 2017, and he is a three-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com.