THE BOY WHO NEVER GIVES UP

WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN IREDALE

ONE NICE AND SUNNY MORNING, A YOUNG BOY NAMED LACHLAN WAS GETTING OUT OF

BED. TODAY WAS THE TRY-OUTS FOR HIS FAVOURITE REPRESENTATIVE SOCCER TEAM.

WHEN HE GOT OUT OF BED, HE GOT DRESSED INTO HIS SOCCER CLOTHES AND WENT

STRAIGHT TO HIS TRY-OUTS. HIS DAD DROVE HIM TO THE SOCCER FIELD.

WHEN THE TIME CAME TO SHOW HIS SKILLS, LACHLAN FELT THE PRESSURE. HE RAN WITH

THE BALL AND TACKLED THE OTHER PLAYERS AS HE WANTED TO SHOW THE SELECTORS THAT

HE WAS A TALENTED PLAYER.

HIS FACE WAS AS RED AS A TOMATO. THE SELECTORS THOUGHT THAT HE WAS NOT FIT

ENOUGH TO MAKE THE TEAM.

IN THE CAR TRIP HOME, LACHLAN WAS DISAPPOINTED AND SAD BECAUSE…

HE DID NOT MAKE THE TEAM.

ON THE WAY HOME, HIS DAD TOLD LACHLAN `DO NOT WORRY THAT YOU DID NOT MAKE

THE TEAM TODAY, YOU CAN TRY- OUT FOR ANOTHER TEAM’.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY AND TRY AGAIN.

LACHLAN WAS EXCITED TO HEAR THAT HE HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AND THAT IF HE TRIED

AGAIN, HE MIGHT GET INTO A SOCCER TEAM.

LACHLAN COULD NOT WAIT TO TRY OUT FOR THE OTHER TEAM,

ALL LACHLAN WANTED TO DO IS PLAY FOR A REPRESENTATIVE SOCCER TEAM.

TWO WEEKS PAST AND IT WAS TIME FOR LACHLAN TO GO TO THE TRY-OUTS. HIS FAMILY

HOPED THAT HE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW HIS TALENTS THIS TIME, AS THEY

DROVE HIM TO THE PITCH. LACHLAN REMEMBERED WHAT HIS DAD SAID TO HIM. HE HAD

SAID, `IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY AND TRY AGAIN’.

HE FINISHED THE WARM UP AND THE TRIALS BEGAN. THIS TIME LACHLAN WAS PAIRED WITH

ANOTHER BOY TO SHOW THEIR TACKLING SKILLS. IT WAS AS THOUGH THE BALL HAD A MIND

OF ITS OWN. LACHLAN MOVED ONE WAY, AND THE BALL BOUNCED THE OTHER WAY. HIS

MIND WAS SPINNING; HE FELT THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE TEAM!

Lachlan

THE COACH EXPLAINED THAT THE RESULTS WOULD BE POSTED LATER THAT DAY. LACHLAN

WAITED IN ANTICIPATION, AND LATER THAT EVENING, LACHLAN TURNED ON HIS

COMPUTER… ZIP AS IT TURNED ON, IT READ,

HE WAS DISAPPOINTED. HIS DAD SPOKE TO HIM AGAIN, REMINDING HIM THAT YOU

ALWAYS NEED TO TRY HARDER NEXT TIME.

LACHLAN’S CLOSE FRIEND JACOB SUGGESTED THAT HE TRY OUT FOR THE LOCAL INDOOR

SOCCER TEAM. LACHLAN THOUGHT THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA AND DECIDED TO JOIN JACOB

AT THE TRY-OUTS THE NEXT WEEK.

LACHLAN WENT TO THE TRY-OUTS BUT DIDN’T ENJOY INDOOR SOCCER. IT JUST WASN’T THE

SAME AS OUTDOOR SOCCER.

INDOOR SOCCER WAS NOT FOR LACHLAN.

LACHLAN REMEMBERED WHAT HIS DAD SAID TO HIM. HE HAD SAID, `IF AT FIRST YOU

DON’T SUCCEED, TRY AND TRY AGAIN’.

SO LACHLAN DECIDED THAT HE WOULD TRAIN HARDER SO THAT WHEN HE TRIED OUT NEXT

YEAR, HE WOULD MAKE THE REPRESENTATIVE TEAM.

EACH NIGHT, LACHLAN PRACTICED OUTSIDE IN HIS YARD AS HE WANTED TO BE AS TALENTED

AS HARRY KEWELL.

AT THE START OF THE NEXT YEAR, TRY-OUTS FOR HIS FAVOURITE REPRESENTATIVE TEAM

WERE ON AGAIN.

THIS TIME LACHLAN TRIED OUT AGAIN AND THE COACH COULD SEE THAT LACHLAN’S SKILLS

HAD IMPROVED. THIS TIME, WHEN THE RESULTS WERE POSTED, LACHLAN MADE THE TEAM!

CELEBRATIONS WENT FOR THE ENTIRE EVENING, STARTING WITH LACHLAN GETTING TO

CHOOSE HIS FAVOURITE FOOD FOR DINNER. LACHLAN WAS ELATED!