Th=
is is a
new tradition we are starting tonight – recognizing our seniors as they
graduate from high school and our pro=
gram.
So=
me might
say that the measure of a strong and powerful soccer club is the number of
travel teams, perhaps Division 1 team=
s, it
sponsors.
Ot=
hers
among us look to the number of older players, in particular high school
seniors, it has registered on its
teams, and according to that measure =
McLean
Youth Soccer is a resounding success.
The reason is that these p=
layers
are participating in the sport with M=
YS
truly because they want to, not because someone is making them (a lost cau=
se
by this point). So we are doing something right, and we
should be proud of this achievement.
In=
the
last 10 years we have seen the number of teams we send to play in the olde=
st
age group in the travel leagues and t=
he
Suburban Friendship League increase, from just one or two per season, to the 10 we have this season: of the 6 in U19 in the SFL 4 are primarily seniors, and there are 2 boys, the Sha=
rks
and the Eagles, and 1 girls teams, the Zephyrs, playing in Division 1 and 2 in the travel leagues which include senio=
rs
on their rosters.
Th=
is means
we have more than 45 seniors play=
ing
House soccer, and 20 playing
travel.
A =
lot of
these players are in their 11th, 12th, even 13th year of playing soccer,
having begun in kindergarten, when the game
they played is not the format we have our youngest do these days. We have High School soccer players in =
both the House and travel program; evidence that you do not have to play =
at the
travel level to play high school.
Pl=
us, we
have Varsity baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, cross country, field
hockey and track athletes on these ro=
sters. They also sing, play musical instrumen=
ts,
..; are members of the National Honor Society and on their schools’ honor roll, take 3, 4, 5 AP courses, referee and c=
oach
in the House Program. Among the schools the class of 2005 =
span>have offers from are Harvard, Duke, UVA, Georgetow=
n,
Middlebury, NYU, Notre Dame, North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Georgia Tech – not a shabby list, and the=
se are
just the early applications.
Al=
l this
speaks to their being engaged and participating members of society; to the growth they have felt from work=
ing on a team, through wins and losses and learning fr=
om
both experiences; to the lifestyle
lessons of being active and keeping f=
it,
making a commitment and keeping it however difficult, being in challenging
situations and controlling their reac=
tions
(and language), making friends across a wide spectrum and supporting each
other.
Bu=
t –
these are adult concepts, and although they are almost in that category, t=
he
main thing they look for still is FUN. I
don't think that word does appear anywhere in our coaches manual, but mayb=
e it
should, as that is what all our playe=
rs,
from U5 to U19, are looking for: the opportunity to play soccer in a
competitive environment, and enjoy it enough
to come back the next week and do it again.
&n=
bsp;
We=
can
give a lot of credit to our coaches; some of these players have had a
changing list while some are with the coach
they first played with in Kindergarten or First Grade (and that should lay=
to
rest any fears any of you may have ab=
out
the draft - if you want them you can get them).
We=
thank
the seniors for the time they have given MYS and the sport of soccer, we
congratulate them on their dedication,
enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and wish them good luck as they move on to coll=
ege,
hopefully to continue their sports ca=
reer
in a new setting.