Transitions: Club Soccer to High School and back again
Guest Blog by Aubrey McLin
As a student athlete, playing high school sports is a rite of passage. The opportunity to be on a team alongside friends for four years representing your school provides you with experiences that will last a lifetime, it's unlike any other. The friendships, the bonds, and camaraderie established in high school sports is not something that can be replicated in club and development programs (i.e ODP and PDP). The sidelines you are accustomed to during club soccer go from rows of pop up tents, parents in folding chairs, college coaches notating on tablets to stadiums packed with peers, teachers, and relatives. The structure, student athlete recognition, and fabric of community identity, diversity, inclusiveness and pride in high school sports is also different from club. Club soccer, is geared more to level of play, player development, showcases highlighting your team and club talent, and of course athlete recruitment. High school still plays a role in an athlete’s player development and college recruitment process as it is an extension of the classroom and education of the whole player. It gives student athletes a bird’s eye view of what the academic focus and accountability will look like playing collegiately and balancing the workload of both academics and athletics. Also, it gives additional exposure for athletes in their recruitment process. But if I'm being honest, it’s also a reset from the grind and traveling of club soccer.
Club soccer lasts most of the year and while this is great for serious athletes like me who are working towards pursuing a career in the sport, it is nice to have 2.5 months where there's social space set aside. It’s a time to also connect with school friends who are now teammates. It's that time of year for me as an athlete where I get to press the mental health reset button and let my guard down a bit. I get that part of the journey of a student athlete is a dose of healthy high level competition which will help me launch my soccer career but this time of year is my time to reflect, spend extra time in gym, and get some rest.
I know there are some club coaches who discourage their players to participate in high school soccer though. I learned quickly once I entered high school and speaking with other multiple sport athletes that soccer is one of the few sports that tends to have conflicts between club and school participation. One big reason given for this is to avoid unnecessary injuries which could also mean being out of play when club season starts back up. Another drawback seen by clubs is that the athlete has to pause from club trainings. And depending on the division and level of play, the high school is at may be another factor.
So when people ask me if it's worth playing both club and high school soccer, my response is absolutely! My high school is in Division One and a few of the high school teams my school plays against have a few Club ECNL players from highly ranked teams. The coaching staff at my high school are also coaches at my club. The assistant coach this year is none other than the my club’s founder or aka “godfather,” therefore there's not a huge learning curve or adjustment regarding coaching style. What is different and are a few perks of playing high school soccer is:
-Playing against older athletes and receiving hard spot balls for strengthening my ball handling skills. Last year I played as a freshman and now as a sophomore on my varsity team so I get to face off with 2005, 2006, and 2007s.
-Playing alongside players who I go up against during club. This is key in understanding and practicing good sportsmanship. Opponents eventually, especially at collegiate level become teammates. Playing with a chip on your shoulder or not putting good faith and effort in displaying sportsmanship will catch up to you.
-Peer and community activity heightens emotional and interpersonal connection. My high school varsity team each year makes posters to welcome new players who roster. The returning varsity players look forward to this team ritual of designing and decorating the posters along with putting together a goodie basket we deliver to each player’s home. Hugs are exchanged and excitement built for the coming season. I will never forget receiving my varsity poster last year! I was beyond ecstatic and pumped going into the season!
-Learning to balance physical, mental and emotional demands of the 2.5-3 month high school season.
-And lastly, more time in evenings and weekends to spend with friends and family. Less time traveling in a car and more time in the gym working on strength training.
Now is it hard transitioning back to club soccer after the high school season ends, again my answer is, absolutely! It's definitely much easier transitioning from club to high school but not the other way around. Last year, I found myself struggling a little with trying to get back to being used to late practices and traveling. I made sure I checked in with my Female Football mentor and sports mental skills coach and sought some advice and tips. They both shared this was something when they were student athletes that they struggled with too. The take away was to work on still carving out time for friends, rest, and gym which I was better prepared for this year.