Student athletes throughout Colo. are participating in the Fall 2016 State Cup hosted by the Colorado Soccer Association and US Youth Soccer. In order to compete in this high competition tournament, teams have to qualify. This tournament, along with this sport, takes dedication, drive, and hard work, that of which Golden Eagles have.
At Mountain Vista High School, students are held to a high standard and most intend to fulfill that standard. With the high demand of academics, balancing sports and other responsibilities, such as a job, this can be very difficult. Sophomore Nikki Marrow gives her schedule to show the busy life of a student athlete.
The average day of a student athlete may seem fairly simple with school and a sport after, but Marrow can vent differently. An average day for her is waking up at 6:20 a.m., leaving for school from 7:10 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., approximately an hour and a half of homework until 5:20 p.m., leaving for soccer practice at 5:30 p.m., getting home by 8:20 p.m., followed by a shower and possibly dinner, finishing up any other homework at 9:30 p.m. and in bed by 10:00 p.m. “I always have to have homework and grades as my priority, but grades along with soccer skills are what really get you into college,” she said. “I never really slack on one or the other.”
Marrow’s club soccer team has been training throughout the summer up until Labor Day weekend, when the tournament started. They have played a total of two games, and have two more coming up. They continue training until then and also continue playing in regular season league games simultaneously.
Along with Marrow, sophomore Teia Wossilek is also participating in the State Cup. Both can describe the needs of this sport and specifically this tournament. “State Cup is everything to us,” Wossilek said. “It means a ton.”
Their soccer team practices three time a week for two hours, along with one to two games over the weekend. Despite the massive time consumption, these athletes love what they do.
“The pressure can get nerve racking,” Marrow said. “But I’m ready to play.”
At such a high level, tournaments like State Cup mean a lot, “I’m nervous about my performance,” Wossilek said. Both strive to make it to the championships where they hope to win and go on to represent Colorado at regionals.
