Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 19, 1994 TAG: 9411020004
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Roanoke Stars are select soccer teams for boys and girls 8 to 18 who love playing the game.
Some kids on the Stars hope to play soccer in college or on pro teams. Other kids just enjoy the game enough to want to work really hard at it.
Donnie Smith, 12, from Roanoke plays on select teams every season but summer and is really reaching for the stars. His goal is to play through high school, then play for the University of Virginia and then for the U.S. national team. He knows it will take a lot of ``hard work and practice.''
Players come from all over this area and from as far away as Lynchburg, Blacksburg and Harrisonburg. One boy traveled from West Virginia just to play in the league.
``The select league is for serious, competitive players,'' said Danny Beamer, a coach and executive director of the Roanoke Valley Youth Soccer Club . ``It`s another level of playing soccer.''
Romney Willson, 11, of Roanoke has played in the league for three years. ``You really have to be dedicated,'' she said, ``and be ready to go to practice and work. But you get to play more and learn more skills, too.''
The coaches in the league all are licensed soccer coaches, which means they have had a certain level of training. And, to make the team, kids must have a certain level of skills. They also have to try out again every year, as if they were new players.
In tryouts, coaches look for players who have good technical skills (dribbling, passing, trapping, shooting), tactical skills (understanding offense and defense and playing as part of a team), enough aggressiveness (but not too much) and a good attitude.
Players are expected to keep up their grades, behave properly on and off the field, and stay fit.
The league also is a chance to make friends with kids from other schools who love to play soccer but who might meet only as rivals on school or recreation teams.
``I've met a lot more kids from other schools and even from out of state,'' said Gilby Butler, 11, of Roanoke. ``I get to play soccer and make new friends, too.''
Everybody can join a recreational league and have fun, learn a lot about soccer and then, if interested, try out for the select league. The players usually are some of the best in the area, but not all really good players want to join the league.
Practice is two to three times a week and games and tournaments are scheduled for weekends, mostly out of town. Teams play other select teams from all over the state, so sometimes families must stay overnight in hotels. And there is a fee for joining the league.
It's a great way to meet and compete against other good soccer players and involve families - and see more of Virginia - but families must pay for their own hotel rooms and food when the team travels.
``If someone is a talented player, we don't want to prevent them from playing because of money,'' said Beamer. ``About 20 kids are on scholarships, and that includes travel expense money.''
Unless a player tells anyone else he or she is on scholarship, no one knows except their parents and some of the coaches.
Until four years ago, there were no girls' teams in the league. Now, about one-fourth of the league's 410 players are girls.
Some of the league's players are members of rec teams, too; but the select team comes first, even for practices. When players are about 12, coaches recommend they choose one league or the other.
Some select soccer players go on to compete on high school and college teams, and some earn soccer scholarships. A few even play professional soccer.
It takes many years of training and hard work to become outstanding in any sport, but the opportunity is there for boys and girls who really want to reach for the goal.
by CNB