Columbia Heights High School (CHHS) is definitely growing when it comes to athletics, especially football—or soccer, as it’s called in the U.S. coaches and soccer players coming from different countries and institutions. It has been confirmed that 20 more players have been added to the boys’ soccer team since the last academic year. Many new players have joined because a lot of our Columbia Heights families are coming from a lot of different places where soccer is hugely popular, such as Ecuador and Guatemala. Many of our students and athletes come from countries where soccer is just not a sport, but a way of living.
“The soccer team has a better connection since everyone is willing to face hard challenges,” Justin Cajamarca (11) said.
On the other hand, the Columbia Heights girls’ soccer team has not been behind the boys when it comes to increasing numbers. They won against Hiwatha last month by a score of 3-2. The girls have had a really developmental and growing season where they have gotten better with a new level of dedication and training. Coach Victor has had very important drills that he implemented for the team to get better at every aspect of the game, from offense to defense and everything in between.
“This season has been great since all of the girls work pretty hard to win all of the games possible,” Alvarez said.
The boys’ soccer team also implemented various film sessions to watch their past games to improve better formations and technical skills on the field. The boys’ team coach brought in this method to fix any mistakes made on the field and to watch for all the good plays during the game to celebrate wins as well as improve upon current techniques. This method of training not only helps improve the team’s skills but also improves coordination between players.
Similarly, the girls’ junior varsity soccer team has developed a great environment for training is because of their new comeback coach Lauren. This coach was a past D3 soccer player who had a lot of experience in the field. During her years in college, she learned a lot from all of her coaches, so now she is teaching everything she knows to the team. She has a great attitude and effective drills that have helped all the players succeed and get better during the season.
“Meeting coach Lauren has been such a helpful experience, she helped us get better in our footwork and work rate on the pitch,” JV girls’ soccer captain Bella Koening (11) said.
Koening has also mentioned that the team has grown a lot in the past few years. She is convinced that it has been a very productive and fun season so far. Since she has been a key player within the team, and she is enjoying every part of each game.
In conclusion, the Columbia Heights soccer teams have grown a lot due to the fact that they have many new coaches and new players. The teams have been training a lot in many different ways like technical training, film practice and through team bonding and work experience developed during the practices. If the teams’ development keeps going on the right track, the Hylanders may be able to get better facilities and attract more athletes in future years.
Maybe then people soon won’t think of a pointy ball anymore when someone says, “let’s go to the football game.”
