Aalbue sisters find soccer home at WWS
By Matt Le Cren
It would be hard to find a teenager who hasn’t wondered what it would be like.
What if you could play a high school sport and never have to attend class?
That fantasy is reality for Wheaton Warrenville South soccer players Elizabeth, Kim and Jennifer Aalbue.
The sisters, who are home-schooled, have thrived playing for the Tigers program this spring.
But don’t worry; they aren’t getting a free pass when it comes to academics. Unlike the Pink Floyd song which includes the lyric “We don’t need no education,” the Aalbues work just as hard as their peers, though in a different setting.
Their parents, Laurie and Fred, make sure of that.
“Our mom home-schooled us at home until fourth grade and then all of us went to a co-op called Classical Conversations,” Elizabeth Aalbue said. “We’ve been doing co-ops, so it is going to school once a week.
“You get taught by all the teachers. They give you homework and you might have a test that day or a presentation, then you come back the next week. So you can use that as a supplement to any home-schooling you do at home.”
Home-schooled students can choose which classes to take and there are final exams at the end of each semester. They have to meet certain educational standards established by the state.
To be eligible to play for their local high school, the Aalbues’ curriculum has to meet IHSA standards and the girls must live in the district.
But few home-schooled athletes are playing high school sports, though the Aalbues are not the first to play for Wheaton Warrenville South.
Ava Fickle, who was a three-time All-DVC and All-Sectional player, was home schooled. She is the only Wheaton Warrenville South player to be named the program’s Defensive Player of the Year three years in a row.
“As a whole it’s a little bit of a different animal because we do so much in the building. And it’s important because the girls get to share things during the day,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “(The Aalbues) don’t get that, but they’ve really fallen in. They’re very mature, and they’re great assets to the program.”
This is the first – and only – season the sisters will play together. Elizabeth, a senior defender, will continue her soccer career at Grace College in Indiana in the fall.
Kim, a sophomore goalkeeper, is the backup to Abbie Brennan but has started every game for the JV team. Jennifer is a freshman forward who scored her first varsity goal in a 2-1 loss to Glenbard South on April 29.
Callipari has been happy with their contributions.
“They’re on time and do all the training with us, and that’s all you can ask for,” Callipari said. “They’re versatile and their leadership is great, too.
“Liz has a great voice, and she’s our only senior player who will be playing at the collegiate level.”
Elizabeth was the first to try high school soccer, joining her sophomore year. She started out playing Park District soccer and then joined local club teams, but didn’t know what to expect when she began playing for the Tigers.
“Going in it’s definitely a thought of, ‘OK, how are we going to fit in here?’” Elizabeth said. “Are we going to be outsiders? How are we going to be part of a team when we don’t see these people? We don’t always have the same opportunities to form friendships with them outside of soccer.
“But we were lucky coming into South. I was welcomed really nicely by everybody, and I think that has also happened with my two sisters.”
Kim agreed.
“The whole varsity team is really nice and accepting and the JV team is all really nice,” Kim said. “Everyone welcomed us even though we were home-schoolers.
“I didn’t really know what to expect going here. But everyone was super nice, talking to us and trying to get us involved in conversations. It was just really fun all-around.”
To be sure, the Aalbues have missed out on some of the social aspects of high school. They don’t get to share the frustration of five-minute passing periods, lockers that sometimes jam and trying to wolf down lunch in 25 minutes or less.
They also don’t get to know as many fellow students and may miss out on other school activities. But Elizabeth said they were home-schooled for a good reason.
“I definitely think our parents, by home-schooling us, were able to instill values and certain things into us and what we believe,” Elizabeth said. “That maybe would have been different if we had gone to a public school.
“There’s definitely more chances to be swayed by friends (at a public school), but that’s not to say that any friendships or fun events that are going on are necessarily bad.”
Because she is the youngest, Jennifer probably had the easiest transition to high school soccer. Everybody in the school might not know her name, but her soccer teammates do.
“Definitely having my sisters there made it a lot easier,” Jennifer said. “We did the camp this summer and everybody knew who they were, so automatically the kind of knew who I was.”
Do the sisters think they are missing out on things by being home-schooled?
“Maybe a little bit, just certain things going on in the school, certain events that we may not go to,” Jennifer said. “I think it leaves us out a little bit, but it doesn’t really affect how we’re treated.”
That’s a good thing, because home-schooled athletes haven’t always been allowed to compete for high school teams. But the Aalbues pay the same property taxes, which fund public schools, as everyone else.
“I think there is a certain camaraderie that comes with living in an area of people,” Elizabeth said. “Regardless of whether you go to the school or if you’ve chosen to be schooled at home, I think you should have the equal opportunity to at least try out.
“It’s tough because there is a certain type of politics even within the school, like would we want to put the home-schooler on the field instead of someone who goes to the school? Regardless of that, we should at least be given the chance to try out and evaluated by our skill and not by whether or not we go to the school officially.”
Wheaton Warrenville South gave the Aalbues that chance, and they have run with it. This was their most memorable because it is the first time all three girls got to represent the school together.
“I think it is a lot of fun,” Kim said. “We have played with each other on different teams throughout our careers, (but) going to high school is so much fun.
“I’m bonding with my sisters on varsity because it is so cool to share the experience. We push each other and help each other.”
Just as all teammates should.
By Matt Le Cren
It would be hard to find a teenager who hasn’t wondered what it would be like.
What if you could play a high school sport and never have to attend class?
That fantasy is reality for Wheaton Warrenville South soccer players Elizabeth, Kim and Jennifer Aalbue.
The sisters, who are home-schooled, have thrived playing for the Tigers program this spring.
But don’t worry; they aren’t getting a free pass when it comes to academics. Unlike the Pink Floyd song which includes the lyric “We don’t need no education,” the Aalbues work just as hard as their peers, though in a different setting.
Their parents, Laurie and Fred, make sure of that.
“Our mom home-schooled us at home until fourth grade and then all of us went to a co-op called Classical Conversations,” Elizabeth Aalbue said. “We’ve been doing co-ops, so it is going to school once a week.
“You get taught by all the teachers. They give you homework and you might have a test that day or a presentation, then you come back the next week. So you can use that as a supplement to any home-schooling you do at home.”
Home-schooled students can choose which classes to take and there are final exams at the end of each semester. They have to meet certain educational standards established by the state.
To be eligible to play for their local high school, the Aalbues’ curriculum has to meet IHSA standards and the girls must live in the district.
But few home-schooled athletes are playing high school sports, though the Aalbues are not the first to play for Wheaton Warrenville South.
Ava Fickle, who was a three-time All-DVC and All-Sectional player, was home schooled. She is the only Wheaton Warrenville South player to be named the program’s Defensive Player of the Year three years in a row.
“As a whole it’s a little bit of a different animal because we do so much in the building. And it’s important because the girls get to share things during the day,” Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. “(The Aalbues) don’t get that, but they’ve really fallen in. They’re very mature, and they’re great assets to the program.”
This is the first – and only – season the sisters will play together. Elizabeth, a senior defender, will continue her soccer career at Grace College in Indiana in the fall.
Kim, a sophomore goalkeeper, is the backup to Abbie Brennan but has started every game for the JV team. Jennifer is a freshman forward who scored her first varsity goal in a 2-1 loss to Glenbard South on April 29.
Callipari has been happy with their contributions.
“They’re on time and do all the training with us, and that’s all you can ask for,” Callipari said. “They’re versatile and their leadership is great, too.
“Liz has a great voice, and she’s our only senior player who will be playing at the collegiate level.”
Elizabeth was the first to try high school soccer, joining her sophomore year. She started out playing Park District soccer and then joined local club teams, but didn’t know what to expect when she began playing for the Tigers.
“Going in it’s definitely a thought of, ‘OK, how are we going to fit in here?’” Elizabeth said. “Are we going to be outsiders? How are we going to be part of a team when we don’t see these people? We don’t always have the same opportunities to form friendships with them outside of soccer.
“But we were lucky coming into South. I was welcomed really nicely by everybody, and I think that has also happened with my two sisters.”
Kim agreed.
“The whole varsity team is really nice and accepting and the JV team is all really nice,” Kim said. “Everyone welcomed us even though we were home-schoolers.
“I didn’t really know what to expect going here. But everyone was super nice, talking to us and trying to get us involved in conversations. It was just really fun all-around.”
To be sure, the Aalbues have missed out on some of the social aspects of high school. They don’t get to share the frustration of five-minute passing periods, lockers that sometimes jam and trying to wolf down lunch in 25 minutes or less.
They also don’t get to know as many fellow students and may miss out on other school activities. But Elizabeth said they were home-schooled for a good reason.
“I definitely think our parents, by home-schooling us, were able to instill values and certain things into us and what we believe,” Elizabeth said. “That maybe would have been different if we had gone to a public school.
“There’s definitely more chances to be swayed by friends (at a public school), but that’s not to say that any friendships or fun events that are going on are necessarily bad.”
Because she is the youngest, Jennifer probably had the easiest transition to high school soccer. Everybody in the school might not know her name, but her soccer teammates do.
“Definitely having my sisters there made it a lot easier,” Jennifer said. “We did the camp this summer and everybody knew who they were, so automatically the kind of knew who I was.”
Do the sisters think they are missing out on things by being home-schooled?
“Maybe a little bit, just certain things going on in the school, certain events that we may not go to,” Jennifer said. “I think it leaves us out a little bit, but it doesn’t really affect how we’re treated.”
That’s a good thing, because home-schooled athletes haven’t always been allowed to compete for high school teams. But the Aalbues pay the same property taxes, which fund public schools, as everyone else.
“I think there is a certain camaraderie that comes with living in an area of people,” Elizabeth said. “Regardless of whether you go to the school or if you’ve chosen to be schooled at home, I think you should have the equal opportunity to at least try out.
“It’s tough because there is a certain type of politics even within the school, like would we want to put the home-schooler on the field instead of someone who goes to the school? Regardless of that, we should at least be given the chance to try out and evaluated by our skill and not by whether or not we go to the school officially.”
Wheaton Warrenville South gave the Aalbues that chance, and they have run with it. This was their most memorable because it is the first time all three girls got to represent the school together.
“I think it is a lot of fun,” Kim said. “We have played with each other on different teams throughout our careers, (but) going to high school is so much fun.
“I’m bonding with my sisters on varsity because it is so cool to share the experience. We push each other and help each other.”
Just as all teammates should.