The 'Celtic effect'
Focus on success beyond Palatine club part of its program
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE — The sacrifices, discipline and resources used to develop high-level soccer players is just the first part of the calculus.
All sports offer the promise of immediate rewards and long-term consequences. The soccer model is especially complex given the youth of the players as they are typically first exposed to the game and then the nearly infinite number of directions available.
"Players love to play, and they couldn't see themselves not playing anymore, and so they continue on in college," Palatine Celtic Soccer Club technical director Brian Colicchia said.
With the college men's and women's seasons in full bloom, now is the time to take stock. At the Celtic, the institutional gratification and sense of accomplishment is profound to the point of the giddy or the exultant.
The organization is celebrating its largest export of first-year players continuing their careers at colleges encompassing Division I, Division II and Division III and junior college.
In the class of 2015, 10 men and three women with Celtic roots are currently on college teams as freshmen. The number may expand. Fremd graduate Sarah Aftelak tried out for the side at the University of Birmingham in England and is awaiting to hear of her status.
This disparate and wide-ranging group is a testimony to the training and skills the players were exposed to at Celtic. On the men's side, the 10 players attended five different high schools.
Four players, who played big roles for Fremd's third place Class 3A team, are playing collegiately. Will LeFevre is at the highest level, playing at Division I Butler University in Indianapolis. Ben Poder is playing at at the Division III level at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. Kurt Rettke is at Harper College and Danny Burton is a first-year player at Heartland Community College in Normal.
Former Palatine players Alejandro Vidal and Tyler Curlyo are also in the mix at Heartland.
Two players matriculated to Webster University in St. Louis. Former Saint Viator star Zach Gyuricza, who helped his school to a fourth place state finish in the Class 2A state tournament, is the team's leading scorer. Stevenson graduate Filip Delija is also a contributor for the Gorloks.
Former Schaumburg star Phil Minneci is playing at the University of Dubuque. Former Barrington standout Austin Grzebieniak has scored 2 goals for 7-1-2 Knox College.
On the women's side, Fremd graduates Emily Rogers (DePauw University) and Reilly Seipka (Augustana College), and Glenbard East graduate Haley Lydon (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne) are gaining experience in the women's college game.
Additionally four other players from last year's high school class are playing college club soccer. Palatine's Kellie Reynolds and Emma Grochowski are at Illinois State. Fremd's Katie Zara is at Washington University in St. Louis and the Vikings' Caroline Freeman is at the University of Illinois.
It is a bonanza the soccer club is justifiably proud of.
"As a community-based soccer club, this is really special and solid, and speaks to the goals of the organization, which is about participation," Celtic club president Jennifer DeFranco said. "We're not trying to cut corners. We're not trying to privilege one player at the expense of the program.
"We want to give players the chance to learn and develop their skills and go out and play."
The Celtic 2015 class stood out from the start. The directors understood early on the need for a consistent foundation and a strong continuity. "I think one of the unique things about this class is that when they were U14, we identified them as a strong group of players, and we made sure we had our directors coaching them," Colicchia said.
"The team dynamic was one of the most important things for both of those groups."
Paul Clapson is the Celtic director of coaching for the travel squad. He inherited the boys group when they were 15-year olds. At an early age they pushed each other to excel. He recognized immediately a group that had developed excellent chemistry and revealed a great joy in playing together.
"A big part of their success is that they were together since they were U9 or U10," said Clapson, who played in college and professionally.
Part of the training and skill development was in emphasizing the emotional and mental preparation necessary to make the transition. The speed of the game is much faster at the college level. The level of preparation before you even step on the field is considerable.
"What I tried to get across to players is that it is such a big commitment," he said. "If you want to be able to play in college, it's definitely a higher level than what they are used to, and this is a step they will have to take.
Success begets success. The success of Fremd and Saint Viator was not achieved in a bubble. Barrington and Schaumburg also achieved considerable success. Confidence is a state of mind.
Success also deepens the sense of engagement and direct involvement. With tangible results the dedication and hard work is put in greater context. The process is a succession of stages with clearly demarcated lines of success and satisfaction. "A common thought from parents and players is that college soccer is the end result they're looking for," Colicchia said.
"We're investing in the kids, in their growth and maturity, and we've produced that in these last two classes."
The players updated Clapson of their progress regularly through texts. Their success is a tribute to the organizational imperatives of the club. They still have the fire, Clapson said. "They're still playing, and they're enjoying it," he said.
Success is measured in many ways, not always in black and white or wins and losses. Celtic is not the be and end all. It is a staging ground. Other players from the group chose not to continue their soccer careers, but to give their full attention to their studies -- three are
at Iowa and another is at Notre Dame.
"The payoff for our program is to see players go through it and become better people at the end, whether they are playing in college or not," Colicchia said.
"The point is they have grown from being in the program and have become better people because of Celtic."
Focus on success beyond Palatine club part of its program
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE — The sacrifices, discipline and resources used to develop high-level soccer players is just the first part of the calculus.
All sports offer the promise of immediate rewards and long-term consequences. The soccer model is especially complex given the youth of the players as they are typically first exposed to the game and then the nearly infinite number of directions available.
"Players love to play, and they couldn't see themselves not playing anymore, and so they continue on in college," Palatine Celtic Soccer Club technical director Brian Colicchia said.
With the college men's and women's seasons in full bloom, now is the time to take stock. At the Celtic, the institutional gratification and sense of accomplishment is profound to the point of the giddy or the exultant.
The organization is celebrating its largest export of first-year players continuing their careers at colleges encompassing Division I, Division II and Division III and junior college.
In the class of 2015, 10 men and three women with Celtic roots are currently on college teams as freshmen. The number may expand. Fremd graduate Sarah Aftelak tried out for the side at the University of Birmingham in England and is awaiting to hear of her status.
This disparate and wide-ranging group is a testimony to the training and skills the players were exposed to at Celtic. On the men's side, the 10 players attended five different high schools.
Four players, who played big roles for Fremd's third place Class 3A team, are playing collegiately. Will LeFevre is at the highest level, playing at Division I Butler University in Indianapolis. Ben Poder is playing at at the Division III level at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. Kurt Rettke is at Harper College and Danny Burton is a first-year player at Heartland Community College in Normal.
Former Palatine players Alejandro Vidal and Tyler Curlyo are also in the mix at Heartland.
Two players matriculated to Webster University in St. Louis. Former Saint Viator star Zach Gyuricza, who helped his school to a fourth place state finish in the Class 2A state tournament, is the team's leading scorer. Stevenson graduate Filip Delija is also a contributor for the Gorloks.
Former Schaumburg star Phil Minneci is playing at the University of Dubuque. Former Barrington standout Austin Grzebieniak has scored 2 goals for 7-1-2 Knox College.
On the women's side, Fremd graduates Emily Rogers (DePauw University) and Reilly Seipka (Augustana College), and Glenbard East graduate Haley Lydon (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne) are gaining experience in the women's college game.
Additionally four other players from last year's high school class are playing college club soccer. Palatine's Kellie Reynolds and Emma Grochowski are at Illinois State. Fremd's Katie Zara is at Washington University in St. Louis and the Vikings' Caroline Freeman is at the University of Illinois.
It is a bonanza the soccer club is justifiably proud of.
"As a community-based soccer club, this is really special and solid, and speaks to the goals of the organization, which is about participation," Celtic club president Jennifer DeFranco said. "We're not trying to cut corners. We're not trying to privilege one player at the expense of the program.
"We want to give players the chance to learn and develop their skills and go out and play."
The Celtic 2015 class stood out from the start. The directors understood early on the need for a consistent foundation and a strong continuity. "I think one of the unique things about this class is that when they were U14, we identified them as a strong group of players, and we made sure we had our directors coaching them," Colicchia said.
"The team dynamic was one of the most important things for both of those groups."
Paul Clapson is the Celtic director of coaching for the travel squad. He inherited the boys group when they were 15-year olds. At an early age they pushed each other to excel. He recognized immediately a group that had developed excellent chemistry and revealed a great joy in playing together.
"A big part of their success is that they were together since they were U9 or U10," said Clapson, who played in college and professionally.
Part of the training and skill development was in emphasizing the emotional and mental preparation necessary to make the transition. The speed of the game is much faster at the college level. The level of preparation before you even step on the field is considerable.
"What I tried to get across to players is that it is such a big commitment," he said. "If you want to be able to play in college, it's definitely a higher level than what they are used to, and this is a step they will have to take.
Success begets success. The success of Fremd and Saint Viator was not achieved in a bubble. Barrington and Schaumburg also achieved considerable success. Confidence is a state of mind.
Success also deepens the sense of engagement and direct involvement. With tangible results the dedication and hard work is put in greater context. The process is a succession of stages with clearly demarcated lines of success and satisfaction. "A common thought from parents and players is that college soccer is the end result they're looking for," Colicchia said.
"We're investing in the kids, in their growth and maturity, and we've produced that in these last two classes."
The players updated Clapson of their progress regularly through texts. Their success is a tribute to the organizational imperatives of the club. They still have the fire, Clapson said. "They're still playing, and they're enjoying it," he said.
Success is measured in many ways, not always in black and white or wins and losses. Celtic is not the be and end all. It is a staging ground. Other players from the group chose not to continue their soccer careers, but to give their full attention to their studies -- three are
at Iowa and another is at Notre Dame.
"The payoff for our program is to see players go through it and become better people at the end, whether they are playing in college or not," Colicchia said.
"The point is they have grown from being in the program and have become better people because of Celtic."