New Trier's Weaver goes back-to-back
with Gatorade Ill. player of year award
By Michael Wojtychiw
To say this high school spring sports season was an unforgettable one would be an understatement.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everything came to a halt. Sports seasons were canceled, schools were forced to go to e-learning and entire states essentially shut down.
For high school athletes, it meant the inability to play the sport they loved. Seniors were denied their last chance to fight for conference, regional, sectional, supersectional and state championships.
For New Trier senior Emma Weaver, it also meant the inability to gather statistics in the hopes of becoming the second player to win back-to-back Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year recognitions.
Gatorade had a different idea, however.
“For 35 years, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has put a spotlight on some of the country’s best high school athletes and perhaps more importantly, best leaders," Gatorade senior vice president and general manager Brett O’Brien said in a statement to Chicagoland Soccer. "While many high schools across the country have cancelled or cut short their spring sports seasons in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re still planning to award spring sport athletes because we think it is important to recognize and celebrate these athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee evaluates candidates on the program’s three pillars: athletic excellence; academic achievement; and exemplary character. While in-season performance is usually a key factor, the committee will consider as many performance indicators as possible, including but not limited to off-season achievements with club teams, previous accomplishments, and the latest scout analysis and recruit rankings, to help determine spring sport winners. The vetting process for the other two program pillars – academics and character – will be the same as always.
“These athletes have worked hard for this level of achievement, and we do not think the cancellation of school sports should preclude the recognition they deserve. It is now more important than ever to celebrate spring sport athletes, and we look forward to recognizing those athletes over the next few months and naming the 2019-2020 Athletes of the Year this summer.”
On June 17, the organization named Weaver it’s girls soccer Player of the Year in Illinois. That allowed the Villanova-bound midfielder to join Barrington great Jenna Szczesny as Illinois' only two-time award recipient since Gatorade started handing out the award in 1981.
"I'm extremely honored and blessed," Weaver said. "I can't imagine. I can't picture me being the person to have done that (at New Trier), because I've played behind players like Bina (Saipi), Sydney (Parker), Kelly Maday, other legends. So for me to have that honor and achievement is just ...` I mean, speechless. I'm speechless."
Despite seeing her senior season canceled, Weaver has still continued to keep her soccer skills sharp.
While most of the training she’s been able to do is conditioning, there is something that’s helped her stay positive during this tough time: her work with children.
Last summer, Weaver started teaching lessons to young, local soccer players who were looking to start playing the game.
"I've been training younger girls, trying to give back to the younger generation because obviously I've looked up to the older people that have played before me at New Trier," she said. "It's a fun time for me also to be able to engage with them one-on-one or two-on-one, because it's more personable. They know me kind of as that Emma Weaver, but they don't really know me personally. So that's been really neat, and they find that to be so fun.
"I love playing with them, and it's really cool because they always say, 'Oh, I read about you in the newspaper.' And it's like, I'm an idol to them. For me, that was Kelly Maday, so it's like, wow! But that's what I've been trying to do recently, trying to give back to the younger generations, especially soccer players."
Imagine being a 7-10-year-old, whcih are the ages of the kids Weaver has been working with, and having one of the best players in New Trier and girls state soccer history giving you lessons on how to improve your game.
Stop by the fields next to the Skokie Playfields on Tuesdays and Thursdays and you’re bound to find Weaver working out with the little ones for up to six hours a day.
For Weaver, the activity reminds her of her own childhood, when she’d try to improve her game to be like her idols that played for the Trevians squad.
“It feels unreal. It does not feel real at all," said the humble Weaver, who can’t believe that she’s looked up to by the youth in her area. "I can't believe I'm that old, because it feels like I was a freshman two seconds ago. Me trying to give back to them and for them to know, within the time that you have at New Trier, cherish it and look up to all the coaches and all the seniors and your captains and people like that, because it does go by quickly and legends are not created overnight.
"Even if you make mistakes, just keep going. I'm super hard on myself. But after all, I was able to bump off the bruises I would create when I made a mistake or something. I would just say for little girls just follow your dreams."
When Weaver started giving lessons last year, it was to a relatively small number. That number got considerably bigger this year thanks to local residents spreading the word either verbally or on social media sites. Her mom also may have posted that she was offering lessons on the popular site Nextdoor.
The demand got so great, that she had to create a website and have people sign up for practice slots.
"I love little kids. I have always loved playing with them," she said. "So I knew that if I related it to soccer, they'd obviously have fun. Putting those two things together has been enjoyable for me, but I never really thought that would be kind of what I was doing right now. But it is where I am, especially with this pandemic. I kind of had to create something out of nothing. So that's kind of what I did."
The coronavirus has put a hold on college sports as well, so Weaver isn’t sure when she’ll be able to get in the field with her new Villanova teammates, including former rival and fellow Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater Makayla Stadler (Glenbrook South).
The Pennsylvania-born player is looking forward to getting back on the field. She is ready to try her skills on the NCAA pitch for the next four years.
"I'm looking forward to having a new group of girls, ideally just creating that bond of family that Villanova really represents and that I've seen at the camps and stuff" she said. "I'm really excited to be a part of that and take part and contribute to their success this year."
with Gatorade Ill. player of year award
By Michael Wojtychiw
To say this high school spring sports season was an unforgettable one would be an understatement.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everything came to a halt. Sports seasons were canceled, schools were forced to go to e-learning and entire states essentially shut down.
For high school athletes, it meant the inability to play the sport they loved. Seniors were denied their last chance to fight for conference, regional, sectional, supersectional and state championships.
For New Trier senior Emma Weaver, it also meant the inability to gather statistics in the hopes of becoming the second player to win back-to-back Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year recognitions.
Gatorade had a different idea, however.
“For 35 years, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has put a spotlight on some of the country’s best high school athletes and perhaps more importantly, best leaders," Gatorade senior vice president and general manager Brett O’Brien said in a statement to Chicagoland Soccer. "While many high schools across the country have cancelled or cut short their spring sports seasons in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re still planning to award spring sport athletes because we think it is important to recognize and celebrate these athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee evaluates candidates on the program’s three pillars: athletic excellence; academic achievement; and exemplary character. While in-season performance is usually a key factor, the committee will consider as many performance indicators as possible, including but not limited to off-season achievements with club teams, previous accomplishments, and the latest scout analysis and recruit rankings, to help determine spring sport winners. The vetting process for the other two program pillars – academics and character – will be the same as always.
“These athletes have worked hard for this level of achievement, and we do not think the cancellation of school sports should preclude the recognition they deserve. It is now more important than ever to celebrate spring sport athletes, and we look forward to recognizing those athletes over the next few months and naming the 2019-2020 Athletes of the Year this summer.”
On June 17, the organization named Weaver it’s girls soccer Player of the Year in Illinois. That allowed the Villanova-bound midfielder to join Barrington great Jenna Szczesny as Illinois' only two-time award recipient since Gatorade started handing out the award in 1981.
"I'm extremely honored and blessed," Weaver said. "I can't imagine. I can't picture me being the person to have done that (at New Trier), because I've played behind players like Bina (Saipi), Sydney (Parker), Kelly Maday, other legends. So for me to have that honor and achievement is just ...` I mean, speechless. I'm speechless."
Despite seeing her senior season canceled, Weaver has still continued to keep her soccer skills sharp.
While most of the training she’s been able to do is conditioning, there is something that’s helped her stay positive during this tough time: her work with children.
Last summer, Weaver started teaching lessons to young, local soccer players who were looking to start playing the game.
"I've been training younger girls, trying to give back to the younger generation because obviously I've looked up to the older people that have played before me at New Trier," she said. "It's a fun time for me also to be able to engage with them one-on-one or two-on-one, because it's more personable. They know me kind of as that Emma Weaver, but they don't really know me personally. So that's been really neat, and they find that to be so fun.
"I love playing with them, and it's really cool because they always say, 'Oh, I read about you in the newspaper.' And it's like, I'm an idol to them. For me, that was Kelly Maday, so it's like, wow! But that's what I've been trying to do recently, trying to give back to the younger generations, especially soccer players."
Imagine being a 7-10-year-old, whcih are the ages of the kids Weaver has been working with, and having one of the best players in New Trier and girls state soccer history giving you lessons on how to improve your game.
Stop by the fields next to the Skokie Playfields on Tuesdays and Thursdays and you’re bound to find Weaver working out with the little ones for up to six hours a day.
For Weaver, the activity reminds her of her own childhood, when she’d try to improve her game to be like her idols that played for the Trevians squad.
“It feels unreal. It does not feel real at all," said the humble Weaver, who can’t believe that she’s looked up to by the youth in her area. "I can't believe I'm that old, because it feels like I was a freshman two seconds ago. Me trying to give back to them and for them to know, within the time that you have at New Trier, cherish it and look up to all the coaches and all the seniors and your captains and people like that, because it does go by quickly and legends are not created overnight.
"Even if you make mistakes, just keep going. I'm super hard on myself. But after all, I was able to bump off the bruises I would create when I made a mistake or something. I would just say for little girls just follow your dreams."
When Weaver started giving lessons last year, it was to a relatively small number. That number got considerably bigger this year thanks to local residents spreading the word either verbally or on social media sites. Her mom also may have posted that she was offering lessons on the popular site Nextdoor.
The demand got so great, that she had to create a website and have people sign up for practice slots.
"I love little kids. I have always loved playing with them," she said. "So I knew that if I related it to soccer, they'd obviously have fun. Putting those two things together has been enjoyable for me, but I never really thought that would be kind of what I was doing right now. But it is where I am, especially with this pandemic. I kind of had to create something out of nothing. So that's kind of what I did."
The coronavirus has put a hold on college sports as well, so Weaver isn’t sure when she’ll be able to get in the field with her new Villanova teammates, including former rival and fellow Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater Makayla Stadler (Glenbrook South).
The Pennsylvania-born player is looking forward to getting back on the field. She is ready to try her skills on the NCAA pitch for the next four years.
"I'm looking forward to having a new group of girls, ideally just creating that bond of family that Villanova really represents and that I've seen at the camps and stuff" she said. "I'm really excited to be a part of that and take part and contribute to their success this year."