Coaches' association
set to honor Illinois' best
By Ken Keenan
When the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association 2015 Girls Honors Banquet gets underway at 6 p.m. Thursday (June 11), hundreds of players, coaches, administrators and the like will be joined by family members for an evening of camaraderie, memories and a slew of awards.
Smiling faces, clapping hands and expressions of prideful joy will
fill the room at the Diplomat West Banquet Hall in Elmhurst as the IHSSCA honors its all-state and all-sectional players, and presents awards in categories including Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.
What won't be visible to the naked eye is the blood and the mud, the sweat and the sacrifice, and the effort and exhaustion that goes into being the best of the best. After all, members of the soccer community have more on their respective plates than merely taking the field.
"It is always an honor to be recognized by your peers, as well as from other coaches," said IHSSCA President Brian Papa. "It's a result of all the hard work and dedication by both the players and the coaches that has not gone unnoticed. For the student-athlete, to be able to practice or play five to six times per week, and to keep their grades and social life in check, is just another reason why they are special people.
"There are a lot of sacrifices that these athletes had to endure, with this being the spring season -- from the weather, to all the social distractions that are not there during the fall or winter. These things all weigh into how much dedication these athletes have."
Awards aside, the honorees -- and their comrades in action --
represent the type of individuals who bring valuable life lessons into the world beyond high school, in part as a result of their commitment to excellence on the pitch.
"Self-discipline, leadership qualities -- those are (ingrained) in
most of these young athletes," Papa said. "The traits they learned
while playing in a team sport will help them later in life, whether in
the (college) classroom, competing for a job or just working with
others.
"These experiences will never be forgotten, no matter if they were on a winning team or a team that struggled. The friendships they made will always be there. That bond is what makes them team players."
And worthy recipients of a special night in their honor.
set to honor Illinois' best
By Ken Keenan
When the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association 2015 Girls Honors Banquet gets underway at 6 p.m. Thursday (June 11), hundreds of players, coaches, administrators and the like will be joined by family members for an evening of camaraderie, memories and a slew of awards.
Smiling faces, clapping hands and expressions of prideful joy will
fill the room at the Diplomat West Banquet Hall in Elmhurst as the IHSSCA honors its all-state and all-sectional players, and presents awards in categories including Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.
What won't be visible to the naked eye is the blood and the mud, the sweat and the sacrifice, and the effort and exhaustion that goes into being the best of the best. After all, members of the soccer community have more on their respective plates than merely taking the field.
"It is always an honor to be recognized by your peers, as well as from other coaches," said IHSSCA President Brian Papa. "It's a result of all the hard work and dedication by both the players and the coaches that has not gone unnoticed. For the student-athlete, to be able to practice or play five to six times per week, and to keep their grades and social life in check, is just another reason why they are special people.
"There are a lot of sacrifices that these athletes had to endure, with this being the spring season -- from the weather, to all the social distractions that are not there during the fall or winter. These things all weigh into how much dedication these athletes have."
Awards aside, the honorees -- and their comrades in action --
represent the type of individuals who bring valuable life lessons into the world beyond high school, in part as a result of their commitment to excellence on the pitch.
"Self-discipline, leadership qualities -- those are (ingrained) in
most of these young athletes," Papa said. "The traits they learned
while playing in a team sport will help them later in life, whether in
the (college) classroom, competing for a job or just working with
others.
"These experiences will never be forgotten, no matter if they were on a winning team or a team that struggled. The friendships they made will always be there. That bond is what makes them team players."
And worthy recipients of a special night in their honor.