Reckas continues to beat the cuts at tyrouts
Alexandria Reckas did not score a single goal at a pair of
tryouts last month for the Olympic Development Program’s District
II team, but she certainly found ways to stand out.
Up against 159 other girls
– all of whom were vying for just one of the 70 spots on the
Northern California state pool team, all of whom had trained
countless hours just to be there – Reckas called upon a pair of
moves that are about as popular in the soccer community for their
skill and difficulty as they are for the pla
yers they’re named after.
Reckas continues to beat the cuts at tyrouts
Alexandria Reckas did not score a single goal at a pair of tryouts last month for the Olympic Development Program’s District II team, but she certainly found ways to stand out.
Up against 159 other girls – all of whom were vying for just one of the 70 spots on the Northern California state pool team, all of whom had trained countless hours just to be there – Reckas called upon a pair of moves that are about as popular in the soccer community for their skill and difficulty as they are for the players they’re named after.
During her first play-date on Sept. 14, the 12-year-old Reckas showed off the “Maradona” when confronted by an oncoming defender – a two-touch, 360-degree spin move named after Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona that leaves defenders in the dust.
Reckas succeeded.
Another stopper quickly approached, though, and Reckas unleashed the “Pele,” where she passed around the defender then retrieved her own ball, once again burning the opposition.
As the third defender approached, and as her ball-handling skills quickly stood out, Reckas showed off a move of her own and blasted a cross pass that led to a goal for her District II team.
She may not have scored, but when calling upon the moves from two of the greatest soccer players in history, you tend to stand out.
“I was actually very nervous, but I felt that if I showed well I’d have a chance,” said Reckas, a seventh-grader at Sacred Heart Parish School in Hollister. “I did my best and I guess it worked out for me.”
Reckas was named, out of 160 girls, to the ODP’s Northern California state pool team recently. It’s the third cut the soccer standout has survived, and it pushes her one step closer to the suddenly attainable ODP regional team – the end-all, be-all for Reckas’ 12-year-old age group.
“There is a drive to keep it going and work harder and harder,” Reckas said. “To get this far, I don’t think I should stop. I do want to make the Olympic team.”
ODP develops soccer talent by identifying the top players on a state level through a series of tryouts where players are selected based on technique, tactics, ability and attitude. Players are recognized on a yearly basis, and continually groomed for the improved success of the U.S. National Team.
Reckas began the program back in June, and after surviving a cut from 100 to 32, then 32 down to 20, she found herself as a member of the 20-player strong District II team, the first female from the San Benito Youth Soccer League to ever reach that level.
It was on this District II team where Reckas was able to show off her skills against teams from seven other districts in Northern California.
“I’ve met new people, new friends, and with the support of my family, I’ve actually enjoyed it,” Reckas said. “I mean, I was expecting to enjoy it, but I thought it was going to be harder than it was.”
Now a member of the 70-person state pool team, Reckas will have four more tryouts in December – two in Morgan Hill and two in Ripon – before team evaluators make another cut to 40, a team that would travel to Colorado and then Oregon before a 13-state regional team is selected.
But cut after cut after cut, and Reckas continues to survive.
“I think because, well, I showed I could do certain things; I knew my position, I talked out there, I could do my runs, and I sort of acted like a leader out there,” said Reckas, a striker, as to why she stands out on the pitch. “I think it is a big accomplishment. I am surprised, in a way. State. That’s big.”
Art Welch, a two-time national soccer player from Jamaica and a former member of the San Jose Earthquakes – “The good ‘ole days,” he said – has been training Reckas since earlier this year. A Hollister resident, Welch wasn’t taken aback by Reckas’ state success.
“It’s her speed and her willingness to try new things, to stick her neck out on a limb and go for broke, but she has all the basic skills,” Welch said. “She’s not timid … She’s a hard worker. She gets her teeth into things and she just goes.
“She’s pretty determined once she’s decides to do things. You’ll go a long way with qualities like that.”
Second guessing yourself is certainly not a quality soccer players tend to have, want to have, especially when executing the “Maradona” spin move in a game. It’s only second nature, however, to sneak a peek at a state evaluator on the sidelines, with clipboard at the ready, after each “Pele,” each assist, each defender you burn.
Reckas’ father, Ted, said the two play-date tryouts at the district level, where state evaluators trimmed 160 girls down to 70, was about as crazy as one would expect.
“The experience of playing with these girls, though, has been huge,” said Ted, who also coaches his daughter on the Hollister United U13 Class I girls team. “Her game play has taken to another level, just by the experience.
“It’s very hectic because she still trains four days a week, she’s still playing with PAC United (out of San Jose), and she competes on the Hollister United U13 girls team. It’s been very hectic for her, but she’s very humble. She’s having a blast.”
Now, play-dates on Dec. 6 and 7 in Morgan Hill, and Dec. 13 and 14 in Ripon, will lead to another cut – from 70 to 40. But at this point, each level Reckas reaches is a first for Hollister.
“Some of the stuff I did, I would look over (at the state evaluators),” Reckas said. “When I did screw up, I would think, ‘Let’s try this again.’ I would think it’s a mistake and everyone makes mistakes. Let’s just keep on going.”
