PCYS to Hold Select Soccer Tryouts
By Joel Murillo
Portage County Youth Soccer is holding tryouts for its Select teams on June 19.
League officials say registration begins at 5:30 PM at the soccer complex, located at 701 Badger Avenue. Player evaluations begin at 6:30 PM.
Prospective players for the advanced competition league will be called back later this month for additional competition and placement into age groups. Boys are grouped into U12 (under age 12), U14, and U17 teams, while girls play for U14 and U18 teams.
The Select teams typically practice twice weekly throughout the year, with games played during weekends. League President Sarah Ceballos said both players and parents commit a lot time traveling to statewide games and tournaments, and older players could even travel outside of Wisconsin.
Players are expected to be well-rounded, and are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 as well as involvement in some type of community service.
Select League coaches say their players are among the best in Wisconsin, with many teams placing in the top 15 in the state.
“Everybody works hard,” said Austin Schulze, who plays for the U16 Central Football Club Respect team. “There’s no slackers.”
He also said players in the Select League strive for constant improvement, with many of the athletes planning to be involved in the sport beyond high school.
PCYS President Sarah Ceballos says she believes that the Select program improves participants both as players and community members.
“Select (soccer league) in a nutshell is for the athlete looking to take their game to the next level,” Ceballos said. “Will they be better individuals? I go to bed at night and ultimately know that to be true.”
For more information on PCYS, visit www.pcys.net.