Soccer is a daunting sport that few can find success in as it takes both stamina and speed in order to keep up with the game. One athlete who has gained praise from former Boys Soccer Coach Zachary Baroni is senior Tyler Ross.

Tyler’s introduction to the sport is similar to that of many other soccer players. His parents signed him up for the American Youth Soccer Organization when he was 6 years old and he has played soccer ever since. Tyler later developed an interest in playing on the high school soccer team during his visits to his sister’s soccer games.

Tyler’s early start in soccer allowed him to make the Arcadia High School (AHS) Boys Varsity Soccer team his freshman year. However, he had played football during the first semester, and that made it difficult to integrate into the team since he had missed soccer in the preseason. During this time, his teammates had already practiced and bonded with each other as a team.

“I had to make up for the time lost when all of my teammates were already practicing,” said Tyler.

Eventually, with hard work and dedication, the coach noticed Tyler and he was able to earn a starting spot for the rest of the season.

Even though Tyler dedicates a lot of his time to soccer practice, he is still able to balance both the sport and his schoolwork by using good time management. To help with time management, Tyler writes down his assignments in an agenda so that he is able to properly manage his schedule based on how much work he has. He also manages his time efficiently by getting his work done either before games or after the game.

“If I don’t have good time management, I have to prepare for a long night ahead of me,” said Tyler.

The most important thing to Tyler is that he helps fulfill his role on the team to the best of his ability. No matter whether he is a player who only gets in during practice, ends up sitting on the bench, or starting a game, Tyler tries his best. One goal he wants to achieve this year is to sweep the team’s rival, Crescenta Valley High School, and win the entire league.

Tyler is proof that even if you don’t make it at first, success can still be found if you work hard!

Photo courtesy of Tyler Ross