By Doris Faltys
Seattle Sounders Football Club (FC) held tryouts for their 2013-2014 Youth Academy season in early July. Fourteen-year-old Alec Zimmerman, an eighth grader at Griffin School, was accepted into their U-14 league. This program runs September through June and holds practice Monday –Thursday at the Starfire Sports center in Tukwila, the facility where the Seattle Sounders FC trains as well. Zimmerman says, “It is exciting, because sometimes the Sounders are practicing on a field close to where my team is practicing.”
The Academy is training Zimmerman to play on the U-16 team as well. He practices two days per week with the U-14 team and two days with the U-16 team. Regarding a question about staying on top of school work demands, Zimmerman responds, “I do my homework in the car.” Saturdays or Sundays they have a game or a scrimmage.
“We play against friendly teams and other academy teams like SC Portland and LA Galaxy. We will play over 40 games in 10 months,” explains offensive center mid player when asked about the competition. Zimmerman adds, “At one of the first games, coach told me to go out for the coin toss, so I knew I was team captain.”
“With the older group, the play is quicker, and faster. I expect that some of the more important games I will play with the U-14,” he adds when explaining the difference between U-14 and U-16 teams.
“The most fun,” Zimmerman continues, “is how intense and how inspiring it is being at the Sounders’ Field, and how serious everyone takes it. All the team is very serious. Practice is more serious. Coaches demand us to play harder and try harder.” The hardest part, Zimmerman adds, is “the commitment, the long car ride, the time it all takes.”
According to Zimmerman this soccer program is more intense, sharper, faster, and better than any of his previous programs. “There is a guy, Jim Madrid, who talks to us about how mental toughness can positively affect how you play and how much control your mind has on your body. He explained to the team about the importance of not letting emotions hurt you in the game. We should try to have our emotions have a positive impact.”
The teams are taking part in a training program presented by Madrid and Advance Sports Technology Inc., Entelechy Training & Development, LLC. Each player has been given a copy of 7 Fundamentals of Mental Toughness, Player’s Journal & Training Log, written by authors Jim Madrid and Joyce Quick, M.A., M.S.W.
Zimmerman tells about a demonstration. “Madrid had me come up front. He said negative things to me about me, and then had me hold my arm out and try to resist him pushing it down. I did not have much strength. Then he said positive things to me and my strength improved.”
Zimmerman’s personal motivation doesn’t stem from any particular player or life experience. “I don’t really have any one person as an inspiration. I just have a vision for myself, where I want to be.” His earliest soccer memory is playing on the Purple Dragon team. “I had a hair thing,” he says, “I dyed my hair red and blue for the games. I was three or four years old.”
The grounded middle school student still plays soccer on Sundays, when he doesn’t have a scheduled game. He heads over to the Evergreen State College Soccer Pavilion and gets in a little more practice with his dad.
In answer to the question, “If anyone in the world could come to your game and watch, who would you want there?” Zimmerman responds, “As far as who I would want to watch the game, I would want one of my brothers to be there.”
