9/13/10 — As summer fades away and fall begins, so does soccer season for most American high schools. The soccer team of Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest, or, as it is more widely known, the Norsemen soccer team, has been preparing to enter the season with a solid squad.
From August 22 to August 25, Coach Grey, the coach of the Norsemen varsity soccer team, held tryouts to select players for the varsity team, junior varsity team, and freshmen team. The tryouts consisted of multiple miniature soccer games and various fitness tests, such as the two-mile run, one-mile run, and beep test. Daniel Endo, a junior who had played for the varsity team the previous year, proved to be the fastest player, finishing the one-mile run in less than six minutes.
“I knew that Coach Grey considered fitness with paramount importance in soccer,” Endo said when he was asked how he was able to become such a fit player, “so I built up my endurance during the summer by running everyday.”
By August 25, all the players who would be playing as members of the Norsemen soccer squad had been selected, while some had to walk home after being rejected.
Coach Grey, when asked about how he felt about cutting players, replied, “It’s the worst part of my job, but hey, somebody has to do it, and that somebody unfortunately is me. If it were possible, I would like to let everyone play for the squad. But I have to make decisions that will benefit the team as a whole.”
Training started as soon as the tryouts were over. Norsemen soccer players have been practicing everyday, starting at 8:00 in the morning and ending at about 10:30. Practice included shooting drills, endurance-building exercises, comprehension of the four-back defense formation, and more.
Coach Kenny, the coach of the junior varsity Norsemen soccer team, said he looks forward to this year.
“I think we have a pretty good team this fall. I think we will have a solid season.”
