Some athletes are dedicated to their sport, and some athletes are really dedicated to their sport. Anthony Robinson, 17, falls into that second category. He loves soccer so much, he drives to Santa Barbara twice a week for practice and down to Los Angeles—or, if he’s lucky, Santa Barbara again—for games.
“That’s where the best competition is, and the most college scouts,” he said.
That’s a lot of driving just to play soccer, but Robinson says it’s worth it. He plays for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club, and he’s hoping that the coaching and practice he gets with that team will help him get a college scholarship.
But that’s not all. Robinson is covering his bases by playing for the Righetti varsity soccer team as well. In fact, he said he thinks he’s more likely to get noticed by a college scout playing for Righetti, especially if they make the CIF finals.
Robinson is a forward, and he’s been playing soccer since he was 5 years old. He tried tee-ball once, but didn’t like it.
So he stuck with soccer, and he’s glad he did. Robinson describes himself as a team player on the field, someone who’s going to pass to his teammates with no hesitation if they have the best shot on goal. That’s the best way to play the game, he said. Hopefully he’ll get to keep playing after graduation.
His dream schools include UCSB, U.C. San Diego, and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. This California boy said that there’s no reason to leave the state to play soccer.
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 4, 2008.