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Sports

Switching Sports: From Soccer To Crew, Golf And Skiing.

This week, Patch's fitness columnist, Andrea Metzker, interviews three young women who spent many years playing competitive soccer and are now thriving in new sports: golf, crew and skiing.

Last week I talked about the benefits of sport sampling for general happiness and skills that enable people to do a lot of different sports and physical activities throughout their lives. This week I interviewed three local competitive athletes who all switched sports in high school or later. All three were competitive soccer players on club teams, middle school and high school and have experienced a lot of success in their new sports: Reilly Hayes (16) crew; Jamie Gracie (16) golf and Jocelyn Reist (20) skiing.

Patch: How long did you play soccer? Did you play club/ middle school/ high school? What made you stop? Do you miss it? Was it hard to quit?

Reilly Hayes:  I played AYSO soccer from 5 years old through sixth grade and started club in seventh grade and played two years at Poly High School.

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 It was too much of a time commitment when I could see that I wasn’t going to do anything else with it. When I started crew, I realized that it suited my personality better.

I missed my friends but not the sport.

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Jamie Gracie: I played soccer since I was five and played club soccer from sixth grade to ninth grade and played one year for Poly High School.

It was kind of hard to quit but the biggest factor (that I missed about it) was my friends on the team.

Jocelyn Reist:  I played from 7 years old, played club and all four years at Poly.

Team sports can get political and there is some anxiety and a big time commitment. I was pretty burned out by the end of high school, but once I had a break, I started to miss it and played intramurals when I first went to college (at UC Berkeley) and practiced with a club my second semester but it was too time consuming.

When did you start the sport you are competing in now? Did playing soccer help your skills in the other sport?

RH: I started rowing the summer before ninth grade but only once or twice per week. In the spring of ninth grade, I started the full program.

Absolutely, I think the sport mentality knowing that you are going to push more for your team than just yourself. Also you use your legs a lot so the strength helps.

JG: My dad took me to the range when I was 4 but I hated it. Then in sixth or seventh grade I participated in Long Beach Golf Little League and played in a tournament where they rank you by tiers A, B, C and D. For some reason, I blew the tryout so they put me as D (with three other players filling the higher A, B and C slots) but then we ended up winning a lot because I think I really should have been put (into the A or B tiers.)

Yes, soccer helped my golf because leg strength is important. I think that is my advantage, using leg strength to hit it far.

JR:  My dad is an avid ski and snowboarder. I started skiing at 6 or 7 and snowboarding at 9.

(Jocelyn has done both sports since early childhood but just started competing in skiing)

Do you find that most of your teammates played a lot earlier? Do you wish you had started earlier or if you could do it all again would you do it the same way?

RH: Most of my teammates started when I did so I feel like I started pretty much the right time. I was a little behind but I caught up.

Yes, I would (start at the same age) it is really the intensity of the sport that starts in high school. You can do something else before (crew).

JG: Most people I know played since they were 8 so they have advanced up the stages which I need to do now but no (I wouldn’t have started earlier) because a lot of those kids hate it now and I am having a really good time. I think I would do it the same because almost all of my friends are from soccer.

Would you like to play in college?

RH:  Absolutely. I am planning on going to a college with a good rowing team, hopefully.

JG:  Yes.

Jocelyn is a college club skier.

What’s your favorite thing about your new sport? What is your least favorite thing about each?

RH:  It suits my personality and I realized I could go somewhere with it. I like rowing because you are doing things for time so with a little more effort you can get better right away and see the results. But what I don’t like is it hurts.  After a regatta, I have a hard time getting up and down stairs.

 As for soccer, I liked the constant communication and relying on teammates and actively participating and thinking about what you’re going to do next. It grew old because it was too much of a commitment for me when I wasn’t going to go anywhere with it.

JG: I liked soccer because it is a team sport and you focus on the team rather than yourself.

 I like golf because all of your choices are your own and you never face the exact same shot twice so you have to figure out what to do each time.

JR:  When I stopped playing soccer I missed the camaraderie and the competition. My first race day (in skiing) is something I will always remember. It was so much fun.

Patch: What is your biggest accomplishment (in crew, golf, skiing) so far and what are your goals for the future?

RH: My biggest accomplishment so far is winning the Freshman Eight last year at Southwest Regionals. I hope to win a national title in my varsity quad this year, and row Division I in college.

JG: Winning Moore League this year was my biggest accomplishment so far. I would like Poly to win (Moore League) as a team. It would be nice to win Moore League again (individually).

JR: My goal for snowboarding is to continue to push my comfort zone. My biggest accomplishment so far is just participating in the racing aspect of the team (because a lot of people don't). It's really scary to be up at the top of this huge, not to mention icy, hill. But it was such a rush of adrenaline and I was so proud of myself afterward that it was totally worth it.

Patch: How long do you think you will crew- golf-ski? Do you think you will play soccer in the future?

RH: Soccer is 100% gone. Rowing is something that I know I can do forever. I see people at the boathouse that still do it so I know I don’t have to give it up.

JG: Golf you can do your whole life. I am not ever going to play soccer competitively.

JR: Skiing and snowboarding is something that I will plan to do for a long time. I will not compete in soccer.

I asked all three about their summer plans.

Reilly Hayes will be coaching the Rocketfish swim team for her second year.

Jamie Gracie will be volunteering at Little Recreation Golf Course.

Jocelyn Reist has an internship at a Hollywood marketing company and plans to go diving in the Galapagos Islands.

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