Will Sawyer is a student at Norfolk Collegiate in the 11th grade. Over the past 13 years, he has developed a passion for soccer.

What drew you to your sport?

I was introduced to the game by my parents and began playing soccer when I was three years old. I have just loved playing the game since then and never considered quitting to pursue another sport.

What do you love about your sport?

The main reason I love soccer is because the game is much more reliant upon the decision-making of the players than many other sports. Soccer depends entirely on the players and their decisions on the pitch. Dissimilar to sports such as basketball or football, soccer doesn’t have timeouts where we can discuss certain plays. Instead, players have to be more cognizant of what’s around them on the pitch and make an informed decision for themselves. There aren’t any playbooks for soccer, and once you walk onto the pitch, you become dependent upon your own skills and decisions, but also on your teammates. Since there aren’t any timeouts in soccer where the coach can walk players through a situation during a game, communication between teammates is imperative for success. I think this leaves players with a strong sense of community and family as a team which is part of what I love about the game of soccer. Also, while I’m on the pitch I’m only focused on playing soccer, and I don’t have to worry about schoolwork or any additional stress.

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams? 

My goal as a soccer player is to become successful at my position and to hone my skills to be the best soccer player I can be at that position. I play as an outside back or a center midfielder, and I try to be as informed as possible about those positions so that I can positively contribute to my team. I would love to play soccer at college as well, but as of now I’m more focused on high school and club soccer, and I hope that our team does well, and I’m determined to help us be the best team we can be this fall.

What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge? 

I think that the thinking aspect of soccer can be very difficult because players can’t just memorize a playbook. Instead, soccer players have to read the pitch around them and decide how to position themselves to best help their team and to score or defend.

What was the best advice you were ever given (sport or personal)? 

Some of the best advice I have heard as a soccer player was from my former soccer coach, Coach Brandon Ricker, who coached me for a while on a club soccer team and for Norfolk Collegiate when I was a freshman. He told our team the only true way we can lose is by giving up and refusing to try any longer. If we lose games, we can always learn from our mistakes and develop as a team to become more informed soccer players. However, if we just put our heads down and refuse to try any longer, we have lost as soccer players. We should hold our heads high no matter the outcome of a game and continue to encourage each other. By doing so we created a culture in which we were supportive of one another.

Do you have a saying or motto that you like to live by?

I try to remember to persevere despite the adversity and obstacles that stand in your way and to being open to learn from your mishaps because that’s what defines us as human.

Do you work outside of school? 

I help my aunt on her food truck, Smoked Biscuit. We serve food at different breweries around Hampton Roads.

What do you like to do outside of your sport? 

I enjoy wakeboarding on the Lafayette River.

How would you describe your personality? 

I would describe my personality as conscientious, driven, focused, motivated and friendly. I tend to put high expectations upon myself.

What is your favorite snack? 

My favorite snack is chips and salsa.

What is your favorite song or music artist to get you ready for a game? 

I don’t have a certain artist or song that I listen to in order to prepare or get into the mindset for a game; however, since I’m often traveling for games, I tend to listen to what is on the radio before a game and that can put me into a more competitive mindset.

Do you have a pre-game ritual you follow? 

I don’t have a pre-game ritual that I follow per se, but as a team we always stretch together and then warm-up before each game to ensure that we are healthy and ready to play.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it. 

Mistakes, as in many facets of life, can be found often on the soccer pitch, and I have made more mistakes than I can remember. However, I think that I wouldn’t be the player I am now without them because of all that I have learned from those mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes I made as a soccer player was refusing to be aggressive when I was younger and not putting forth all of my heart and effort into each game. Although I didn’t know that I wasn’t putting forth my all to begin with, I noticed how I was behind other players on my team and those whom I was playing with. I learned from those games to put forth my all into not only all of my soccer practices and games, but also into all that I do, including school and work.

How has the past year with COVID regulations changed how you approach your game, if any? 

Although I continued to play soccer throughout the pandemic, albeit virtually for a short while, I think COVID opened my eyes to how much of my life is dedicated to soccer on a daily basis. I played much less soccer during the early pandemic and therefore I found myself with an abundance of time that I would have otherwise spent playing soccer. I missed playing school soccer last fall and I think that’s when I realized just how much soccer means to me. Soccer provides structure for my life and is there for me to lean back on when my workload is heavy, or I have too much stress. I enjoy the game a lot and am grateful that we rescheduled, and I could play last winter for the Norfolk Collegiate team.

What advice would you have for someone looking to play your sport?

I would tell them to just enjoy playing the game and to not only practice their own skills on the pitch, but to watch professional games to learn about their position and to expand their knowledge. Soccer is just as much a game about knowledge and decision-making as a game about skills.

You attend Norfolk Collegiate where your father also attended. What does it mean to you to attend the same school?

I’m honored to attend Norfolk Collegiate, and I love going to school here. I think that the blue and white of Norfolk Collegiate definitely runs in my family. My grandmother taught at this school and both my father and uncle attended Norfolk Collegiate, and I’m proud to follow in their footsteps.

What’s next for you? 

After high school I would love to have the opportunity to play at college; however, right now I’m just focusing on helping the Norfolk Collegiate team out this fall as well as developing my skills as a player on a club team.

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