New Sport at Clarke
This is the first year for soccer at Clarke High School and the first year coaching for Ms. Reicks. When I asked about how she will make the first year of soccer successful she stated, “By working with Mr. Johnson to meet requirements from the state and meeting with parents to plan events that are good for the community and beneficial to the students.” One major reason Coach Reicks organized a soccer team is due to the lack of physical activity some students were having and their high interest in soccer. Coach Reicks foresees the soccer team playing for many years to come and hopes they will become competitive athletes. She mentioned, “I think my team will be very competitive because we haven't had a team in the past so people are very anxious about playing and I have a lot of players that are competitive and have a lot of skill.” Coach Reicks has established a policy for players who miss practice to do school work and plans on being flexible as long as they let her know in advance. In contrast if a player does not abide by the policy then they will have to come to practice, but not participate as a punishment.
In regards to soccer games Coach Reicks has spoken with Albia, Centerville, Knoxville, and Chariton schools. She is hoping to get matches for the team so they can work on their teamwork as they are still not capable of doing so without having had any games. As a coach she has been doing her best to create a roster of games, since many of the players are not taking scrimmages as serious as they would a game. Although for games the way she motives her team is by telling them: “. . . I know it's frustrating that we aren't a team yet, but we are building something for the future, we are building a team for their little brothers and sisters.” Coach Reicks is very determined to establish soccer as a sport at Clarke High School and create a team worthy of sportsmanship for years to come.
