As we head into another spring sports season, and many high school athletes are heading to practice, it can be easy to overlook some of the opportunities these athletes get regarding spring sports. For years Garden Plain and Andale have cooperated for sports such as baseball, softball, and golf. This allows student-athletes to have more choices when deciding what to do with their time outside of school. Recently Garden Plain has not only been cooperating with Andale, but also The Independent School of Wichita for soccer.
Sydney Puetz, who is a former student of GPHS, started the conversation about adding soccer to one of the many sports Garden Plain offers. Growing up Sydney mentioned that she played club soccer, and her coaches introduced the idea of playing high school soccer. Her coaches would say, “You should play high school soccer because it’s going to help you be a better player.” She had thought about it during middle school, but then freshman year she realized that it was something she really wanted to move forward with. Puetz said, “Going into high school, I realized how much I missed it and missed playing.” One of the first things she did was talk to her club coaches about it. Her coaches helped reach out to schools asking about cooperating for soccer. Although this seems easy, many schools said no. Finally they encountered The Independent School, and this was an amazing choice because like Garden Plain, Independent is a small school. Since both schools are smaller this wouldn’t affect what class system the soccer team plays in. After finding a school, Puetz took the idea to the athletic director of GPHS. Then they contacted Independent and when both schools agreed they went on to the next step.
Today Sydney is playing as a midfielder/defender for Johnson County Community College. Puetz has assisted the team in winning multiple titles that can be checked out at the Official Site of Johnson County Community College Athletics. Not only did she help win titles, but Puetz also scored the second goal against Anne Arundel, advancing the team to the National Semifinals at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. Link: Learn more about Puetz and her time at JCCC.
Cooperating with another school for a sport has its pros and cons. One of the current players on the soccer team, Jaicey Stuhlsatz said, “One of the hardest things is not knowing how their practices work.” Joining another team for a sport can be difficult for the new players, especially if they are from a different school. This can also be difficult for the coaches.
Head coach Robbie Utz said, “One of the most important aspects of coaching is to understand the individual so I can tailor how I coach to work with them and meet their goals.” Since Utz doesn’t get to see the players that attend GPHS outside of soccer, it can be more difficult to specialize how he coaches to fit the players. Utz also mentioned, “I only get to see the players for an hour or two a day. Rather than as an educator in the halls, before school or during assemblies and in the classroom.” Although it can be hard for the players and the coach, it can also be fun.
Stuhlsatz and Puetz both said that one of their favorite parts was meeting the new people. Cooperating with another school can bring fun new opportunities and experiences for student-athletes, as well as the coaches.
