MEET OUR ALUMNI!!!
Each month we will highlight one of our Awesome BTP Alumni. Whether they are currently in college or have graduated, we will learn more about them, why they choose to be a keeper and how the Academy has helped them along the way.
This Month we are Highlighting Leslie Adams!
Name: Leslie Adams
Age: 20
Hometown: – Collegeville, PA
College Attending: – Siena College, Albany NY
How long have you been a member of the Academy? – 5 years
How long have you been a keeper? – 10 years
What do you love about being a keeper? – What I love about being a keeper is the ability to control the pace or flow of the game. I also love being able to see the entire field, this gives me the opportunity to direct my teammates in the right direction or give pointers on what I see that could be improved upon..
What’s the highlight of your career? – The highlight of my career so far was signing to a division 1 school. It was my dream to play at the top college level..
Favorite Soccer Team? – My favorite soccer team by far is the USWNT they are killing it right now
Favorite Soccer Player? – Hope Solo
What did you enjoy most about attending the Academy? – What I enjoyed most about attending the academy was all of the relationships I have made throughout the years. The light-hearted atmosphere of friends coupled with high intensity training allowed for a positive experience every time.
How do you feel the Academy helped prepare you to play in college? – The academy has taught me a lot, but the one thing that stands out the most is practice management. Practice management is the ability to treat every practice with the same level of intensity and effort as the one prior. With the short amount of time we had to train together it was crucial to make every second count. I still believe to this day that this mindset is what set me apart from most goalkeepers when it came to recruitment.
What would you say to keepers who were thinking of joining the Academy? – I would say to keepers who are thinking of joining the academy to just do it. You never know until you try. The academy is a place to develop, maintain, and master the skills of a goalkeeper. I would also note to keep an open mind. Not all coaching styles are the same, meaning the way you learned a skill beforehand may be modified to look a little different by an academy coach. THAT IS OKAY! This is why it is important to keep an open mind, and hey, maybe the technique you just learned worked 1000 times better than the old way did!
Do you want to keep playing or coaching after college, or both? – I would love to potentially further my career after college and maybe even pass down my knowledge to younger kids and coach. I definitely don’t think my love for soccer will die once I graduate, there are so many opportunities after college that my knowledge and skills could take me.
#BTPProud
