Hawaii Preparatory Academy has had four students selected by the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) to represent the Hawaii Olympic Development Program (ODP) on girls and boys state teams and compete in the Region IV ODP Championships from Jan. 7-10 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Hawaii Preparatory Academy has had four students selected by the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) to represent the Hawaii Olympic Development Program (ODP) on girls and boys state teams and compete in the Region IV ODP Championships from Jan. 7-10 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The students are Hawaii Prep eighth grader Jenna Perry, and ninth graders Emi Higgins, Jake Schneider and Toby Balaam.
“It has been a staple at the school for years,” Hawaii Prep athletic director Steve Perry said of the soccer culture at the school. “The two boys and two girls in ODP have been working hard through their clubs and they are skilled players. Every year we have a couple to go and that’s a tribute to the clubs and also the high school.”
The tournament brings together the best soccer players from Region IV’s 13 states, attracting the attention of regional and national team coaches, in addition to more than 100 collegiate coaches scouting for their respective soccer programs.
The Olympic Development Program is a national program designed to identify talented youth athletes, and provide the training grounds leading onto the National and Olympic teams. ODP also provides the student athlete with opportunities for exposure to, and preparations for collegiate soccer programs.