Winter’s low temperatures and snow covered fields made it less than ideal for soccer players.
“You can’t really play in the winter,” Nick Gitto, senior, said.
Undeterred by the inclement weather, a handful of dedicated soccer players have found a way to keep the game going. The “Skeezers” are an indoor soccer team started by THS players.
“It was me, David Wang and Nick Gitto, and we started it since we’re the older people on our team,” Michael Hidalgo, senior, said.
Gitto explained how indoor soccer is different than outside.
“It’s smaller sized with only 5 players on the field per team, and the court and goals are smaller,” Gitto said. “It’s faster paced because it’s in a lot smaller environment.”
Despite being faster, Hidalgo said that the game is a lot more relaxed.
“The rules don’t apply as much to indoor as they do to outdoor,” Hidalgo said.
John Copeland, junior, explained how the indoor courts affect the rules of the game.
“You can’t be as physical. You can’t slide tackle because the turf is like a thicker carpet, and if you slide on it or go on the ground it will cut you up,” Copeland said.
Even with that added danger, Copeland said that a lot of players don’t use as much protection as they should.
“Most people don’t wear shin guards,” Copeland said.
The players themselves started the team; they haven’t had the advantage of working with a professional coach.
“The older guys are usually the ones who tell everyone what to do,” Hidalgo said.
Because they’re not an official high school team, the Skeezers play against community teams, rather than other high schools.
“They’re adults with a couple of high school students mixed in,” Copeland said.
Even though he is not able to play in the winter, Copeland is glad that the Skeezers are there to provide him with his favorite game.
“I don’t know what I would do without it,” Copeland said.