John Thomas "JT" Gard '23 Recruiting Profile

"What kind of person is JT Gard and how is he going to contribute to my winning team?" These are legitimate questions coach, please read on!  At the age of 3, I started playing soccer. I have had the opportunity to have a consistent coaching influence and mentor in my life with Coach Sterling Smith since the age of 5.   Coach Smith and my parents have similar values and have introduced me to many things that make me who I am today. Some of these activities include being a Sunday school teacher for 2^nd graders and getting certified as a referee to work games with Coach Smith and his son, Grady who has been my teammate for over 10 years, and collect my first paycheck!

Through soccer, I enjoy meeting new players and coaches with different backgrounds and creating new relationships on and off the pitch which is one of the things I am most excited about with pursuing a goalkeeper position on a college soccer team.  The competition of team sports drives me to be a vocal leader and  goalkeeper with the ultimate goal of having this motivation fuel our team's success and winning culture.  As the team captain of my club team, I am confident in my skills to motivate others and lead by example.  The work ethic I have developed and the ability to apply what I have learned have also been shaped by soccer, my various coaches, and my parents.  

This work ethic carries over to my academics accomplishments.  I hit the books as hard as I attack my training sessions.  In addition to strong academic scores noted in my profile, I am also a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.  My academic goal for college is to become an Academic All American while playing soccer which I believe I have the dedication and time management skills to accomplish this goal. Finally, I am looking for a strong academic school to match my professional goals after college and to become a well-rounded person .