Personal Statement
My name is Armando Jenkins-Vazquez, from Roseville, Minnesota. I've been playing club traveling soccer, as a starter for 6 years, 3 for NSSA (North Suburban Soccer Association) and 3 for the St. Paul Blackhawks. This year (2015/2016 season) I’m playing for the Blackhawks U18 Premier team.I was accepted into the State Olympic Development Program and selected to go to Region 2 showcase in Rockford Illinois in July, which we won. I was a starter as a sophomore for Mounds View High School on the Varsity team at center midfield. I am now a junior and I played in the center mid and also left mid. This year we were ranked 3 in state for most of the season. We made it to the section final in both seasons. Besides center-mid, I also play left mid and left back. My dominant foot is my left but I'm comfortable any where on the field.
I have been playing soccer since I was 4 years old. My first team was in St. Paul with a coach from Venezuela. He had been a pro player in his home country and gave me a great introduction to soccer and a passion for the sport. I've played ever since.
One of my best experiences that really opened my eyes about soccer was going to a tournament in Gothenburg Sweden, called the Gothia Cup, the largest youth tournament in the world. The highlights of the experience were traveling with my team, playing against teams from around the globe, and scoring a goal against a team from India. This tournament really taught us a lot about world soccer and raised our play to a new level.
My teammates and coaches have told me that I'm a team player, I make good decisions on and off the field, and that I'm a coach-able player. As a Sophomore I earned the All-Conference Honorable Mention Award, and the Student/Athlete Academic Award. As a junior I earned the All Conference 1st Team Award, as well as the Student/Athlete Academic Award. My senior season just ended. Our team made the state tournament this season, which was a really fun experience. My senior year awards were 1st team All Conference as well as All Tournament Team at the State tournament. My goal is to play soccer at the highest level possible and go to a college where I can succeed as a student athlete and team member.