Joel Bogaert '19 Recruiting Profile

     I look forward to the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. A major factor in my decision to play at the collegiate level is the desire to balance academics with athletics.  Being a member of a college soccer team would allow me to accomplish my goal of study with sports and will challenge my skills at the next level. Playing in college would yield the opportunity for new long-lasting relationships, both on and off the field.

     I would make a good addition to the team in the way of leadership. I know when to lead and when to listen. Tolerance is also a noticeable trait I possess. In most situations, I’m usually given a leadership position, and enjoy the responsibility that comes with it. I also help train younger keepers in the local recreational leagues. In addition to soccer, I play in two bands (both Christian and pop) as a drummer and in the high school marching and concert bands.  I also work two jobs.  In my first job, I work as a charter sailor, where I take people sailing on a Catalina 355 as a crew member, and hopefully as a skipper by the time I turn 18, when I will be qualified to receive my Coast Guard Charter Captain's License. During the summer, I work as an Engineering Aid at Tyndall Air Force Base's Research Laboratory. Traits like these are examples of why I differ from other candidates.

     In athletics, I was given the opportunity to play at the Super Y level in Tallahassee.  I made it onto my high school’s varsity team as a 7^th grader, and have now started every high school varsity soccer game since my freshman year. In the off season, I play on spring and summer teams in the Gulf and Bay county areas, and sometimes play on more than one team at the same time.  When the teams for which I play compete in a game against each other, both coaches agree to play me in goal for a half each; this allows me to play for both teams.

     I differ from other candidates academically in the way that I have some experience in the field I desire to study. As mentioned before, I work as an Engineering Aid at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, where I work on projects on base alongside both engineers and active duty members of the Air Force. I excel in the sciences, where this year, as an example, I am the only junior in a class of seniors for Physics Honors, where I maintain an A+. In addition to Physics, I am currently dual-enrolled for college math through Gulf Coast State College.  Next year, I will be one of the only seniors to dual-enroll for Pre-Calculus and Calculus.

     In conclusion, playing at the collegiate level would allow me to balance study with sports, form relationships, and advance my skills as a goalkeeper in the sport I love.