As a club, Davis Legacy prides itself on developing great players on the field, but also great humans off of it. And that’s why Legacy is so proud to celebrate the 46 graduated seniors that made up the class of 2021. (See list below)
Not all will move onto play at the next level, but all will take lessons learned from Davis to further their development into the professional world.
The class of 2021 spent a combined 238 years at Davis Legacy, an average of over five years per player.
A total of 18 of those seniors have signed to play in college, but even those who haven’t still want to keep the game in their lives and attribute the leadership skills they learned in Davis as paramount to their personal development.
“In terms of personal growth, Legacy has been fundamental in the majority of my teenage years,” said Walsh Klineberg (Boys 03 Red), who plans to attend Rice College and play on the club soccer team at the school. “All the way through junior high and high school, I’ve been a part of the club and grown up and gained a lot of respect for other people and myself and understanding what it’s like to be working on a team and be a leader on that team.”
Added classmate Amanda Berry (Girls 03 White), who hopes to play club soccer at Baylor: “I think that especially leadership skills, just how to lead a team, helped me grow because I was a captain on my team. I would also say the fact that Legacy had us switch coaches every few years teaches you to be able to adapt to different coaches and different teams, just to adapt to different situations.”
For Klineberg, Berry, and many other players from the class of 2021, playing for Legacy wasn’t so much about the soccer as it was the reprieve from the stress from teenage life that playing for the club provided.
“My favorite part about the entire experience would have to be just getting to play soccer,” Klineberg said. “It’s a great way to stay in shape, it’s a great way to get in a better mood. The mental stress that comes from school and social life and all of those problems go away when you go out on the field with your friends. It definitely provided a place for me to escape all of my other problems and just work on soccer.”
In the end, Davis is hoping to provide an enjoyable experience for every individual who comes to play and believes that that’s the best way to develop quality people: through fun and enjoyment of the beautiful game.
“We had some really fun tournaments, when we could actually have tournaments,” Berry said. “I remember we went to Vegas one year and it was just a really good experience. I don’t even remember how well we did, but it was just a great time to connect and play together with my team. I’ll always remember those types of things, just being together and competing together.”
Added Klineberg: “I think I bonded with them on an individual level as well as a team level and to this day they are still role models to me with how I approach soccer, how I approach life, how I approach my friends and family and really impacted the person I am today. I have a big appreciation for all of the Legacy coaches and the way they put an emphasis on individual growth and player relationships. They’re huge role models to me and a very important part of the club.”