Those wishing to catch a glimpse into the state of local youth soccer need look no further than Squamish's own Grade 11 Howe Sound Secondary School student, Alison McClements.
A member of the U16 Mountain WFC (Whitecaps Football Club), McClements is headed for Florida to play against the best in the United Soccer League's North Amercian Super Y finals.
McClements began learning the game at age three and continued carving her cleats on local pitches for the Gold 1 team of the Squamish Youth Soccer Association until this season. The left winger said it took developing her game in Squamish to be able to take it down south.
"I'm definitely glad I played in Squamish all those years," she said. "It's a good little stepping stone. I know a lot of people that went to the city when they were really young, and I just thought it was better for me having experience here and having more fun playing in Squamish."
Travelling to Vancouver regularly is a heavy commitment for any young athlete. By staying local, McClements was able to cross-train and spread her athletic abilities to other sports, including mountain biking, snowboarding, basketball, and the outdoor leadership program at Don Ross Secondary School.
Squamish also provided her with two ideal mentors: her father and former coach Bruce McClements, and Canadian Women's National Team star Martina Franko.
Franko has been developing youth soccer in her hometown through training camps. She helped tone McClements's skills and recommended her to the Whitecaps coaching staff during tryouts.
"She really opened a door for me. It's huge to be known by people down there because I'm a small town girl," said McClements.
Perhaps more importantly, however, Franko is a role model - the small town girl who made it in the big world of international soccer. Soccer seems to run in the McClements blood. Dad Bruce used to play for Canada in the early 1970s and his dad was soccer association president in Montreal. For Bruce, it's only natural to pass down the experience to the next generation.
"Soccer has been so good to me over the years and it was time to put back into the community," he said. "It's great to see them develop and grow."
Now that his daughter is playing in the city, Bruce admits it's sometimes difficult to get out of coach mode and stick to being a soccer dad. He still gives pointers, but recognizes that McClements is already a mature player.
"She's got that knack almost like Gretzky where when she has the ball on her foot she has the instinct that she can lay a ball through without even thinking about it. She'd rather give a nice pass off to somebody and make them look good."
Scouts from all over North America are coming in droves to watch the young stars, which is perfect for McClements because she hopes to receive a soccer scholarship to an American university.
She's not sure where exactly, but she's willing to go wherever the soccer ball bounces.
