Owen Martin '21 Recruiting Profile

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved sports, all kinds of sports. I’ve played three sports competitively; baseball, basketball, and soccer - learning from coaches and teammates and giving 110% no matter which sport I was playing. While I’ve been fortunate to play on a variety of teams, my true passion, my sport, is soccer. The spring of 7th grade, I realized that I would need to try out and play for a soccer club that was more competitive than my original club I had played on since I was 5. I tried out for two clubs in my area that would give me the opportunities that I thought would help me reach my goals. I selected the club I felt was the best fit for me, which was North Shore United, in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. One of the happiest times in my life was when I scored my first goal under my new coach, at the new club. I knew then I had made the right decision!

Then my belief in myself was tested when I tried out for the Olympic Development Program for the state of Wisconsin. I was not one of the players selected! My father approached one of the coaches involved in Wisconsin ODP who also coached at North Shore to see what I should work on in order to make the team next year. As a result, I was given the opportunity to train with those originally selected. In the spring of last year, I was one of the players selected to represent WI at the ODP tournament in Indianapolis. I was selected as the Captain for that tournament! From there I was selected to go to the Region 2 ODP training camp held in Saginaw, MI. My goal this year is to go even further in ODP.

I decided to play high school soccer in the fall and made the varsity team as a freshman. Part way through the season the coach made me a captain and while originally unsure if playing high school and not club soccer would be the right choice, I’m glad I did it. One thing I’ve learned about myself is my flexibility in playing the sport I love. I’ll do what I need to in order to continue improving my game and become an important piece to any team that I am on.

One thing that I take pride in, is my ability to be coachable and flexible to help my team in anyway possible. I am a natural born leader, and that has shown through the amount of times I have been named captain. I have also been known to show a lot of passion when playing any sport, in a good way. In the early winter of my Freshman year, I was notified that I was not going to be able to play basketball due to the length of my hair. With the help from my parents and the Athletic Director, I challenged this rule, was able to try out and play because I am so passionate about the sports I play. 

From my passion, coachability, and leadership, I am sure I will be a successful and an important asset to any team, program, and college.