More times than not, the typical college athlete completes their four years of eligibility during their undergraduate degree and moves on after that. That is not the case for graduate student-athlete and Royals Athlete of the Week, Parker Leap (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), who has come back to the pitch after taking some time off from the game of soccer.
Parker has made the most of his return, currently second for Eastern Mennonite with four goals. Two of those goals came last week, one being the defining blow to take the 2-1 win Sunday at Stevenson.
“Certainly, my time away has caused me to appreciate soccer more than I had previously,” Parker said on coming back to the Royals. “As an undergraduate, I took for granted the opportunity to play soccer at the collegiate level. Now, having had time to mature and work on myself, my approach is entirely different. I take very seriously doing the little things physically and mentally to prepare myself for our upcoming matches.”
Parker played for the Royals in both 2012 and 2013 as an undergrad, but took time off in 2014 and 2015.
He doesn’t shy away from talking about his time away from soccer, claiming that the sport had become “mundane” after playing for over 15 years of his life.
“It has benefited me tremendously having been able to take three years off from playing collegiate soccer,” explained Parker. “During this gap, I was able to find again a love for soccer, and competition in general, that I had lost.”
With being much older than a lot of his teammates, Parker has taken on a leadership role on the team because of his many years of experience.
“He brings a good maturity to our young team and we feel that our younger players look up to him,” Head Coach Roger Mast said.
With the age and maturity level of the graduate student, Parker has taken on a nickname from many of his teammates.
“A growing number of guys on the team call me ‘dad’. I have no idea how this started but I roll with it,” Parker said. “This name seems to be a way for the guys to acknowledge that I am older and have experience to share with them. Being ‘the dad,’ or veteran, has been a wonderful experience.”
Parker has played in all seven of EMU’s contests this season, starting in two of them. He has become a staple coming off of the bench for the Royals.
“He has added a great spark to our attack,” Mast said. “We hope that he continues to get stronger in his performances throughout the season.”
With this being his last season of eligibility, Parker takes on each match with an interesting perspective.
“I approach every game with the mindset of being an opportunist,” he stated. “I have gotten myself physically and mentally prepared for battle. I do not feel as if I need to leave it all on the field like a senior would after playing four years of soccer. For me, it is about enjoying each moment with my teammates and ending my career on a positive note.”