Although his senior season ended in mid-October, senior soccer star Marty Wicinski has not taken any time away from the field. During Louisville City FC’s preseason run, Wicinski got the opportunity to travel, practice and play with the team, giving him an experience of what it is like to play professional soccer. Wicinski got the full experience of being a professional athlete, saying, “It was a lot of team meals, a lot of team meetings, film sessions…” He was even able to travel with the team to Tucson, Austin, Houston and Seattle, all while balancing this with being a student in the advanced program.

Wicinski got this opportunity by being part of the Louisville FC development program. “They usually take five academy players every year at the end of the preseason in Louisville. And then because I did well on that, they allowed me to keep going with them for the rest of preseason,” Wicinski says. This has definitely shown Wicinski what the competition is like at the next level. “They’ve challenged me to be faster and a quicker decision-maker… it’s made me get quicker at that and just about everything,” he says.

However, it was more than just soccer for Wicinski — he was fully part of the team. He was able to have some great experiences away from the pitch, like a round of golf in Tucson with the team. “It was a good time. It was early in the trip, so it was a good time for me just to meet some of the guys and get close with them.” Being part of this community was one of Wicinski’s favorite parts of the experience, he says, as it was truly more than just soccer.

Throughout all of this, Wicinski had to balance his life as a professional athlete with his life as an advanced-level student. He did all of this while taking three AP classes and said a large part of why he was able to manage it was because of the flexibility of his teachers. “Many of my teachers like Mr. Harris, Mr. Dotsey, Mr. Rand and Mr. Webb have all allowed me to do this, and they have been really good about giving me extensions on work.” This ability for Wicinski’s teachers to adapt to his schedule as a professional athlete was crucial to him having this experience.

Next year, Wicinski will take his talents to Hamilton, New York, where he will play collegiate soccer at Colgate University. The skills and experience he gained with Louisville City will no doubt be beneficial to his college career, both on the pitch and in balancing his education with his time on the team.