Wesley Schrock: Going for the Goal

“Wes grades out as the highest level player that I have ever evaluated at this age.”

When a 14-year-old Paducah boy got the opportunity to showcase his soccer talent for a professional scout, he didn’t know what to expect. When the scout saw the 14-year-old
Paducah boy play soccer, he got much more than he expected.

The boy was Wesley Schrock. The scout was Gary Hindley, former head coach of the Cleveland Force/Cleveland Crunch and a professional soccer performance evaluator.

Hindley said in his evaluation of Wes, “He is well ahead of my professional experience regarding expectations of where a player of that age, from a small soccer community in Kentucky, would be. Wes has focus, desire and determination that is superior to what most players of a similar age and advanced ability possess.” 

The final sentence was perhaps the most telling:

“Wes grades out as the highest level player that I have ever evaluated at this age.”

Futskilz owner Heidi Mueller, whose training Wes considers instrumental in his development, had suggested the professional evaluation, based on the outstanding skills she knew Wes possessed. “Wesley has been committed to excellence since the day he started Futskilz training almost three years ago,” says Mueller.

For Wes and his parents, Bonnie and Fletcher Schrock, the evaluation by Hindley was somewhat of a turning point. “Early on, Wes would do well and we would think, ‘That’s nice,’” says Fletcher. “Then we had a wake-up call with the evaluation by Gary Hindley. He told us Wes had skills to get to the national level, but getting there may require Wes to relocate to a full-time training environment.”

Playing at increasingly high levels of competition — including a position as starting defensive center mid on the highly successful Chicago Magic club team, secured after Mueller had arranged an opportunity for Wes to guest-play with the team, and earning a position on the 13-state Region II Olympic Development Program (ODP) team, Wes continued to excel.  Hindley’s evaluation and the success Wes was having on the field caused the family to carefully consider what should come next.

Ultimately, Wes and his parents decided that he would attend Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a boarding school in Faribault, Minn. In the spring of 2010, Shattuck’s soccer program was admitted to US Soccer’s Development Academy system, which is designed to train the next generation of national team players. The exclusive Shattuck-St. Mary’s is known for rigorous academics, in addition to outstanding athletics and arts. Each student receives specialized training and experiences high levels of competition in his or her specialty area. Two former teammates, one from Jackson Purchase Futbol Club and the other from Chicago Magic, also made the decision to enroll at Shattucks. The school was interested enough in Wes and his soccer abilities, along with an impressive academic record, to provide some scholarship money for him to attend. 

A student at Shattuck-St. Mary’s since September 2010, Wes celebrated his 16th birthday a few weeks after the school year began. Wes says it was strange at first to be away from home and live in a dorm, but he quickly got used to it. “School is great!” he says, noting that the academics are “very tough” and the level of soccer is “very high.”

Through tournaments, training camps and expositions, Wes has played soccer all over the U.S and in several countries. Immediately before beginning the school year at Shattucks, Wes had the opportunity to participate in a camp at professional team Real Madrid’s training facilities in Madrid, Spain.

Wesley was one of 22 players in the U-15 age group from the U.S., Barcelona, Venezuela, Canada and Dubai selected to participate in the camp. “We trained at the Real Madrid training grounds, we toured where the first team practices, we went to a Real Madrid game, we toured the stadium, and we played Real Madrid’s youth team. It was AWESOME!” says Wes.

The accomplishments Wes has achieved come as no surprise to Mueller. “Wes communicated clearly to me his dreams and ambitions and promised he had the personal commitment to do whatever it took to reach the highest levels. He has been a champion in training MANY days before the sun rises, worked hard on his academics, stayed highly active with his church, and has upheld outstanding character and humbleness throughout his world class accomplishments.”

The family credits many in the community as instrumental in their son’s soccer journey, including Storm coach Russ Flynn and Tilghman coaches Jeff Hill and Austin Davis.
“It seems like everywhere we turned, there was positive reinforcement,” Bonnie says.

Wes’s ultimate goals include playing on the U.S. National Team and playing professional soccer. But there are other fields of endeavor that Wes sees in his future. An accomplished musician, Wes wants to be a church worship pastor some day.

“Nothing I’ve done so far would have been possible without God,” says Wes.

It would appear that much may be possible in the life that lies ahead.

---