Ask Me Anything! with Sam Cary #5

Every week on our Instagram story, we ask our Socceristas to submit questions to our content creator Sam Cary. Sam is a senior at the University of Iowa, on the women’s soccer team. She is a Big Ten Champion, the team captain, and a 4x Academic All-Big Ten Honoree. Here are her responses to four of the questions you submitted, including nutrition, youth, and college soccer advice. Check out the Instagram story every Thursday and Friday to submit your questions to next week’s Ask Me Anything!

Q: How did your nutrition change when you started college soccer?

A: Simply put, I started paying attention to it. Before college, it was hard for me to properly fuel my body because I didn’t have the education, I didn’t buy my own groceries, and I didn’t feel like I had the time. 

Being a college athlete has changed all of these for me. First of all, I educated myself. I learned what my body likes and what I need. I learned I need to eat a lot of protein during the day, especially after practice and games. I learned that carbs are super important for quick energy and fuel and that I need a quick-energy carb before practice or a game (foods like applesauce, goldfish, or even gummy bears).

Most importantly, I learned to evaluate the purpose of food over the numbers associated with food. We often think about things such as calories to determine what is “healthy,” but I choose to look at the purpose of food. If I just had an intense practice, I would need a protein-filled meal. If I am tired at halftime, I may need the normal 150-calorie sports drink over the “healthy” zero-calorie one. 

I am not perfect, but I try to look at how the food is fueling me and helping me over if it is “healthy” or not. 

Q: What is playing college soccer like?

A: College soccer is the greatest experience of my life. I have learned so many lessons on and off the field. Soccer does take up a lot of my time, but I love playing and being on the field with my team every day.

Our schedule changes based on the time of the year, but right now, we are in our 20-hour spring season. This means we can have team activities for 20 hours during the week with one required off day.

Also, in the spring, we have six allowed exhibition game days. We are in the middle of playing those games against regional teams, which allows us to get game minutes in a low-stakes environment.

Overall, college soccer is an exhausting but incredible experience I am so grateful for. I am so thankful to represent a school I love every day and play the sport I love. For anyone that wants to play college soccer, I recommend pursuing it!

Q: Why is using social media a good way to get noticed?

A: College recruiting has changed a lot since I did it eight years ago. One example is social media is a way bigger way of getting your name out there. In full transparency, I did not use this in my recruiting journey, but I can see the benefits. 

Your social media is a window into who you are. Whether you like it or not, social media is used to judge you on who you are, what you like, and what you represent. Therefore you can use it smartly to show off your values and what matters to you.

I do not think that social media is the sole factor in someone getting recruited or getting noticed. But it is a free additional chance to show off who you are and why you are valuable. So why not? As long as you use it wisely! 

Q: Is ECNL RL a good option for playing in college?

A: To be fully transparent again, ECNL RL was not around when I was in my recruiting phase. But the way I see it, an opportunity is an opportunity. Between D1, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO, and more, there are so many places for a player to play in college. I firmly believe that if you want to play soccer in college, there is a place for you. It is just a matter of finding it.

ECNL RL has the advantage of having large national showcases that many colleges will attend, but this is similar to many other leagues (ECNL, GA, National League, etc.). I recommend attending a school’s ID camps, contacting coaches with your schedule, and advertising when you will be at an event to help attract college attention. 

ECNL RL can be a great path to college soccer; much like other leagues, if you want to play college soccer, there is a place. Just be open to finding your right fit. 

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