Nolan Christensen Goes to Spain
Nolan Christensen of our 2004 Boys Premier team recently had the opportunity to travel to Spain as part of the Surf National team. Below is Nolan’s story of how he joined Surf and then made the Surf National team. Well done Nolan! Great job representing Folsom Lake Surf! We are proud of you!
I started out, like any other kid, playing soccer at a young age. I was a normal player, with no extraordinary skills, only playing in a rec league for most of my elementary life. I started to show promise at being a higher-level soccer player around the 6th grade, when I joined a team with players who were significantly older than me. Nonetheless, I persevered and worked to become a starting striker. I did well, scoring multiple goals in several games, helping my team to 1st place in the league.
After the season, I decided to join a competitive team called El Dorado Hills Soccer club. Here, my coach saw a different future in me, not with scoring goals, but saving them. I played in goal with little experience and yet, I thrived. I trained hard under amazing coaches, such as former Sac Republic goalkeeper, Evan Newton. My game steadily improved over the season. Despite this rather immediate success, at the end of the season my coach announced his resignation, thus causing me to find another club.
My next season was with the Stars Academy. I saw the most improvement in my game at this club. I was one of 4 goalkeepers, meaning a starting spot on the team was an incredibly hard feat. Over the course of a year and a half, I worked my way to the starting goalie having begun the season as the second goalie on the 2nd team. I trained under Coach Todd Higley where we lost in the State Cup Championship and won the Davis Legacy Tournament. When COVID19 struck, several teammates departed for other clubs causing me to search again for a new club.
Many players from my former team landed at Folsom Lake Surf. I soon joined and had the opportunity to learn from Coach Raymond Harris. Coach Harris was a good coach and saw potential in me. He recommended me to try out in San Diego for the Surf Select National team. At tryouts, I met many players from the western United States and represented Folsom Lake Surf the very best I could. I was immediately excited and proud to make the 2004B Surf Select National team and to have the opportunity to play internationally in Valencia Spain.
I practiced vigorously for months preparing to improve my skills for the international competition. Once the day came for me to play in Spain, I was ready. My teammates from the numerous Surf clubs around the nation, including Puerto Rico, were amazing. Since we were constantly around each other, we grew into a brotherhood in less than a day. The games we played were tough. We played against Torre Levante, CD Castellone, and CD Reus. We lost every game, but each game was extremely close and competitive. Every player from these teams had impressive ball handling skills and rarely missed a trap or a pass. The skill of these teams pushed me to play some memorable games which included a penalty stop. My training with Coach Chimienti, Coach Harris and Coach Cruz and my experiences with my Folsom Lake Surf 04B Premier team helped prepare me for this experience. I am looking forward to completing my club soccer experience this year and to continue playing at the collegiate level.
