Graham Kasper and Joel Waterman have bright futures ahead of them playing “the beautiful game.”
And in the immediate future, the two are flying to Sherbrooke, Quebec, where they will be targeting soccer gold as members of the B.C. U18 men’s team competing at the Canada Summer Games.
The Games run Aug 2-17, with the soccer component taking place from the 11th to the 17th.
Kasper, whose dad Dave is president of the Langley United Soccer Association, was part of the BC Provincial teams program from the U13 to U18 age groups, and part of the National Training Centre program in B.C. during those same years.
This past season he played for the Coquitlam Metro Ford U18 Sparta in the BCSPL (British Columbia Soccer Premier League), and his team recently captured the provincial championship title. This result put him and his Sparta teammates in the national club championships in Newfoundland this coming October.
The 18-year-old has landed a major academic scholarship and athletic scholarship to McGill University, where he will be studying biomedical sciences, and will suit up on the soccer pitch for the McGill Redmen following the Canada Games. Dave Kasper said his son has been a “very focused and driven person” from an early age.”He has a great willingness to learn both on and off the pitch, and this combined with his coach-ability and athletic ability, has led to his success as a soccer player,” the elder Kasper said.
Waterman, 17, who is entering his Grade 12 year, plays for Surrey United Soccer Club.
His team is on break until September.”
Joel is a natural athlete who loves to compete,” his mom Vicki said. “He strives for excellence every time he steps on the pitch.”
Both Waterman and Kasper have been influenced by local coaches who each have had a hand in molding them into the players they are today.
In Waterman’s case, Mark Parker was his first mentor coach at an elite level, on the BC U-13 Provincial team. More recently, he has played under the tutelage of his club and academy coaches from Surrey United, Frank McCann and Sipho Sibiya, and his Aldergrove Community Secondary School coach and teacher, Brian Hunter.
Kasper’s most influential coaches include Kelly Younker at Langley United Soccer Association, Les Krivak at Coquitlam Metro Ford, and the coaching staff with BC Soccer Provincial teams program over the years.
The Langley Advance caught up with both Waterman and Kasper, who talked about their upcoming Canada Games experience. Click here to read the full interview.
Source: Langley Advance – Troy Landreville
Photo Credit: Dave Kasper
