“Impact Player of the Year” Ryan Gillespie
The 2006 season will be the first for Landstown Eagles varsity boys’ soccer coach Andrew Blackmore. He brings to the program vast practical experience; Blackmore has coached at other levels and played soccer at East Carolina University. He takes the helm of a program that is improving, a trend that should continue under his capable leadership. The Eagles might take the Beach District title if they can manage to beat the district’s toughest competitors, including Cox, First Colonial, Kellam and Kempsville. In 2004, Landstown lost in the first round of the district tournament. The following year, they advanced beyond the first round over Kempsville.
With over a dozen athletes returning to the varsity squad as seniors, 2006 could be the season that the Eagles jump to the top of the district. The seniors should provide the leadership and experience necessary to win games. Last year, the Eagles were coached by Blackmore’s brother, Eric. Andrew Blackmore says that his brother’s leadership was a benefit to the program. “Eric is a really good coach so he provided a solid foundation on which I can build this year.”
Blackmore explains that supremacy in Virginia Beach is one of his goals for the season. “I’d like for us to get out of the district and we’ll take things from there,” he says. Blackmore’s firm leadership will be part of the Eagles’ success. “Discipline is a big deal for me. The players know that if something goes wrong, they’ll be responsible for correcting it. I believe that a team needs to practice the way it plays and play the way it practices. But I also keep in mind that they are out here to have fun, so I try to be somewhat easy going.”
Most of Landstown’s varsity should find it easy to adjust to Blackmore’s style of coaching. He was the coach of the junior varsity squad last year. Also, most of these young men have been playing soccer for years, and many of them participate in club soccer in the off-season, meaning that they have been exposed to different styles of coaching.
One player who will prove valuable to the Eagles this year is Ryan Gillespie. As a midfielder, this seventeen-year-old senior will be key both on offense and defense. Gillespie’s speed is one of Landstown’s biggest advantages. Additionally, Gillespie has proven that he comes out ahead in one-on-one contests against defenders of an opposing team. As part of the large cadre of senior leadership this season, Gillespie’s motivational efforts will go a long way toward mentally preparing the team to win games.
Gillespie, who was “Impact Player of the Year” for Landstown last year and has also been on second-team All-Beach District for the three years he has been in high school, says that determination is one way he is able to stay at the top of his game. “I spend a lot of time on physical fitness and conditioning because those are so important in soccer,” he says. Dexterity, too, is critical to whisking past defenders. “My left foot is dominant, so I spend a lot of time keeping my right foot as strong as the left.”
According to Gillespie, the prospects look good for the Eagles this season. “Our back line is all returning seniors,” he says. The midfield will be well-disciplined also, particularly since Amir Shihata, who, like Gillespie, is fast and strong, will help to frustrate both offenses and defenses of opposing teams. Gillespie explains that keeping a positive attitude will be as much a part of the Eagles’ success as the footwork shown by his teammates this year.
One reason that Gillespie has emerged as one of Landstown’s leaders is his love of the game. He says that soccer is a family affair. “My brother, Adam Gillespie, stays on me a lot. He makes sure that I’m doing well and keeping my fitness up,” he says. However Gillespie stays motivated, it seems to be working. He has already committed to West Virginia University where he will play soccer and major in Forensics and Investigative Science.
Watch for big things from Gillespie, Blackmore and the rest of the team this season. The odds are in their favor that they can continue the improvement they have shown in the past two years.
