If you are part of the Eckerd College Soccer Club this year, then you can thank freshman Eric Inkster. Celebrities can be known for a myriad of accomplishments but our first campus celebrity this year is a freshman who has already made his mark on the Eckerd campus. Classes haven’t even been in session for two weeks and Eric has already created and is currently running the soccer club, not an easy feat for a freshman, particularly one who also has to juggle the difficulty of a Bio Pre-Med major and is a member of Eckerd’s Emerging Leaders.
Eric first found about Eckerd through the infamous book Colleges that Change Lives, and once he visited he was hooked. Like most of us, the attraction of the gorgeous beach scenery and the appeal of a waterfront with every activity under the sun, won over Eric’s heart. And his opinion of Eckerd hasn’t changed since officially arriving. “[I love] the atmosphere, everyone is really positive and nice and helpful. I just love that it’s very accepting”.
Once most of us first arrive at college we are struck by the things we miss most and Eric was no exception. The love Eric had for soccer and his inability to incorporate that into his college is what ultimately led to the creation of the soccer club. “Basically I got it together because I wanted to play soccer. I was going crazy, I hadn’t played all summer. I wanted to get a good group of guys to play a game, but without the pressures or time commitment of the official soccer team”. During autumn term, Eric organized pickup games for every Thursday as soon as the sun went down and soon enough more and more people started showing up. The first game started with about 8 players and quickly the numbers have now escalated to 25 or 30. “We just mess around and have a good time”.
With the growing popularity of the pickup games, students began to suggest that Eric start a club. “I just went to campus activities because I didn’t know how to start a club. The deadline happened to be that day and I just made the decision. I signed up, got funding from ECOS, and we had our first game the next week”. They even won their first game 5-4.
Eric is no newbie to soccer- he’s been playing since he was only three years old. And in fact he started on his high school varsity team all four years. He was even captain his senior year and helped his team win the state tournament. While interviewing Eric his love of soccer was blatantly apparent. It was easy to tell he just how much he truly loves the sport. “Soccer builds teamwork and creates bonds between all the players. I just have fun getting out there, exercising, if I get nervous or have a test, I just get out there and clear my mind. I love the competitiveness”.
In addition to soccer Eric also enjoys tennis, golf, and even ultimate Frisbee. But besides his passion for sports he also enjoys just hanging out and watching movies or playing video games (particularly Call of Duty and Assassins Creed). And with his crazy schedule he hardly has time for much else. But being busy hasn’t kept Eric from doing an amazing job with the soccer club so far. You can find Eric and the soccer club hanging out on the field Thursday nights.