Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools - May/June 2019 | Page 14
Cuthbertson High junior competes on Greece national team at European soccer tournament
On March 14, Cuthbertson High junior Toni
Tsoukalas boarded a plane to Budapest. She’s been
overseas to visit her extended family in Greece
several times in previous years, but this trip to
Europe would be completely different.
That’s because Toni is now competing as part of
the Greece WU17 national soccer team at the Union
of European Football Associations (UEFA) tournament,
the second most watched soccer tournament in the
world after FIFA World Cup.
“To make the World Cup, each area of the world
has its tournament. This is Europe’s tournament,”
Toni said. “Just to be able to say that I have the
opportunity to play these amazing soccer teams from
Europe is so cool.”
Toni’s road to the UEFA began when her
grandfather, an avid soccer fan who lives in
Greece, began posting videos and highlights of
her Cuthbertson High soccer games. Those videos
eventually caught the eye of the Greek national
team’s coach, who invited Toni to the team’s training
camp and tryouts over the summer.
Not too long afterwards, Toni joined the
WU17 Greece team and embarked on a series
of scrimmages that ultimately led her to the
tournament’s qualifying rounds where she’s since
competed against teams from Northern Ireland,
Kazakhstan, and Switzerland.
“My family is really proud because it’s a really big deal.
Wherever you’re from, you’re going to feel love for your country,
so my family is really excited,” she said. “My grandparents were
103 West South Main St. • Historic Downtown Waxhaw
crying because they were so happy. It was great.”
Being the only American on her team has been an awesome
experience because everyone is genuinely kind and welcoming,
Toni said. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s fluent in both Greek and
Register Now!
French, she added with a laugh.
Although she’s not able to participate in all of the team’s
Space is limited!
practices, as they meet several times in Greece throughout the
year, Toni keeps in shape through her participation in sports at her
high school as well as a local traveling soccer team.
That strict focus also extends to her academics as Toni also
works tirelessly maintaining high grades in her honors and
Advanced Placement classes.
As a junior, Toni has already committed to High Point
University, where she plans to be a pre-med major.
But right now, she’s focused on joining her teammates to face
off against fierce competitors from England, Hungary and Georgia
later this month. If her team makes it through this round, they’ll
have the opportunity to play in the WU17 EURO finals in May.
Soccer is and always has been Toni’s passion since she was
Visit our website for camp dates and registration information.
four
years old, and the fact that this is a once-in-a-lifetime
www.thebeanandbelle.com
experience is not lost on her.
704-607-6405 • [email protected]
“I’m so nervous, but I know it’s going to be fun. I just have
to keep reminding myself that they’re 17-year-old girls just like
Whether it be painting, drawing, or sculpting,
I am,” she said. “Soccer has always been really good for me
our uniquely designed summer camps will give your budding
because it keeps me focused and is such a positive outlet. At the
artist a chance to spread their wings and CREATE!
end of the day, I’m going to remember the memories that I’m
fortunate to make right now.”
The Bean and Belle Art Studio
Summer Art Camp
12 • May/June 2019 • Parent Teacher Magazine