Angela Hucles has a voice and she is using it to empower young athletes.

Eighteen years after being named an NSCAA High School All-American for her work at Norfolk Academy in Virginia (where she finished with 204 goals and 106 assists), Hucles will serve as the keynote speaker for the NSCAA High School Awards Brunch, Saturday, Aug. 3, in conjunction with the 2013 Summer Symposium in Orlando.

Hucles, who won two gold medals with the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team and played in 109 international matches for the USA, is now the founder and chief empowerment officer of the newly-minted Empowerment through Sports Leadership Series. 

Her message: “Be empowered!”

“First of all, I consider it a tremendous honor to be associated with the NSCAA and to speak to these special student athletes,” Hucles said. “The NSCAA has always had a tremendous impact on the game of soccer and I am grateful they allow me to stay connected to the soccer community.

“Sports and soccer has enriched my life in so many ways and made me into the person that I am today. It is what I am truly passionate about and I’m enjoying the discovery of the many forms that it can take. Today, I am using that platform to encourage young female athletes to speak up, to be heard, to be aware of the decisions they make. And, an important part of the process in sports for a young woman is to be able to collaborate with her parents, guardians and coaches…to enjoy the journey every step of the way.”

As a four-year All-ACC player at the University of Virginia, Hucles etched her way into the Cavalier record books. She remains the career leader in points (138), goals (59), game-winning goals (19), and is in the top five in several other categories.

Now, she is hoping that today’s young athletes can learn some valuable lessons from her empowerment program.

“Life after soccer … is a different life,” Hucles admitted. “Most people talk about their identity tied to being an athlete and the transition after no longer being associated with a team or playing the game anymore. I retired from professional soccer two and a half years ago after playing the wonderful game for more than 25 years, and honestly, I feel like I am still adjusting to the transition.

“If you reach a certain level, everything in your life as an athlete is so structured. What time you need to wake up, a set time for meals, training and lifting, doctors' visits, travel, time-off, meetings, and downtime. Many arrangements are made for you so the primary focus as the athlete can stay on training, competing, and evolving as a player and as a team. Sometimes this can make it too easy. It doesn’t always allow you to learn real life lessons, to be able to speak up and be heard and even to know what do when it is time to enter the ‘real world.”

Hucles said that playing soccer gave her the courage to accept challenges.

“Sports and soccer pushed me to create concrete goals to overcome challenges and succeed, and to know that win or lose, the journey is what offers the greatest rewards whether it is in the game of soccer or the game of life,” Hucles said.

If you study Hucles journey, you know that those are more than just words that she plans to share at the Summer Symposium. She has lived it.

Hucles adapted to multiple roles with the U.S. Women’s Team. After starring as a forward in high school and college, Hucles made the move to midfield at the professional and international level. In 2003, she missed the World Cup due to an injury. In 2004, her role on the U.S. Olympic Team was limited. Then in 2007, she was one of only two players that did not play a single minute in the World Cup.

Many players would have given up. Not Hucles. 

“I did not give up … I worked harder,” Hucles said. “I received support from my parents every step of the way and they again encouraged me to enjoy the journey.”

It paid off in 2008 at the Summer Olympics in China. When Abby Wambach went down with a broken leg, U.S. assistant coach Jill Ellis suggested to head coach Pia Sundhage that Hucles would be the best player to take Wambach’s position, even though the style of the team would have to change. Hucles responded, scoring a team-high four goals and helping lead the USA to the gold medal.

“That’s just one lesson of many I hope that the empowerment series can share with young women,” Hucles said. “The empowerment program will bring a variety of dynamic speakers, influential athletes and professionals together and it will give them a voice and a platform to be heard.”

The NSCAA is pleased to hear your voice, Angela Hucles.

Related Links

2013 NSCAA Summer Symposium

2013 High School All-American Brunch

Empowerment through Sports Leadership Series

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.