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Naperville Central senior Taylor Walk has discovered that less is more when it comes to playing soccer.
The four-year varsity player was on track to continue her soccer career in college and plied her trade year-round. But she wasn’t having much fun.
“After COVID, I kind of got burned out and stopped the recruiting process,” Walk said. “I just practiced every single day for my whole entire life, and I was getting sick of it.
“So I just decided that I should probably focus on myself and my later career.”
That decision took some of the pressure off Walk, who spent this past offseason working a part-time job as a swim instructor. The time away from soccer rekindled her passion for playing for the Redhawks.
‘I didn’t play club this year,” she said. “I just decided it’s not worth the money, and I just worked instead. It made me way more excited to play high school, and I’m having so much more fun since I had a break. I got to miss it, and when you miss it, it makes it more fun.”
The Redhawks are having some fun this season, and the play of the versatile Walk is one reason for that. She has played forward, defender and midfielder during her two years as a starter and began this season at outside back.
But Naperville Central coach Troy Adams has experimented with moving players around. He used Walk in the midfield during the Redhawks’ 1-0 loss to unbeaten York on the opening night of the Naperville Invitational on Thursday.
“She has traits that are transferrable to many different positions,” Adams said. “With a team like this, it’s partly trying to find out where is her best fit.
“We’ve had her at outside back for a while. Then she got hurt, so now we’ve had a chance to kind of look and reexamine. Let’s see her at some other spots.”
Walk didn’t start for the Redhawks (5-1-1) against York (8-0-1) but played significant minutes off the bench after returning from a separated shoulder she suffered against Neuqua Valley on April 11. She was cleared to practice Wednesday, and her quick return was welcomed by her teammates.
“She played great,” junior defender Chloe Mowry said. “I wasn’t sure she was going to get all those minutes, but she definitely was ready to play. The rebound was quick.”
Walk was glad to be back.
“I didn’t miss a game, which was pretty nice, but I’ve been sitting out practice until yesterday,” she said. “So it just felt good to play because I’ve been bored and I’ve missed playing.”
The Redhawks would have missed more than Walk’s physical skills had she been forced to sit out games. She’s also a co-captain for the first time alongside stars Megan Norkett and Ella Burke.
“She’s a great leader,” Mowry said of Walk. “She really brought a spark to the team that encourages us in a different way than I’ve seen in the past.”
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How so?
“She’s very encouraging,” Mowry said. “She brings people up when she sees someone is down. She knows how to go at different people with different attitudes and helps them just do their best. And that helps her do her best too.”
That has been vital for a relatively young team.
“She’s been great,” Adams said. “She’s one of the hardest workers on the team, which is somebody you want a captain to be. She has a positive attitude. She’s done a good balance of making sure that players understand expectations but also being positive in her interactions with them.”
Walk, who is planning to attend Kentucky and study health sciences, said leadership comes naturally to her but that last year’s seniors prepared her to be a captain.
“They really set a great example, so I’ve had a great experience so far,” she said. “It’s been really fun.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
