Holly Sparks Blazes through Opponents on the Soccer Field & Earns a Scholarship to Indiana State

UPM’s CTL Operator, Jim Sparks, lights up when he talks about his daughter playing soccer. Jim comments, “It’s so fun to watch Holly play soccer. She pours her heart into everything she does on the field.” Holly, who is 16 and a junior at Fairfield High School, has been kicking around a soccer ball since she was four. When she was just starting out in Say Soccer she would strive to keep up with her sister, Kayla, who is two years older. As they got older and joined select teams, Holly was often asked to step in and play for Kayla’s teams if a player was missing.

Holly currently plays Left Defender for Fairfied High School’s Varsity Women’s Soccer Team (9-3-0), and also for the Cincinnati Soccer Alliance Elite select soccer team “The Blaze”. This team got its nickname by blazing through their opponents, winning the State Tournament the last two years. As State Champions, Holly traveled with the team to South Dakota in 2009 where they took 2nd place in the Midwest Region, and to New Jersey in 2010 where they took 6th.

One of the special highlights for Holly this year was being voted by her coaches and peers as the first ever Junior Captain of her high school team. She has verbally committed to attend Indiana State on scholarship for women's soccer when she graduates from Fairfield in 2012. Holly credits her coaches, Fairfield’s Heather Fischer and Amy Lower, and CSA’s Alex Rawlings, as her mentors. Jim’s pride shows through when he comments, “I’m grateful that Holly is able to continue to play soccer, something she loves to do, while getting a great education.”