Dexter, Missouri – MaKayla Waldner is known for her athletic talents at Dexter High School in girls tennis, girls basketball, track and field and even Bearcat football, but what many do not realize is that she is a star soccer player. Waldner has been playing soccer since she was in the second grade and will now compete in the North American Cup National Championship in Seattle, Washington.
Though Dexter High School does not offer a soccer program MaKayla dedicates herself to a traveling team – the St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL Illinois Metro girls soccer team in Collinsville, Illinois. She travels twice per week to St. Louis to practice and perform with her fellow athletes.
Her team recently accomplished what many soccer teams only dream of and that’s being in the top 1/3 in the nation. Waldner has traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, Dallas, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and Chicago, Illinois to play against some of the best soccer athletes in the country.
During the last week of June she has the opportunity to travel to Seattle, Washington to compete at the North American Cup National Championship. The best amateur soccer players in the United States will be there along with soccer scouts looking for players for the World Cup and even the Olympics. It’s the best of the best and MaKayla has earned her place to be a part of this experience and deserves to be there.
MaKayla is even giving up a an all expense paid trip to New Mexico to compete with Team Missouri in Track so she could prepare for soccer in Seattle. Now that's true dedication to the sport!
Waldner is ranked 90th out of over 2,500 soccer players, which is quite impressive. All this while still maintaining Top 10% in academics at Dexter High School, pretty impressive!
Her coach explained to her that 90% of these athletes go on to D1 schools and play soccer at the college level. Waldner made a verbal commitment in her sophomore year of high school to play at Mississippi State and plans to honor that commitment. Making that type of commitment at an early age is almost unheard of, but Mississippi State believes in her and her ability to play on the soccer field.
It’s extremely rare for an athlete to accomplish so much in a sport that she does not have available to her close to home, but MaKayla is a rare athlete and our community is quite proud of her accomplishments.
MaKayla would like your help to make her dream of playing soccer in Seattle a reality. There is about $1,500 in expenses, which includes her flight, hotel, and food for six days.
If you would like to help her with a monetary donation, please inbox her on Facebook (MaKayla Waldner) or her mom (Kimberly Waldner) for more information. Checks can be made to SLSG and she appreciates any monetary donations, big or small. Donations are tax deductible as well.
MaKayla says of her talent, "It feels great to know that I have made it to this level and continue to get better. At first I was pretty nervous at how I would handle the play, but I became very comfortable after the first couple of games."
"I can't wait till I go to college and I see faces that I have seen for the passed two years," continued Waldner. "It's going to be so exciting."
MaKayla will be playing against some of the best in the country because she is one of the best in the country and I had the pleasure of watching her on the soccer field in St. Louis on Sunday. She is truly an amazing athlete and an inspiration to anyone who works hard to make their dreams come true!
