The plentiful rain has brought about the growth and bright colors that represent spring. At Howard School, a sapling has been planted, and its cultivators hope it follows the trend, growing lush and vibrant.
Two years ago, the urban school had its first boys’ soccer program, and after a winless season, a lack of interest and commitment shut down a second season before it began. Cue Scott Rieckhoff and Nick Siler.
Rieckhoff is in his first year on the faculty at Howard, and Siler is in his second. The two have revived the program, perhaps for good this time.
“There’s a lot that goes into getting a soccer program off the ground,” Rieckhoff said. “Thankfully, the girls have been going now for two years. Erica Vaughn was the girls’ coach, and she did a lot of the groundwork. We were fortunate enough to sort of come in and build off of what she had already started. So we already had cones, the balls, the cooler, some uniforms.”
Head coach Scott Rieckhoff leads soccer practice in the gymnasium at Howard School on Friday, April 17, 2015.With equipment in hand, the duo needed players, so they held “open facilities” last semester. Rieckhoff and Siler could not coach during that time, but they were able to gauge interest and start some conditioning.