As Oak Park High School senior Jayden Bellemeur laces up her cleats for her final soccer season, she carries with her years of dedication, skill and love for the game. Bellemeur has been with the Eagle’s soccer program since her freshman year. Her connection to soccer runs deep and it has served as an integral part of her life.
“I’ve been playing soccer for 14 years now, I got into it because both of my parents played and it was what all of my friends played when I grew up in Florida,” Bellemeur wrote to the Talon.
Bellemeur’s soccer career is filled with numerous highlights and great memories.
“My favorite memory was scoring a game winner at the state cup with my club team the first time we played that tournament,” Bellemeur said.
She admits that she has faced challenges during her soccer career, especially in high school.
“It has been hard at times juggling soccer and academics because the season falls on an intense part of school, including first semester finals,” Bellemeur said. “Sometimes it’s hard to balance homework on long bus trips and games, but it has made me more efficient with the time I do have.”
The time and tenacity soccer requires has provided her with many valuable life skills as well as physical skills.
“Soccer has definitely helped me and taught me to work together in a team, and time management,” Bellemeur wrote. “It is a very physically demanding sport but it has also brought me my closest friends.”
Bellemeur finds that having teammates that double as friends can really make a difference on the level of enjoyment in practicing, traveling and in games. While she is an upperclassman, she finds it important to have a relationship with the younger teammates.
“The underclassmen on our team are all great people,” Bellemeur said. “We have a lot of fun together and spend a lot of time together. Even though I am a senior, I’d rather be their friend than in any sort of mentoring role.”
Bellemeur is a person characterized by passion. This is made evident with her numerous interests outside of soccer.
“Some other activities I love are playing guitar, surfing, and I also play flag football at Oak Park,” Bellemeur said. “ In my free time, I love to hang out with my friends.”
Remaining grateful, appreciative and reflective seems to be Bellemeur’s method in navigating closing chapters in her life as a senior.
“It’s bittersweet that this is my last season, but I am happy for all of my experiences and focus on everything soccer has brought me,” Bellemeur said. “I’ll definitely be focusing on my academics in college but I am grateful for soccer and all the people it has brought me and all the lessons I have learned.”
