SPORTS

 

Luke Husk has lived in Davidson since he was 6 weeks old. Now 15, he attended Davidson Elementary, Bailey and Hough for his freshman year of high school.

Luke learned to play soccer from Elizabeth Root through the Davidson Parks & Recreation program, and started playing for what is now the Carolina Rapids when he was 8. During his time with the Carolina Rapids, Luke had the opportunity to play soccer in Ireland and Barcelona. He had been selected to play for their Under-17 U.S. Development Academy (U17 DA) team.

While he loved his experiences with the Rapids, he always dreamed about playing for FC (Futbol Club) Barcelona at their soccer academy, La Macia, in Barcelona, Spain. Unfortunately, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)rules prevent American players from going abroad to play soccer. As a result, Luke thought he would never get the chance to play for Barcelona. Then, a year ago, the Barca Residency Soccer Academy opened in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Luke tried out for at Barca academy in early July, but didn’t expect to make the cut. None-the-less, he thought it would be a good experience to just try out. His mom Aimee said that Luke often says “anything is possible.”

The coaches at the tryout saw Luke’s potential and informed him told him that he “made it.” Luke and his Dad were overjoyed with the news.

The tryouts had been tough. The fact that team was only looking for a few additional players and hundreds of kids tried out made Luke’s selection even more special. And the selection changed his life.

Instead of returning to Hough this fall, Luke just moved to Arizona. He’s living in a dorm with boys from all over the United States, going to school at the Arizona State University (ASU) Prep Academy, and training with coaches who are from La Macia in Spain. The hard part for Luke’s family was that he had less than three weeks to prepare for the move, but he was so excited and honored to finally be on a Barca team.

Luke’s mom says that while it is difficult to be an unexpected “empty nester” she said that “Luke has found his people. Boys who are just as committed to playing soccer as he is wanting to play pick up soccer for hours, train at 6:00 am, and then watch or talk about soccer the rest of the time.”

Beyond soccer, Luke will attend ASU Prep Academy which uses the Cambridge International curriculum. Luke’s parents are extremely pleased that their son will be getting an amazing education, in addition to playing the sport he loves. They said that he already loves it there and he knows it is where he needs to be to become the best soccer player he can.

Luke’s sister Emma will be a freshman at the University of Georgia this fall. His dad, George, is the Director of Athletics at River Run Country Club, and his mom, Aimee, is the CEO of Finesse Worldwide, an etiquette and social skills company.

Many thanks to Luke’s mom for sharing this information & photos with News of Davidson.