Ellis Balser: A Soccer Star Who Rose From the Ashes

Ellis Balser, a smiley freshman dressed in typical athletic garb: a grey t-shirt, athletic shorts, and sneakers, eyes light up as he coaches me through a soccer game. This game isn’t just an ninety minute game like normal, instead, he shares his entire soccer journey. In the soccer world, most athletes start at age three like Ellis and quit after a few years, but Ellis has kept playing.

When he joined the YMCA’s team as a (height) three year old, he was pretty good, but not better than everyone else. Through playing year round on club teams across Atlanta, he’s grown into a star that shines on and off the field due to his dedication to the sport, caring attitude, and kindness. When talking about his position as a midfielder, he said, “my first instinct is to pass [the ball]. I create the chances for other people.” Ellis understands he doesn’t have to be the star of the soccer team to have it all. As long as he’s helping his team out, he’s succeeding.

Ellis cares about helping his teammates score goals, but he also cares about the wider soccer world. When he was tasked with his Bar Mitzvah Tzedek project, it was obvious that he would focus it around soccer. As a thirteen year-old, he worked to raise over $4,000 for Fugees Family, a non-profit helping refugees adjust to American life through soccer. Ellis realized people might donate more if they saw him working on a skill, so he challenged himself to juggle fifty times, which involves bouncing the ball using different body parts without it touching the ground. Through dedication to his goal, he juggled the soccer ball one-hundred times. Ellis’ interest in soccer isn’t just an extracurricular, but a passion  that is helping to better the world.

Being a full-time student is no small feat while juggling soccer practices and games each week, which is remarkable for the freshman starter on Buckhead FC. While bouncing from his house to the field and back three days a week and multiple games on the weekends might take a toll on some, Ellis seems to have his life under control.

While Ellis “always really [wants to] win,” he doesn’t let his competitive nature stop him from loving soccer. The passionate fourteen-year-old is set to be a soccer star on Galloway’s team this year and hopes to step up and help his team win.

By Sophie Kieffer