About Me

Who is Gavin Valenzuela

I consider myself a humble person and appreciate the support my family has given me to peruse my passions. Along with my teachers and coaches, I feel confident in their presence and learn from them. I'm an observer and listener. I may not always agree with everything presented, and I've made mistakes along the way, but that's how you learn to grow into your personality.

When I'm not working on homework or helping with house chores, and aside from soccer, I enjoy learning about technology and gaming. My parents refused to buy me a gaming computer, so I took it upon myself and did some research to build one on my own. After a few YouTube tutorials and a spot check from my tech-neighbor friend, I did just that at more than half the price. I found myself challenged to continually check online on what the market price was for a piece of hardware. My brothers thought it was so cool, so I built a mini version for my younger brother. Who knows where this interest will take me in life.

With a family of 5, you could just imagine how full our calendar is. We do find the time to spend quality time together. On one of our last family trips, we went to Cancun and had a chance to go zip-lining and swim in underwater caves called "cenote." We've had many camping trips, concerts, and amusement parks. One day I will have a family of my own, and I hope that I can give the kind of moments, my parents had given me.

Growing up, I had played both soccer and baseball until I was in the 6th grade. I found where my passion was - soccer. I love the speed of the game, the physical aspect, and being on a team. Learning the technique of ball handing, passing accurately, and body control is something I strive to be best at during each game. Understanding the game and spatial awareness is essential. And last, having the proper mindset before the game is vital. Before a game, I watch my favorite professional players and their games online to gain a mental perspective of what might occur during my game and how I would handle the situation.

I love watching premier league soccer, and I watch it LIVE. No DVR and no matter the game time or where I'm at, I'm watching. It's so addicting, exciting, and can't help but scream at the TV at times. My favorite team is FC Barcelona because of Lionel Messi. I had a opportunity to watch him play for Argentina in the Copa America game back in 2016. My love for the game goes beyond just watching, I can carry a conversation about the players, managers, what trades occur along with signing contracts and endorsements. In my Geography class, we were placed in groups and had a contest on who could name all the country's flags. Because soccer is a worldwide sport, our group won the competition.

Athletic Experience

Prior to dedicating my athletics only to competitive soccer, I had played baseball and soccer through elementary and up to 6th grade. I had discovered that my love for the sport of soccer was not only on the pitch but outside of the pitch. Professional players such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have inspired me to give it my all and I continue to learn from them.

Physical Description