October Athlete of the Month: Henry Xue
Photo submitted by Henry Xue.
Congrats to our October Athlete of the Month, Henry Xue! Xue is a center back for our boys soccer team, and has helped lead them to Hamilton’s first ever GMC Championship for soccer! Xue led the team in scoring with 8 goals in 14 appearances, and contributed to 7 clean sheets as well. When describing his season, Xue says, “I think it's safe to say that we're doing pretty well! We've just won the GMC with a record of 5-1-1 which is the first time in HHS history. Given that GMC soccer is arguably the hardest conference in the state, I think that this is a good measurement of us having the ability to take on any team in the state.”
Team captain, Jack Fisher, speaks highly of Xue, saying, "I have been playing with Henry for three years now and he is an amazing teammate. He leads by example and always brings great energy to everything we do. He is having an amazing season and our team wouldn't be the same without him.”
Teammate Josh Fox describes Xue as someone who “brings a strong passion and enigma never felt on a soccer field ever before. He always provides a sigh of relief because I know that when he is in the back line, [our opponents] don't score goals. Some of the strong assets he brings is that he scores a lot of goals even though he plays defense; he is like the Travis Hunter of soccer essentially. He always brings passion whenever he comes into the field and it is something to look up to.”
To learn more about this amazing Athlete of the Month, read our interview with him below!
How long have you been playing soccer for and why do you play?
I've been playing for over ten years now, and probably the main reason I play is being able to play with my friends while competing (staying active is also a bonus).
Who is your athlete role model and why?
For me it has to be Son Heung-min. Not only is he such a talented player on the pitch, he's also an extremely humble and nice person off the pitch as well. Being able to always look up to him as a role model allows me to remind myself of the person I want to be.
What is your main goal this season?
Funny enough, my biggest goal this season isn't actually to win something or have a personal milestone. It's actually to enjoy my last high school soccer season. I think along the way I lost my love for the sport and this season I'm trying to leave this sport with no regrets.
What are your future plans involving soccer?
As I've hinted from my previous answer, this is probably it for me as I'll hang up the boots after this high school season.
Do you participate in any other spots or activities?
Yeah, I love staying active! I've been picking up tennis and pickleball lately and it's been a great change of pace.
Besides soccer, what are your other hobbies?
Video games, video games, video games. Oh yeah, did I mention video games?
Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?
I actually don't do anything specially really, but lately I've been trying to take things less seriously in the time leading up to a match. I've found out that being more loose and less "locked in" has actually made me play better.
Do you have any teammates, coaches, parents, or other people in your life that have helped as an athlete?
My brother has helped me tremendously in my soccer career. He's been through it before and knows the type of stuff that I go through. Having someone to relate to and talk to during those low moments is definitely something I take for granted. I can't thank him enough.
