Athlete of the Week: Kelly Pelz-Butler, Girls' Varsity Soccer

As Kelly Pelz-Butler streaks down the field, the defenders and goalie begin to perspire. As the distance to the goal shrinks before her eyes, Pelz-Butler gathers speed and composure. As she nears the goal, her soccer senses are tingling. She sees her twin sister and teammate Darcy Pelz-Butler fly towards the goal. Kelly makes a crisp pass to Darcy, who slides the ball easily into the net.

Born an athlete, Kelly Pelz-Butler wanted to play soccer from a young age. "I watched my older sister do it and so when I turned six, I started playing soccer," she said. What her parents didn't know was that she would go on to become captain of the varsity soccer team and play on a semi-professional team at the age of 17.

For Kelly, soccer is more than a game: it's a year-round project to which she must fully commit in order to play at a high level. "I definitely want to play in college and after," she said. Kelly plays on Kaieteur, a Calverton team with fall, winter and spring seasons. But her commitment to Kaieteur does not diminish her devotion to the Blazer team.

Kelly takes her leadership role in stride and refuses to become egotistical. "I hate being cocky," she says with conviction. Despite her humility, Kelly's talents this year have given her every right to brag. "She's like our engine that just keeps playing and is just in constant motion," says head coach Robert Gibb.

Her constant devotion to soccer makes her one of the most respected players on the team. Kelly's commitment during practice and games always amazes teammate and junior forward Sofia Read. "She works really hard all the time, and she's got a rocket shot that everyone on the team is jealous of," Read said.

Kelly's twin sister, Darcy, has been by her side through all her athletic endeavors. Darcy acknowledges that being Kelly's twin has allowed them to develop an intimate relationship that improves their leadership as co-captains of girls' varsity soccer. "We may argue, but...we can read each other and we know how each other works," she said.

While her high school soccer career is wrapping up, the finish of the varsity season does not signal the end of soccer for Kelly. She would like to continue the game in college and beyond. So far, attracting interest from colleges has not been a problem. "I've talked a lot with the St. Mary's coach, especially after I went to the soccer camp twice. The Salisbury and Howard coaches have also come to my games and talked about me playing there," she said.

The future looks bright for this star athlete; Kelly is well on the way to achieving her goals.