Up at 7 a.m., before a game, Paly sophomore Patrick Alonis and his California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) team are already out and practicing.
The grass is still slick with frost and the players can see their own breath lingering in the air. The team huddles up to keep warm, spotting their parents in the stands in sweaters and under blankets.

Alonis has been doing this, waking up and playing soccer for the better part of his life. Born on Dec. 24, 1988, in Palo Alto, he has been playing soccer for 11 of his 15 years, first in the American Youth Soccer Organization for younger kids and later CYSA, the more competitive soccer league. He also played baseball, basketball and was a part of the Paly track team. Though he discontinued his other sports, he has stayed dedicated to soccer over the years.

"I like the idea of full team sport, everyone plays at once," Alonis said, holding soccer in contrast to baseball, where one player bats while the rest of the team sits on the bench.

Alonis originally became serious about soccer when a friend asked him to join the more competitive CYSO league at the age of 10. Since then Alonis has worked to keep sports prominent in his life, committing 10 to 12 hours a week to soccer.

He currently holds the position of forward, on his soccer team, and has been a forward as long as he remembers. He said he would be lost without soccer. "I wouldn’t really have anything to do … My life would feel empty without it."

His favorite part of soccer was the traveling. "I like soccer because I get to travel in cities all over California," Alonis said. "One day I hope to travel through Europe and play soccer there," Alonis said. His goals are to play soccer in England and Spain, a result of his positive experiences with English councilors at soccer camp.

Although Alonis is dedicated to sports, they are not the only point in his life. He is currently enrolled in Spanish 2, he loves music, playing both the bass and the guitar, plus he has both an older brother and a younger sister to occupy his time. He also enjoys relaxing and listening to the sound of the ocean, and having campfires on the beach.

When he graduates, he said, he wants to have some role in the music industry, be it producing or recording, or be a professional sports player, specifically a soccer player.