- April 18, 2024
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Seabreeze’s Colby Clymer earned a scholarship to Brewton-Parker College, where she plans to help build its soccer program.
BY MATT MENCARINI | SPORTS EDITOR
Colby Clymer has an impressive resume.
She was recently named the Ormond Beach Lions Club Student-Athlete of the Month. She played four years on the Seabreeze varsity soccer team, where she was a captain for the last two.
She has two district titles under her belt, from her junior and senior seasons, as well as a scholarship to play at Brewton-Parker College, in Mount Vernon, Ga., to go along with what I’m told are some pretty good grades.
You don’t put together that kind of a resume just by being good at what you do. The real work behind Clymer’s success, like many athletes, goes unseen.
There are hours spent on the practice field. Hours spent thinking about soccer. There are hours, spent alone, away from the team and coaches, working at her craft.
There are hours spent on academic work, all for a potential scholarship offer.
While many other high school players may have as much talent as Clymer, Seabreeze coach Frank O’Donnell said she has something most don’t. And it's that internal drive, those hours, that pushed her to where a lot of good high school soccer players don’t go: a college team.
In the offseason before her senior season, Clymer worked with Seabreeze assistant coach Kim Merkel. They worked on Clymer’s agility, conditioning, core strength and speed. And it paid off.
“She said she wanted me to be the very best I could be in my senior year," Clymer said of her coach.
And come August, she’ll report to Brewton-Parker, ready to clock even more hours. But if Brewton-Parker coach Jayme Dye isn't sure exactly the type of player she’s getting yet, O’Donnell can lend some insight.
He uses phrases like “the whole package,” “vocal leader” and “very loyal” when talking about Clymer.
One of the reasons Clymer decided to sign with Brewton-Parker was to be a part of building a program, she said. She likes what Dye has done with the program, and she said she wants to be part of taking it further.
That’s why she’s working with Merkel again this offseason. She has more work to do. She has more hours to spend. Her resume isn’t finished yet.
