By: Matthew McCormack
With five games left in the Oliver Ames soccer regular season, Tim Olsen hopes for big things. Having made it deep into the playoffs his freshman, sophomore, and junior year, Tim expects to go out with a bang; preferably another state championship title, his second in four years. Even if Olsen and the Tigers are able to achieve this goal, once that final whistle blows, Tim’s soccer career will be over.
Although Tim used to play basketball and baseball, he decided to stick with soccer stating, “I wasn’t good at baseball.” Having been on his team when we were both 11 and 12 years old, I can confirm baseball was not the sport for Tim. When asked about his basketball career, laughing he said, “I wasn’t any good at that either.”
Outside of soccer, Tim has had one of the more interesting high school experiences at Oliver Ames. When asked what he believes he has bragging rights to at OA, Tim answered, “The pickle, and getting banned from the nurse’s office.” Let me explain. The pickle is Tim’s green Volvo that will not die no matter how bad he wants it to. As for the nurse’s office, Tim was caught goofing around multiple times in one day by Mr. Flanagan. The second time, the straw that broke Mr. Flanagan’s back, Tim and a fellow Oliver Ames student were in the midst of a wheelchair fight in the back room. It was at this moment that Tim knew he had done something no one else could imagine, something that would make him a walking legend in the Oliver Ames hallways, something that would gain himself some street-cred, something he could brag about to his grandchildren: getting banned from the nurse’s office.
Tim only has one regret from his academic career at Oliver Ames, expressing his remorse for, “Not trying.” Despite not trying, Tim has managed to make a special connection with staff in the building: Mr. Flanagan, Mr. Paul, Mrs. Leblanc, and last but not least, Mr. Cahill. Tim has always done well in his history classes. As for the rest of his schedule, there is a lack of effort which Tim is, “Well aware of.” This lack of effort has enlightened him with the biggest lesson he has learned in high school: “You have to study to get good grades,” Tim bluntly stated, smiling.
Although Tim only plays soccer, he would rather watch other sports such as his favorite professional sports team, the New England Patriots. When asked if he watches soccer in his free time, Tim did not miss a beat angrily blurting out “NO!” because it is, “Incredibly boring.”
Tim’s “love” for soccer came from a young age. “No I do not love soccer. I simply like it. I did not find out that I liked soccer until eighth and ninth grade, particularly when I saw the potential our team had.” His favorite memory was, “obviously winning the state championship my freshman year.”
Some of Tim’s fondest memories come from his favorite coach, Scott Dolan. He particularly liked Scott Dolan because he would make fun of Tim a lot. A self described “fun” person, it is no doubt that Tim loves a good laugh at his own expense. Last year, coming off of a groin injury, Dolan would film Tim being wrapped up in the biggest, longest, bulkiest athletic tape he has ever experienced. Dolan claimed he looked like the “Michelin Man.” “After the trainer wrapped me, I could barely walk let alone run. It was too bulky so me and Dolan ripped it off once she left.” This process was repeated every day for the rest of the season.
Along with his groin injury last year, Tim also had a painful tumor on his leg, which could’ve caused his tibia to break had it not been removed. He fought off another season, and got surgery in May, which allowed him plenty of time to recover and get ready for another season.
Now that his senior year is flying by, and his soccer career is almost over, Tim is savoring every second of the rare minutes that he gets to be on the field. Knowing this, Tim has no intention on trying to play soccer in college, rather, he wants to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst in order to study Marketing. His love for marketing came from his favorite teacher, Mr. Cahill. An aspiring marketing consultant, Tim has been taught everything he knows from Mr. Cahill.
When asked what a player can do to succeed in soccer, TIm, jokingly replied, “Don’t look at me as your role model,” but then gave a more serious response, advising younger kids to, “work hard, stay in shape, don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good, or else you’ll end up like me. Also, don’t do anything stupid.” Although it may not seem like it, Tim has truly enjoyed all the time he has dedicated to soccer, and all the memories he has shared with his teammates, who have turned into seemingly lifelong friends.
“At the end of the day, I can look back and see that I had fun,” Tim reflected. “Although I may not have been good, I had fun, and I made lasting memories. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”