Ellijay’s Three Rivers Athletic Club (TRAC) has a formidable team coming up the soccer ranks.
TRAC’s 12-under Fusion wrapped up its fall season last month. The girls posted an undefeated 16-0-1 record, won Cherokee Impact’s 12U boys division and captured a pair of tournament titles.
Stephen Byrd, a 30-year coaching veteran, has been the head coach of this group since 2019. They originally did not have a coach, so he stepped in to fill the void. While Byrd was out of town last week and unavailable for an interview, his wife Erin Byrd spoke to the Times-Courier.
Erin serves as Fusion’s team manager and TRAC soccer’s registrar.
“This is such a great group of girls and also a great group of parents,” she said. “Youth sports in a small town is a dynamic combination. It can be challenging. This group of parents is very positive and supportive of each other’s kids.
“Steve is a passionate coach. He’s passionate about the sport and has high expectations for the girls. The parents allow him to coach, to have expectations, encourage and push their kids. The girls respond to it and work hard. With all of that put together, you see it in their success.”
There are 130 players in TRAC soccer from ages 3 to 13. With only one or two teams per age group, Fusion played in Cherokee County to get more games. They upped the ante further by opting to play against boys instead of girls, which often led to interesting interactions.
“We asked to be scheduled with the boys, and Cherokee was gracious enough to accommodate us,” Byrd said. “Every weekend we’d show up, and the boys coach would ask, ‘Are you all on the right field? Is this a make-up game or something?’ One of the boys parents asked one of our parents, ‘Do the boys need to go easy on them?’”
But most of the time by matches’ end, Fusion had a few more fans on its side.
“What we’d find out, is by the end of the game, some of the moms from the boys team were rooting for our girls,” Byrd added with a laugh.
Fusion posted a 9-0-1 overall league record with its lone tie coming against TRAC’s 12U boys team. Following Fusion’s championship, they went on to post a 3-0 record at the United Rec Cup Tournament in Henry County Nov. 13.
Fusion also won the UFA Rec Rocks Tournament in Cumming Nov. 20-21 while picking up four more wins.
Byrd noted that Fusion does not pull players from a large pool of athletes. It is a recreational team entirely made up of local players from Gilmer, and there were no tryouts ahead of the season.
“With that, what you have to focus on is taking the girls who want to play, they have to want to work hard, and the coaches have to be committed to helping the girls develop the skills they need,” Byrd said.
“You’ll have a couple natural athletes pick it up real fast and they want to win. What you find in a small town like Ellijay, is that you’ve got to be willing to work hard and be willing to improve.”
When Fusion enters the 13U age division next season, there will be more competitive opportunities through Georgia Soccer. Plans are to move the team into a more competitive level going forward.
Want to get involved with TRAC soccer?
TRAC is a volunteer-driven organization. Byrd noted they are always looking for coaches, players and parents who want to get involved.
Byrd expressed gratitude to TRAC sponsor Dr. Thomas Nguyen of Ellijay Urgent Care and Family Practice, who donated funds to purchase jerseys for all players during the 2021 season.
Faith, Hope and Charity donated money that was used to level TRAC’s full-sized field and plant new grass, a project Byrd said cost “about $10,000.” New goals have been ordered for the large field and should be in place by spring.
TRAC soccer also partners with Liga Ellijay, an adult mens recreational soccer league that plays on Sundays and serves 200-300 players from Gilmer and surrounding counties.
Registration for TRAC’s 2022 spring season is open and can be done online at Threeriversac.com. Registration is open to boys and girls born in the years of 2008 to 2018.