Angel Garcia Panora representing Illinois Olympic Development Program

Interview with our U14 iProSkills Academy player, Angel Garcia Panora.
Angel is with iProSkills Academy since the beginning of the club. He is representing Illinois Olympic Development Program and also his team just won Division 1 in YSSL Leaugue.

What is your name?
My name is Angel Mauricio Panora-Garcia and I’m 14 yrs old.

For how long are you playing soccer?
I’ve been playing soccer for since the spring of 2013, almost 7 years, half of my life.

What is your favorite soccer position?
My favorite soccer position is center mid.

Why training and playing playing with iProSkills Academy?
I was selected by Coach Costel in February of 2015 to join iProSkills. He offered me the opportunity of developing and becoming a better soccer player. Today, thanks to his teachings I’ve become a better teammate and a well developed soccer player who is still in training.

What is your best memory with your team?Places you been? Games? Moments?
One of the best memories at iProSkills Academy as a player is being one of the original iProSkills player and I’m very proud of it.

What is the best memory with your team? Places you been? Games? Moments?v
The best memory with my team so far is is winning U-14 Division One Champions!! It was hard work and sweat, but it’s all worth it.

What is your strength as a player?
My strength as a player is my vision and field awareness. I consider myself to be a good game maker.

What is your weakness and what you planning to do about it?
Lol, my weaknesses is my height and speed. I can’t do much about the height, but as for my speed I plan to join track and field in high school to develop my speed and lightness on my feet. Training, training and more training.

Who is your favorite player in the world and why?
My favorite player in the world is Mohamed Salah AKA the Egyptian king, because I like his style of playing and he’s a good teammate. But the player who inspires me is Andrea Pirlo. He’s a great center mid and how he sees the game and field is amazing. I aspire to be like him.

Who is your favorite team in the world and why?
My favorite team in the world is Real Madrid, because it’s a great team and they had Ronaldo.

What represent neon and black for you?
The colors Neon and Black mean family and pride.

How many hours did you train last year(seasons, camps, your free time, ODP, etc.)?
Hours of training I can’t say with an exact number, but we train a lot. I can say that last year between camps, regular team training, ODP and othe training programs, I easily trained over 500 hours.

Who is your favorite player in iProSkills Academy and why?
Favorite players are Martin and Fred Krug, they are strong, agile and fast.

What qualities should have a player to be team’s captain?
To me, the qualities of a captain are disciplined, respectful, caring

What is your dream in soccer?
My soccer dream is to be one of the best, if not the best center mid.

What are your goals? Short term, Medium term and Long term?
I have endless goals to achieve, but so far short term is to win U-14 Division Champion this spring of 2020 for YSSL and NISL League. Medium term goal, if allowed and possible is to make the school varsity team freshman year.

What is your best memory as a soccer player?
I have many favorite memories as a soccer player, but the best one and the one I’m most proud of as an individual is when I scored a goal with a volley from half field. It was crazy!

What do you think makes the difference between a top-ranked player and a random player?
The difference between a top-ranked player and a random player is the endless training hours, hard work, and commitment.

What is the worst moment in your soccer experience?
The worst moment of my soccer experience was when I fractured my left growth plate in a soccer game on Mother’s Day. It was extremely disappointing because I love playing soccer, I cannot live without soccer. Very sad time!!!

What can you learn in soccer and apply in life?
I’ve learned that whatever we learn in soccer we can apply in our everyday life. One and probably most important is never to give up. Two, always try your best on the field and off the field. 3. Always be respectful, honest, and loyal no matter what.

What are the 3 images preached at iProSkills Academy and why do you think those are important?
The 3 images that come to mind I’d 1. Family, we are not only a club, iProSkills is my family. There’s no great player without an education. Education is as important as being an athlete. If you want to be part iProSkills Academy you have to live by these words, FASTER, BETTER, STRONGER, ELITE. This is iProSkills.

Send your message to your teammates and to the younger players from #iProSkillsAcademy!
If you are an iProSkills player be good, work hard, take it seriously and make the best of it. If you are here just for the glory then is not the place for you.
I want to thank Coach, who is like a 3rd father to me, and Magda, for the opportunity they gave me and my siblings to be better and do what we love. To all the coaches for their support and teachings. For the iProSkills family who care for us and help us. Thank to my family and my dad’s family for the support they give us too.

Thank you Angel Garcia Panora and best of luck!