Colorado Rush Soccer Club

I've actually only played for Rush for the last 2 years, my last 2 club seasons, but I can confidently say that that decision was the best decision that I've made in terms of club soccer. I bounced around a lot, ever since I stepped out of recreational soccer. I've tried so many different teams, different coaches, different levels, and Rush has by far been my favorite. I'm really glad that I got to experience it. There's an overwhelming amount of coaches that are wanting to see you thrive and succeed and they help you with every step of your journey. They help you bond with your team, they help you bond with your club, your community, they give you so many different opportunities in state, out of state, give you chances to get recognized by college coaches, just a lot of opportunities that can prepare you for your future. Whether you choose to pursue a future with soccer or not, I've always had support by coaches and staff and all of the directors and everything. Throughout my whole club soccer journey, since I started playing as a little kid, I'm super glad that I got to end it with Rush because it was a very welcoming club and just like a remarkable experience that I'm super, super glad that I got to be a part of and be a part of the Rush family.

To pinpoint one single favorite experience throughout playing with Rush is pretty much an impossible task because there are so many really, really great memories that I'll never forget. But one particular trip, we did a short travel trip to Utah for our DPL league. It's gonna be with me for the rest of my life. We had very successful games. We'd won both of our games by a pretty good amount and we played a wonderful team and, and nothing can beat going back to the hotel and getting some nice burgers and stuff that had gotten, catered to the hotel and just like scarfing it down in the lobby and then going and sitting in the hot tub and talking about the games and hanging out and bonding and laughing and just having such a good time. I remember playing we played the impostor game on one of my teammates' phones and it's just a great time, just hanging out with your teammates in the hot tub, having a good time. It's really is an unforgettable experience It's something that I truly treasure from the bottom of my heart. Those travel trips are experiences that you will never forget.

There are many ways that Rush has impacted me as a player, and I think one of the most defining moments was switching positions. I had always played forward. When I was a little kid, I was super fast, and my first ever coach just threw me in forward because when you have a fast little kid who likes to run, forward is the perfect spot for them, and I never even considered changing positions. So probably 85-90% of my soccer career, I just played forward, and I mostly loved it, and it was, it was pretty great. When I switched to Rush, one of my coaches asked me if I'd ever played defense before, and I was like, no, I've never played defense, and I never want to play defense. In my mind, I was just like defense sucks. I don't want to just stand back and defend the goal. I want to be the one scoring the goals and running on the end of all those through balls, but my coach, he put me in left back to see if I liked it, see if I was good at it. And I am so glad that he did, because I would never go back to the future now. OK, that's not true. I would, I'd play anywhere a coach would put me, but left back is now my position.

When people ask what position I play in soccer, I tell them left back, I'm really grateful for that coach for just putting me out of my comfort zone and throwing me in defense, even though I didn't really want to, I had no idea what I was doing, hadn't even practiced it, just one random game. He was like, you're gonna play left back, and I was like, OK, but yeah, I am forever grateful to my coach for doing that. I still play left back in high school season, and I love it. So that has really been a defining moment in my individual soccer career. And I also want to touch on the team.

Switching to Rush, and switching teams my last club season ever was kind of scary. It was like it was a big change, obviously, like I only have one more year and I'm changing teams completely, but that team, oh my goodness, they welcomed me with open arms and gracious smiles and, it's another thing that'll never leave me is just, those first couple of practices, everyone was super duper sweet, super welcoming, and it really helps you feel like you belong and you feel comfortable and accepted and that team really, really helped me feel like I earned that spot on the team and I deserve to be there and I was welcomed. So, definitely memorable from the teammates and very, very defining, for myself with my coach just looking at me and thinking, well, maybe you could try out defense, I owe Rush a lot in terms of the player that they, that I am now, that I've become today, so.

Right off the top of my head, how Rush has impacted me off the field is I can easily say it's the people that I've met who have inspired me to be the best version of myself that I possibly can be. I've made so many friendships throughout soccer and throughout changing teams, and every single teammate that I've met in the Rush community is an inspired people, they're all driven. They have goals in mind, and they set really high bars for themselves and their futures, achievable but high, and I think that surrounding yourself with those kinds of people can really impact your own future. I know that meeting probably my closest friend that I've made throughout soccer. She's really inspired me. She's a hard worker, and I see the dedication both on and off the field, and so really meeting a community of people who care about their sport, they care about their academics, they care about their future. It's truly inspiring, and it's motivating that you can do it too. Looking at them, I'm like, well, there's no reason that I can't be just as successful as all of them. And I think that applies to the coaches as well. You can see the coaches and their dedication to the team, and it's truly inspiring to see how much they care and how much they want their team, their club to succeed. So I think that, yeah, I think that the community, the friends that you make, the coaches, every little aspect of like meeting people has truly impacted me off the field. It's just inspirational to see such amazing people do such amazing things, and it makes you want to join in with them. So, I've definitely become a better person and a better player throughout Rush.

Would I recommend Rush to another player or family considering joining? Yes, 1000 times, yes, I cannot tell you yes enough, Rush has been seriously the best decision that I've made in terms of club soccer. I've had the most success with Rush. I've had the most confidence. Every single coach I've had has truly believed in me and wanted to see me thrive as a player. Every team I've been on has been super welcoming. They've just loved, they love each other, and it's a family, you want to be a part of a family that you feel accepted into and welcomed into. It's just so enjoyable, playing the sport that you love with people that you love, it's just something that I will never forget it and I'm so grateful that I got to experience and I really want other people to feel the same.

So, if you're looking for a club, Rush is, in my opinion, it's the best way to go. And on top of that, the opportunities are just, they're just excellent, they're stellar, they have such great communication about everything. The CAP program is phenomenal. They answer any questions that you have, they help set you up, and they give you options if you're looking to play at the collegiate level. If you're not, you can still go and travel with your team and have fun and just enjoy the experience while playing at whatever competitive level that you decide to play at. So overall, it's just an experience that's just so unforgettable, and I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of the Rush family.

One piece of advice I'd give anyone joining Rush would be to challenge yourself and to step out of your comfort zone. I think that is very crucial in becoming the best person that you can be on and off the field. There's gonna be many times where you're super nervous, you're super scared for whatever it is that you're about to do, whether it's tryouts, joining a new team, playing with the higher level, whatever it is, like, it's going to be scary, but if the journey wasn't challenging, then the destination would not be worth it. It would not be rewarding. So I think that really stepping out of your comfort zone is probably the best thing that you could do for yourself, to improve and to inspire others as well, when you see someone else just, giving it their best shot and diving into some challenge they might be super afraid to do, but they do it with everything that they have and it's just the most rewarding experience and I believe that it's one of the best ways that anyone can grow. So yeah, if you're, if you're nervous about joining a club, just give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Step out of your comfort zone and do it.

I think what sets Rush apart from any other club that I've played with is its size of it and its recognition across the whole country. I know coaches who are always looking for players. This team in Virginia has an opening on its roster. They need a guest for a tournament they're playing in. I know you're interested in schools and on the East Coast, so do you want to go play and they'll totally just like send you with this team across the country if it's going to help you get seen by college coaches over there. Still, then also just locally, like if maybe you're not interested in getting recognized by colleges, if you just want to play an easier level, then there's options for you. If you want to play at a competitive level still, there are options for you. So, I think that although size can be intimidating, at times, it's ultimately super helpful because then they like clearly Rush knows what they're doing. If it's such a big club that's well recognized and it's very, highly successful as well. It's, got a lot of things that that Rush can offer a lot of things that other clubs can't, with their opportunities and plans for the future and plans for just where you're at right now. It's a great club.

I first joined Rush about 4 years ago when I was 8 years old. I love soccer and wanted to start playing competitive. Rush was a great option because of the many amazing coaches and the great player development the club offered me.

I've been a part of Rush since I started playing competitive soccer. One reason I was excited to come to Rush was because they're willing to be flexible and work with my schedule. I really love soccer, and the Rush staff has always worked with my schedule to let me do other stuff I enjoy.

One of my favorite experiences with Rush was when my team won the Rocky Mountain State Championship. My team has come in 2nd place many times, and it felt amazing to finally win. My team and I fought hard in many games to bring home the trophy.

Rush has always been a place that made me feel like I belong. I love both my coaches because they always support me and have taught me so much about soccer. I really love going to practice. I also really love my teammates like they are my brothers, and I look forward to seeing and play with them all the time. We love and care for each other no matter what happens on the field.

Rush provides many cool camps over the summer. I have attended a few. I love how they provide many fun opportunities to play soccer with my friends and become a better player.

I would definitely recommend Rush to anyone who wants to play soccer. I'm even trying to get some of my friends from school to come and play with us because of how amazing Rush is to everyone involved. Rush is the best, and anybody who plays soccer should come and play with us.

I played for Rush for 5 years, and it was one of the best times of my life. They developed me as a player and a person. I met some of my best friends through Rush Soccer and found support that has transcended my days with the club. Coaches like Nik Penn have helped me throughout various stages of life, from getting me to play college soccer to helping me make the decision to hang my cleats up.

I have so many great memories from Rush. Getting to guest play on teams was always so much fun because you get to meet girls from all over. From every tournament, game, practice, they were always just filled with great people and great experiences. One season, a few of my teammates and I got to play 3 back to back tournaments on 3 back to back weekends with 3 different Rush teams from all over the country. That was one of the best months of soccer for me. It was just such a fun memory, getting to meet so many new people and have so many fun new experiences.

When I came to Rush, I had a deep love for soccer, a work ethic, and not a whole lot of skill, but my coach Nik Penn invested me at every step of my soccer journey, and he was there helping me get better as a player and a person. He not only did this for me, but for all of my teammates as well, which meant that he fostered an environment we were all there to constantly help each other improve.

Many of the Rush core values offered me lessons that I carry with me to this day. The entire Rush philosophy helped prepare me to handle challenges in my everyday life. On top of this, Rush gave me a community from the people on my team to the people in my club, all the way to the people I met all across the country at Rush events.

I am forever a spokesperson for Rush. I recommend it to anyone and everyone I possibly can. Whether you want to go and play college soccer or just have fun with it in your youth. Rush offers such a wonderful environment with wonderful people, and I believe they have something to offer everyone. The skills, experiences, and connections I made at Rush have helped shape me as a person.

To anyone just starting out, you will learn and grow inevitably, so don't rush through your experience. Work hard, take every opportunity, and enjoy every part of the journey.

Rush offers unique opportunities, like their guest playing program, Rushfest, Rush Select, and so many others. If you're looking to take soccer to the next level in your life, all of these programs offer so many opportunities to get out there, play soccer, and meet people. The Rush philosophies also make the club special because they truly care about developing people, as well as soccer players.

I've been playing on this club for 2 years. I came straight from rec, and the coaches are great and the players are awesome too.

My favorite experience here was last season, when we got first in our bracket. We played really hard and we got to move up a division, and it's even harder, which is awesome.

The club has impacted me as a player by just hanging out with my teammates. They're awesome and one stands out because whenever one of us scores or does something really awesome, we do a funny celebration.

My club has impacted me off the field by always thinking ahead and what's going to happen next, and also to just work hard and have tenacity. And also to have sympathy if someone's not doing well and they make a mistake. It's always fine to let them off easy and it's they might have a rough day, so always be nice.

I would want my friends and family to play on this club because everybody's awesome there, everybody's sympathetic, and they all are great. They help you learn a lot, and they always teach you to never give up, even though things may be hard, and they're just awesome.

I would advise someone that just started this club by always to work hard and be ready to play any position on the field and also to never give up.

We initially were attracted to the club because we had heard good things about the culture and the players and the coaches, and we have not been disappointed.

We have been part of the club for 2 years, and we were initially attracted to it for the culture. We had heard that coaches really value a whole person approach. It's not just about soccer, but about building values and good human beings. And that's what we found.

This may sound funny, but my favorite experience has really just been the practices. At the end of every practice, the kids play World Cup, and they enjoy being with each other and laughing, and it's just so fun to watch every single week.

The day to day interactions with the club have been great. Communication is clear, and the coaches, in particular, just seem to really be not only excellent at teaching the kids soccer skills, but also really focusing on building values and helping them have fun and become better human beings.

We've had a great camp experience. Not only do they seem to teach a lot of soccer skills, but they put on a great water fight.

I would definitely recommend this club and have, to other people. It is, just a really all-around great culture. It seems to attract wonderful, fun, friendly families and kids that just love soccer.

We moved to Colorado Springs when I was in 3rd grade because my dad is in the military, and we've been here for 3 years. I was just happy to find a new team, and most times you move, you can't really find a good team, but here I found my family, my friends, and my home. I started playing soccer when I was 3 in rec in Texas and we were called the Starburst and then we moved to Kansas. I don't think we played soccer there, but we played in Oklahoma. We moved there after Kansas, and then we moved here.

I think the funnest part about being in this club... Rush is going to the tournaments, and most of the time we stay in a hotel together, and we have a lot of fun memories there like the pool and ding dong ditching. It's just great memories, and I also love the progression of our team. We've started from bronze and moved all up to platinum.

When I first came here to Colorado Springs, I joined Rush, and I did not know anything about club soccer. I played rec, and I joined competitive soccer, and I didn't know any formation. I didn't know the skills. But coaches along the way, the training has made me more skilled and competitive. It's bringing my soccer IQ higher up, and one really fun thing that we do is we do a juggle challenge each year, and it really is fun for me because I put in the work every day, and it just brings my intensity up to want me to work every day.

Rush has helped me have a better character because they have core values and yhey've helped me be a better student, they've helped me be a better sister, a better child, a better person. They're really important, and I think that they value a lot in my life and a lot in soccer.

I would recommend Rush to any soccer players out there in Colorado Springs because Rush, like the coaches here, helps individual players if they're good or not, and they help bring your skills up, they help bring your personality up, they want you to be confident, not scared, and not overwhelmed with all the pressure on you. And also, I think that the coaches here are just amazing, and you can find family here, home, friends.

The advice I would give to someone just starting in Rush would be to be kind to your teammates. Show up to practice and games with intensity and be brave. Don't be scared if you're wrong and just have fun.

I think Rush is better than most other clubs because their coaches and their assistants don't focus on the best players; they focus on every single individual player. If they're good or bad, they still get their skills up, they help them, and that's really important in soccer.

I've been part of the club now for the past 4 years. What originally attracted me was the club's clear commitment to tactical and technical development of teams and players. What's sustained my attraction is really the relationships that I've developed and the support that is given, particularly by the technical director, to all of the coaches across the program. And of course the relationships with the families, the parents, and the players within the team.

I don't have one particular moment that stands out. I have lots of moments in the overall journey, and some of those moments have been pretty spectacular. I've been with the same team for the last 4 years, and when we started with this team, we were in the elite division and promoted through to Premier 3, and we now find ourselves in Premier 1.

I think looking back on the moments of adversity, the difficulties that we've had to encounter and overcome as a team, and the huge moments of growth that we've seen across the players in the team and the team as a whole, is really what makes the whole four years so special. And of course, when you look at the details of each day and each week, there are many ups and many downs, but the culmination of those ups and downs and the ways in which the team and the players on the team come together to address the difficult moments in particular and then celebrate and enjoy the successes, that's what's made the overall experience so special.

I think the experience of being with the club for the last 4 years has definitely helped me to grow as a coach. It's helped me to improve my coaching practice. It's helped me to keep fresh, I think, in terms of the drills, the activities, the functional aspects of the practice that I run. Seeing what other coaches are doing, speaking with and securing the support of the technical director, and then my own self-reflection on kind of what has worked well and what's not worked so well and what could be improved. I think the continuity, kind of the sustained involvement over 10-11 months, 3 practices a week. It's really helped me to grow individually in my coaching, but I think it has also helped to grow the relationship with players, the relationship between the players, and obviously grow them technically and tactically, as soccer players. But you know, also help them to mature and grow as boys, as young men.

I think what really stands out is the lengths that the technical director in particular Mark Carrasco, will go to to support his coaches, his families, and his boys. He's really committed, I think, to doing the right thing for players, team, and coaches. And sometimes that can be difficult to reconcile those different interests, and I think Mark does a tremendous job at that, and he's a real, kind of standout feature and a real big reason why I've stayed involved for as long as I have.

I would recommend the club to family, friends, and colleagues. I think the club does have a laser focus on the tactical and technical development of its players. I think the club has done some terrific work in getting in place some really high quality coaches that are developing real high quality coaching sessions. And like I said, I think the technical director has proven himself to be a superb support for everybody involved in the club. Families, players, and coaches.

I have been involved with the club, as a coach and a director, and various other roles for 18 years now. It's been a long journey, but one I wouldn't trade for the world. I've really enjoyed my time here, you know, getting to work with kids every day and play a game has been so rewarding. Getting the opportunity to watch kids grow and learn, both as players and as individuals, you know, chase career dreams, chase college scholarships, chase national team offers is something that I've always wanted to help, be a part of, and I have been lucky enough to do so over my time here. I think it's a tough world to get into as a coach because it's a lot of hours. The pay is not great, but it's not worth...it's not what we do it for. We do it for the love of the game, for the love of the players that we get to help every day, and again, like I said, I wouldn't change it for the world.

What is my favorite moment with the club? It's hard to whittle it down to just one. There's so many, you know, so many days that stand out, tournament wins, those things are all special, but, you know, it's the trips you take with the kids, bonding, you know, inside jokes, spending time learning from the, the great staff we have here.

If I had to say one memory, probably when I first started with the club, I think 18 years ago, there's a young girl at the time named Lindsey Horan, who played for our club, now known as Lindsey Heaps, who is the women's national team captain. Lindsay was, again, she was 15 or 16, so I got the opportunity to work with her over a couple of years before she moved off to Paris and started her professional career. The memory that stands out with her is the first time she came back to Denver with the national team. We had the chance to organize a couple 100 Rush families, players, parents, former teammates of Lindsey got together during the game and kind of sat in the same section. We're all wearing the Rush gear and had Rush flags, and after the game, Lindsay came over. We'd organized a photo op with her, so to be on the field with her and taking a picture of her in front of all these fans and players that are kind of the next generation to be, you know, inspired by somebody who wore the same badge was a pretty cool day.

I think the biggest way that the club has impacted me as a coach is just the relationships that I've been able to build with other coaches. The depth of knowledge that has come through this club during my time is unbelievable. People have gone on to coach youth national teams, professional teams, both here and abroad. Some of them coach the top Division One programs in the country right now. So, just to be able to watch how those people carry themselves, the standards they hold, the way they work, the way they coach. All of that rubs off on other coaches and younger coaches, and, now I'm in a position where I have the opportunity to help coach and mentor the next generation. [This] is a task that I spend time on daily, you know, if I'm not helping the next coach get better, then I'm helping them get worse. So, I think, you know, just finding a way to create the right culture, both for coaches, for players, you know, it's that, that people want to be a part of, I think, is super important and is really what has set this club apart for the last 20 years.

[Our] club facilities are a little different than others in the area. We don't have our own complex. We rent fields from the city. They can be bumpy and lumpy, and they can close with, you know, a quarter inch of rain in the air or on the ground, and those things are frustrating, but, you know, it helps coaches have to be better, you know, if the fields are closed, find a tennis court to play on, find a parking lot that you can go to, get inside, you know, find ways for the teams to keep training.

The nice thing about being on city-owned fields, though, is that it's big. We've got opportunities to bring out lots of teams at the same time for practices and games and I think we try to use that to our advantage, to have a U17 player come over and spend some time with the U9s, show them a flip throw-in, show them their cool new juggling move, just dribble around them for two minutes and see if anybody can steal the ball from them. The older kids get to feel kind of that enjoyment that they had back when they were young, of just coming out and playing for fun and the love of the game, and the younger ones get to meet, you know, some new idols and some new players that they can look up to. So, like anything in life, you know, problems just present new opportunities for growth and, you know, we want to get better with our facilities, and hopefully someday we'll have our own, but until then, we make the best of what we've got.

Would I recommend the club to a friend or colleague? Yeah, of course. I mean, I've been at the club for so long that the values and the way that we do things are part of who I am as a person now, and I believe that the things that we try to impart on the kids, not just on the soccer field, but trying to help them grow as people, is what I think all parents had hoped for, for their kids to find an opportunity to play a sport, to go be active, to make new friends, to face adversity, you know, to overcome obstacles. These are things that youth sports are known for and help kids grow into more rounded and you know, resilient adults, and that's part of what Rush does as well. It's not just about the results on Saturday. It's about the results in 15 years when these kids are going to their first job interview or meeting their significant other, you know, how are they going to be as people? Are they able to look you in the eye and shake your hand and say hello? Do they show up to work on time? Do they hold their self to a high level of integrity? These are all important things for us. We want good players, but we want good people too, and that's the reason why I would absolutely recommend the club to friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc.

My daughter has played for Rush Soccer for about the last year and a half. What initially attracted me to the program was their commitment to excellence and their core values. Being a part of Colorado Rush genuinely feels like you're in a big family. They teach the kids their core values. They quiz them on them all the time, and they expect the kids not only know the core values, but live them. And you can truly feel that in this organization.

The thing that's most appealed to me in keeping my daughter with this club is their commitment to teaching excellent soccer. They hire very qualified, certified coaches, and they want the kids to be able to learn in a fashion that they can go play at the next level. They promote growth within the club to playing on teams that are, you know, ECNL, ECNLRL, DPL, NPL, and if your kid has the passion and the desire to play, Rush will help you get them there.

We really appreciate the coaching staff and the leadership at Rush. The coach my daughter has now. Understands the game at a level that we've never had before. We've played for other clubs, and when she goes and plays on a different rush team, which she frequently does, she guest plays, all the teams across the country are trained in a similar fashion. So she can just step on the field, play with another club and understand formations, understand the game, and she's able to, she's been able to be successful. Traveling all over the country and playing with different teams because of the way that the coach has trained them.

So our favorite part of playing with Colorado Rush is playing in the DPL League. This is a national platform league that allows the kids to travel to different states to play. It's a huge bonding experience for the girls. They're able to meet other teams and other players on other teams from other regions. They get to stay together in a hotel, and they get to play other teams from across the country at a very high level. We really appreciate this experience. It's the only club in our town that provides this opportunity. And it just, like I said, it exposes the girls to soccer in other states. It exposes them to other Rush teams and other Rush players. It's allowed them to make a lot of new friends and just play some really great soccer.

Colorado Rush has impacted my daughter in many ways. Mostly, she has really learned how to become a leader and how to be accountable to her teammates. There is definitely a culture that promotes the core values of the club. She has learned that her performance on the field and off the field has a huge impact on her teammates. She has learned how to be a captain and how to lead her team, and I think a lot of this is because the core values that Rush promotes are taught every day on the field and off the field, and the organization really lives by them.

The kids on the team have a lot of pride in saying that they play for Colorado Rush, and that hasn't always been the case. So I really appreciate their commitment to core values, their commitment to providing a high-level soccer team and soccer coaches, and their overall commitment to the kids.

I think one of the things that stands out the most to me about Colorado Rush is the professionalism and quality of everything they do. They have resources that allow easy communication, easy scheduling, easy access to facilities that perhaps other clubs don't have.

In addition to being a parent, I'm a team manager, and Colorado Rush makes my job very easy. The facilities they utilize are all state-of-the-art. The software platforms that they utilize are easy [to use] and they provide an ability to communicate that is easy, gets to all stakeholders, and allows everyone to be on the same page.

I would absolutely recommend Colorado Rush to friends, family, and colleagues. They operate at, quite frankly, a higher level than most clubs in the area where we live. They've been around for a long time. They're extremely professional. No organization is ever perfect, but when something goes wrong, they fix it. They have a commitment to hiring people at the highest level, and they value the kids, the parents, and the relationships they've built. So they always try to do things right, even when something goes wrong. So I would 100% recommend them to any young athlete who wants to play soccer.