Eye of the Tigers

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

Ed Szambelak might be the perfect instructor.
He was a standout midfielder on the North Catholic High School soccer teams that claimed back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003.
After his successful high school career, Szambelak attended Holy Family University, where the Bridesburg resident is displaying his soccer skill.
During his most recent season with the Tigers, the midfielder scored five goals and added nine assists. He also earned All-Conference honors.
So Szambelak has all the soccer knowledge to be a fine teacher. But that’s not what makes him perfect.
It is Szambelak’s enthusiasm for the game, an attitude that he’s trying to pass on to his young campers.
"I started doing the Holy Family camps last year," said Szambelak. "I also do a Ryan camp and help out with North. And I’ll help kids in the neighborhood. I love coaching and helping people with soccer."
The 21-year-old athlete teaches a variety of weekly soccer camps throughout the summer. Currently, he is working with 10- to 14-year-olds.
"I’ve been playing soccer since I could walk, and I want to help others enjoy it as much as I do," said Szambelak. "I just thoroughly like staying active. If I’m not playing soccer, I’m playing something else. I’ll play anything whenever I have spare time."
That athletic versatility spans the soccer field to the basketball court to the golf course.
"I’ve been golfing for about seven years now," said Szambelak. "I needed another sport to play. I was sitting down one day and thinking, ‘It’s springtime. What sport am I going to play now?’
"I messed around with golf but never took it too seriously," he continued. "So I went and got this horrible set of golf clubs and went to tryouts. And I was hooked. I wasn’t very good in the beginning, but I kept working at it and working at it. And now I really enjoy playing."
His diligence scored Szambelak a spot on the North Catholic golf team, where he worked with coach Bob Wheeler at the Juniata Golf Course to improve his game.
"People know Juniata isn’t the greatest of courses, but if it wasn’t for Juniata and Bob Wheeler, I wouldn’t have been able to practice," said Szambelak. "He was the one who let me on the course as much as I wanted. So if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be playing golf in college."
When his North Catholic days with the Falcons were over, Szambelak teamed up with the Tigers’ golf crew and took his skills one step further, earning All-Conference this season.
"Individual honors are always fun, but they’re not everything," he said. "It depends on the sport. In golf, you want to do as best as you can individually, because the better you can do individually, the better the team. You’re out there for yourself, and if you put up a good score, then you’re helping your team out."
But that rule doesn’t apply to everything.
"In soccer, though, an individual award doesn’t mean anything if as a team you don’t get to where you want to be," said Szambelak. "We lost in the first round of the playoffs this year. Then I got the word that I got All-Conference. And really, it was like, ‘Big deal.’ The awards are great. But I’d rather be successful as a team."
Szambelak’s success continued on the Holy Family soccer field this year, where he helped the Tigers put together an 11-7-1 record. Their season ended after a 2-1 loss to Caldwell College in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference quarterfinals.
It was a tough finish for the squad.
But for Szambelak, there’s always next year.
"I’m training really hard this summer and working as hard as I can," he said. "I’m taking it more serious than ever. It could be my last summer with competitive soccer. I feel upset that it’s coming to an end.
"I feel like just yesterday I walked through the door," he continued. "It is more motivation, though, because I’m telling myself this is my last year. So I want to go out with a bang. Hopefully we can do really well this year."
As Szambelak enters his senior year at Holy Family, he has a lot of expectations. But he never lets the pressure of winning overshadow his love for the game.
"I don’t really get too worked up. I see kids that get really mad at themselves and put themselves down," he said. "I look at sports like it’s fun to me. I’m not going to go out there and get stressed out about it. I want to do well and I’m competitive, but I see kids who take it way too serious. As for me, I’m just out enjoying myself.
"I mean, in golf, I get to play at some of the best country clubs in the area just because I’m on the golf team," he explained. "Some people can’t afford to play at a country club. So I feel privileged enough just to play. And if I do good, then I do good. If not, what can I say? I’m having fun."
Szambelak plans to keep letting the good times roll in his athletic career. But when it comes to academics, the management marketing major takes things a little more seriously.
"Everyone knows school is tough. You have to know how to balance everything out," said Szambelak. "You have to do your homework on the bus. You have to get it done. Sometimes we have spring-training practices very early and I’m really tired. All I want to do is go to bed, but I have class and then I have golf all afternoon. It’s hectic, but you have to get it done."
If all goes according to plan, this time next year Szambelak will be a college graduate.
But don’t remind him.
"I really don’t want to think about graduating too much right now," he said. "It’s going to come sooner than I want. Everyone talks about how tough it is.
"I’ve been playing sports my whole life," he said. "I will stay involved with it. Whether it’s coaching, or playing afterward . . . who knows? But that’s the least of my worries right now. I’m just really focused on this season coming up. I’ll want to keep playing golf and soccer until I can’t play anymore." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com