Superintendent's Spotlight: Xylia Martinez

Warwick Valley eighth grader Xylia Martinez is a goal-oriented student-athlete who balances her  strong academics with her passion for soccer. Xylia currently plays on three different soccer teams, including the Fox Soccer Academy, the Warwick Valley Middle School modified team and now the Dominican Republic’s U-14 Girls National Soccer Team.

Her opportunity with the national soccer team began about two years ago while visiting her family in the Dominican Republic. To keep her occupied during vacation, Xylia’s dad connected her with a trainer, who was so impressed with her skills that he recommended her to go train with the girl’s national team in Florida the following summer.

Fast forward to this past summer, Xylia returned for a try-out and earned herself a spot on the U-14 roster! In August, Xylia spent two weeks training with her team of 18 girls in the Dominican Republic before heading to Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean Football Union U-14 Girls Challenge Cup. As an attacking mid-fielder, Xylia helped her team advance all the way to finals against opponents from Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.

Xylia attributes her precision as an attacking mid-fielder to her training as a former gymnast and her experience with a variation of soccer called Futsal, which is played on hardwood with a smaller ball.

“It definitely helped a lot because it's smaller and tight and everything is going faster,” she explained. “So I think it helped me learn how to get out of pressure faster.”

Beyond the game itself, the international experience gave Xylia lasting friendships and memories. She bonded with teammates in between training, studying film and recovery sessions with the team’s doctor. Together they had scary movie marathons and explored the hotels during free-time. Thanks to her friends, even the ice baths were fun.

“After the tournaments, we would play games in the ice bath with a partner,” she laughed. “My favorite was the staring contest and trying not to laugh. It was just funny.”

By the end of the tournament, saying goodbye wasn’t easy.

“Everybody was so sad when we had to leave,” she said.

Back in Warwick, Xylia is looking forward to making the most out of her final year at middle school. She’s excited about eighth grade milestones like the formal dance, sharing a lunch period with all her friends and even Regents!

“I'm looking forward to doing as much as I can this year … I'm also kind of looking forward to Regents,” she explained. “I'm excited for the challenge, and I love all my teachers.”

Looking ahead, Xylia hopes to continue competing internationally while preparing to try out for the JV or varsity soccer teams next year. As for the distant future, she dreams of playing soccer professionally, but she’s also keeping her options open, with interests in becoming a doctor or a lawyer someday.

“I like helping people and I feel like it'd be fun being a doctor,” she explained. “But I also think I would be a good lawyer because I like to try to prove my point a lot, and I like to give evidence to prove my point is right.”

She credits her teachers, Kyle Putnam and Michelle Ryder, with teaching her important life lessons and helping her stay organized, and is grateful for the support she’s received from her mom, dad and little brother,  a seven year old at Park Avenue, who she also credits for teaching her patience.

“I can't forget my brother,” she said. “He teaches me a lot about patience, especially when I try to help him with things, because we’re really different, you know?”

Xylia also shared her advice to fellow student-athletes: “Always work hard and make sure you do your schoolwork. When you want to get better, practice a lot and try your hardest. Don’t doubt yourself, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself,  because you’re already doing a lot.”