On Thursday, May 7, 2015, Central Bucks West senior Jason Douple was recognized at a special news conference for committing to compete in soccer at the US Merchant Marine Academy. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Jason Douple – US Merchant Marine Academy (Soccer)
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Reasons for choosing the US Merchant Marine Academy: “My goal was just to get into a service academy – I want to serve my country. I have been talking to the coach for a while, and they had been looking at my team quite a few times and contacted me. I said, ‘Hey, that’s a way to get in. I’m going to jump on that.’ I took advantage of it.
“I had applied to all three academies, and I was waiting to hear back from a couple of them, feeling out my options, and I ended up only getting into the Merchant Marine Academy heavily through soccer, thanks to that.”
As a three-sport athlete, what was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I have been playing sports forever, and I knew I wanted to continue my education at a service academy, so it wasn’t really a thought of whether or not I would be doing it but whether or not I will be able to. I always wanted to continue sports as long as I can. If I could, I absolutely did want to, and I was given the opportunity. I’m extremely grateful for that.”
Coach Stefan Szygiel says: “I have been here two seasons, and he’s been a guy that right away we established a very good relationship. This year he was a captain and a huge senior leader for us, earning first team all conference and really helping carry these guys into the playoffs. I think a lot of the team really followed him, which was great. I leaned on him a lot – I leaned on all my captains a lot this year, and they all stepped up at the right time, but Jason really exemplified it all season long in a very adult, direct kind of manner, and that’s what you need sometimes. You need a leader like that. He’s headed to a great place for the next step and the next level, and I’m excited for him.”
About Jason:
Favorite food: Latin American
Favorite movie: Batman
Favorite music: Hip Hop
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