In every high school there are only a handful of students that are successful in what they play. In this case Colonia has someone who plays three competitive level high school sports. Tim Meehan is a junior at Colonia High School and has been playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball since his freshman year.
Tim Meehan has been an athlete since a very young age, playing sports all his life. The first sport that he ever played was soccer, at the age of four. His dad used to play sports and got him into it as a kid. Meehan said, “He started me at a young age because my brothers team needed an extra player in their game and my dad asked me to sub in for them. I’ve always played since.”
Meehan’s father also got him into basketball at the age of five. Meehan said, “My dad got me into basketball because for Christmas he got me a mini basketball hoop and I wouldn’t stop shooting. After that my dad signed me up for recreational basketball in Colonia.” His father played a big part in Meehan’s athletic journey and still does today.
The only sport his father never had a big influence on was volleyball. Meehan began playing volleyball when he was 14, the beginning of his freshman year. He said, “For volleyball I was playing it in gym and one of the high school coaches was my teacher. She kept telling me to try out. Since I had nothing to do in the spring I decided to try out and ended up liking the sport at a competitive level.” Before playing volleyball, Meehan played baseball all his life. He played at the recreational and travel levels. He decided he didn’t want to try out in High School leading to his new found passion for volleyball.
Although playing three sports, Meehan has had a favorite ever since he just started playing. He said, “Out of all of the sports I play, soccer is my favorite. This is because not only have I been playing it the longest but I think it’s the most fun. There is no better feeling than scoring goals, dribbling and passing to get a nice assist. The combined with teamwork and coming together to win.” Meehan also happens to be extremely talented at his favorite sport. He has been starting varsity for the Colonia Patriots since his freshman year. This past year he totaled 4 goals and 7 assists and did more than just filled up the stat sheet. He was also a leader in the locker room and a role model for the up and coming athletes.
This great season for Meehan led to some very high awards. He was named to the all-white division team and the All-GMC team. To go along with two huge accomplishments he was also an honorable mention for the all-state team. Meehan said, “When I heard that I made All-Division and All-GMC I was not only proud of myself, but now even more hungry next year. I hope to be even better. To be on one of the three all-state teams instead of just being an honorable mention.”
It sounds like Meehan has no intention of falling back and will work hard to improve. Meehan said, “I hope to see myself playing soccer in college.” He knows what it takes to be a Division one soccer player. He feels that if he can have an even better season next year he will be in a position to play at the collegiate level. Meehan currently plays for Valencia Academy outside of high school and knows how important club play is. He has already taken part in college showcases and has gotten approached by a few D-1 and D-2 programs.
Although soccer is his main athletic focus, he also plays volleyball at the varsity level. Like soccer he received his varsity letter after his freshman season. Head Coach Mr. Biri said, “Tim Meehan is a classic yeoman, meaning he puts his head down and just goes to work.” Meehan will be returning to the volleyball court in the spring of 2018 to try and improve on a decent year for the team last year.
Waiting to rotate into the game, Tim Meehan cheers on his teammates.
Currently Meehan is entering into his second sport of the year in basketball. This is his only sport not to receive a varsity letter. He has played freshman and junior varsity the past two years. Meehan hopes to work his way up to the varsity court either this year or next year. He said, “My hope this year is to win a lot of games and just improve and get better.” Meehan has started for the freshman and JV teams during his time playing and is planning to start shooting guard for the JV team this year as well.
Although Meehan is an exceptional athlete, he does find difficulties in balancing the life of playing three sports. He said, “Some days is it difficult to be a 3 sport athlete handling all of my school work. Sometimes I will have a lot of homework and won’t get home until past nine o’clock when I have games. This makes me stay up extremely late doing my homework.” Meehan is a very good student and knows he will not go anywhere with athletics without succeeding in the classroom. He has never failed a class and is still looking to improve on his grades these next two years.
Everyone understands how hard it is to balance three sports with the stresses of High School. Biri said, “It is incredibly hard, not just playing 3 sports, but to be able to complete your coursework as well. Finding time to manage school work and athletics in and out of school is not easy, but Tim does a great job of it. In an age where everything is so specialized, it’s amazing to see someone succeed in 3 different things at such a high level.” Meehan has found a great balance of school and sports and knows that he can succeed more in both. He will continue to not only work hard on the field and court, but in the classroom as well. He seems to be setting himself up for a bright future.
