Get out of Rebecca Arce’s way.
The 17-year-old senior at Bayside High School plays the game to win. In fact, she plays all the games to win. Acre is a four-sport athlete, competing in soccer, softball, volleyball and tennis. She has a vested interest in her own performance, as well as the performance of her teammates.
“There are people who will join a team only because it looks good on their college applications,” said Arce. “They waste everyone’s time, they are not an asset to the team and they get in the way. It really makes me mad.”
While lackadaisical play stirs Arce’s more vitriolic emotions, it is the love of sport that carries her into competitive action. She explains that even during her free time, when she could be doing anything, she is usually engaged in a sports activity of some kind.
“She is a rare type of kid,” said Joseph Corrado, the assistant athletic director and a coach at Bayside. “She’s a four-sport athlete, but if she could play seven, she would.”
However, no matter how many different sports she wants to play, she would not be able to if her grades were not up to par. Her father insists that in order to participate in sports, school must remain her top priority.
“My dad tells me that sports have to come second to school,” she said. “It is like a reward; if I keep my grades up, I can keep playing. And that’s good because it gives me a goal to accomplish and having goals can help you build skills.”
Acre, a product of Fresh Meadows, is building her skills toward graduation this June. After she leaves Bayside, a school she said she will miss terribly, she plans to attend City College for one year; and then, she’s off to Queens College where she will continue her multi-faceted school routine.
“I’m planning to double major in physical therapy and music,” she said. “And I’m definitely going to join the soccer team.”
Like a lot of young athletes, Arce is fascinated with the human body and all its quirks and vulnerabilities; especially in sports-related injuries. She explains that she used to get hurt a lot when she first started competing and now she feels obligated to help others avoid injury.
“I don’t like to see injuries happen to other people,” she said. “I want to do my part to help other athletes become stronger.”
But that doesn’t mean she is going to let those other athletes in college get comfortable in their current positions. Arce is heading into college full-bore; and she fully intends to challenge players for a starting spot on the Queens College soccer team.
“I’m going in with the mentality of taking another girl’s spot,” she said.
And there’s a good chance she just might do it. Arce was named captain of the All-Queens First Team last season for her defensive prowess as the team’s sweeper. She was also the unquestioned leader of the team; leading by example with her down-and-dirty physical play.
“When I’m out there on the field, I make sure things get done and everyone does their job,” she said. “I can be shy, but in sports I step it up. Communication is key in sports; you cannot be successful if you stay silent.”
For Acre, vocal leadership breeds a success that can carry her anywhere; even around the world. An avid traveler, Arce sees no reason to plant herself in any one place and she believes that immersing oneself in foreign cultures is a great way to grow as a human being.
“I’ve been to Paraguay, Brazil, Australia and around Europe,” she said. “I love seeing and being around different cultures; the different ways people speak, what they eat, it is all very interesting to me.”
Until she can fly around the world at will, Arce will remain in Queens and work to excel in sports and academics. She knows that these two priorities will more than likely impact the rest of her professional and private life. But she also realizes that as important as sports are to her, they are just small corner of a much bigger field of play.
“You have to know your priorities and realize that there are bigger things in life than just sports,” she said. “With success, if you really want it, you have to work hard; it won’t just come to you.”
