LIVE OAK, Fla. – With 12 scheduled road and neutral-site matches, Polk State Soccer will do plenty of traveling during the 2024 season. For a couple coaches and players, however, the road trips have already started – and with a mission in mind bigger than soccer.

Head Coach Dee Shivraman and assistant coaches Paige Russell and Brian McNulty, midfielder Dylan Fernandez, and forward Cheyanne Pitts made the 200-mile trip to Suwannee High School in Live Oak, Fla. on July 23 to help facilitate a camp for the school's girls soccer program. The Polk State quartet spent about four hours mentoring about 20 high school players.

"I remember being that age and not having a ton of resources for soccer," Pitts said. "I was once in their position, getting to meet people who played a higher level. If people hadn't done that for me, I might not be playing college soccer right now."

During their time in Live Oak, Polk State players and coaches spoke to the high school athletes and facilitated different drills.

"We introduced ourselves and told them what it was like to be a student-athlete at Polk State," Fernandez said. "This was the first time I worked with girls who were that close to my age. There were a lot of smiles and a lot of laughter. You could tell they were very appreciative."

A rural city with a population of less than 7,000, Live Oak has long been regarded as a football city and Suwanee High School as a football power. Soccer clubs, Suwannee Head Coach Ken Fedak noted, are nowhere to be found.

"Most of our kids play high school ball for four months and that's it," Fedak said. "To be shown that they can work hard and get to the next level by college athletes was a great learning experience. We had a few kids talk about the idea of playing in college, but after this, a few more believe they can do it."

Pitts, a native of Lakeland, worked with a 16-and-under club team last season. When Shivraman was looking for volunteers to make the three-hour trip, she didn't hesitate.

"I enjoy volunteering," Pitts explained. "When they're at the high school age, they're still willing to learn and have a lot of hope. Our team at Polk is united. It's a family atmosphere. When people ask what college soccer is like here, that's the first thing I say."

Fernandez, a former Auburndale High School standout and an All-Region 8 honorable mention selection as a freshman last season, has also volunteered her time in the past. She enjoyed her time with Coach Fedak and the Suwannee team.

"A lot of them came from different backgrounds and that was neat to see," Fernandez added. "I remember looking up to college athletes at that age. At the end, we scrimmaged and played with the team. That was my favorite part."

As Shivraman enters his second season at the helm at Polk State, he has emphasized being a program that was part of the local community. When it comes to growing the game of soccer, he said it's sometimes necessary to go beyond your own community.

"Soccer is a worldwide sport and at Polk State, we want our footprint to be as large as it can be," Shivraman said. "We're fortunate to have very good clubs in our area. Sometimes it's easy to take that for granted. This was a great opportunity for the high school athletes, but I think Cheyanne and Dylan got a lot out of it as well."