It's no secret that in order to play college soccer, it takes a year-round commitment to the sport throughout high school and even prior.
Douglas High senior Danyelle Heidt signed with Biola University Wednesday afternoon, but she had to work through a lot more than just her commitment to soccer in order to get there.
Last June, a letter arrived at the front desk of The Record-Courier from Heidt's older brother, Kyle. The recent high school graduate and former star football and track athlete for the Tigers was pleading to the community for help.
Simply put, the Heidt family had just been through the type of year that few ever have to imagine.
Kyle and Danyelle's father, Mark, had seen his tourist-driven Lake Tahoe business take a severe financial hit in the wake of the 2007 Angora fire. Deb Heidt, the siblings' mother and Mark's wife, had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 10 years prior and had seen her condition dramatically worsen over the past five years.
The sharp decrease in family income met an impasse with the costly medical expenses. Mark took on a job driving a bus for Douglas County, but he was dealing with medical issues of his own cropping out of a bone spur in his neck.
Kyle also suffered a knee injury during football season which required surgery.
Kyle and Danyelle found part-time work in the spring to help support the family, but when it appeared that the family might lose their home, Kyle reached out to the community for help.
And help they did. There were monetary donations, fundraisers, supplies and labor to help renovate the family's back room to make it wheelchair accessible for Deb.
Within weeks, the family was restored to a place where Danyelle could stop working and focus on her last year of school. Her dream, since she was 6 years old, was to play soccer in college, and her senior soccer season was only weeks away.
"She was very diligent through this," Mark Heidt said. "She started looking at schools in the spring and I told her if you want it, go and get it.
"With the adversity of what our family came up against, I'm very proud of her."
The outside interest was certainly there. Danyelle was a two-time first-time All-Sierra League pick in soccer, scoring three goals and dishing out 10 assists as a senior.
She helped lead the Tigers to the Sierra League title and the state championship game. She was also a three-year key contributor for the girls' basketball team.
She received an offer from Bluefield College in Virginia and planned to contact Azusa Pacific in Southern California. She had a small stack of letters from coaches at smaller schools asking her to come, but Biola was the No. 1 choice.
"I had some doubts," she said. "Biola is a private institution and I wasn't sure about the finances. I know that God will provide though. He opened the door for me to be there."
She initially wanted to tryout in the fall, but couldn't make an arrangement until December.
"I went down for the tryout but I didn't hear from them that I made the team until the end of February, beginning of March," she said. "It felt really good when the coach called me and told me I was on the team. A lot of stress is off my shoulders.
"The school, the campus is perfect for me. It's not very big, but it's really green. The soccer field is on top of a parking garage, which is kind of weird."
Danyelle is expected to play attacking midfielder for the Eagles, who play in the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference. They posted a 5-7-3 record last year.
She said she is hoping to major in kinesiology once she's there.
"She has a big heart for people, wanting to help them out" Mark said. "She'll use her talents on the field there and also in the long run to help people out.
"She was very mature about the whole process. It taught her some patience. Great things come to those who wait."
Danyelle isn't the only Heidt Biola will be getting in the fall.
Kyle will be enrolling as well and, with a fully-healed knee, is in contact with the basketball coach at the school about possible playing.
"You can never underestimate what God is going to do," Mark said. "Both kids have been able to overcome adversities. Everyone deals through those times. It's tough, but they have learned diligence. That has been the big word for us over this last year."
