Nick Van Sicklen's 8-inch growth spurt in high school merely foreshadowed the height his soccer career has grown to since graduating from UW-Madison in 2005 as lead scorer and team captain of the men's soccer team. Since then, Van Sicklen has proved his staying power in the game, playing two years for Major League Soccer's D.C. United before shipping overseas to play for Canterbury United in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Born and raised in Madison, Van Sicklen is the middle child in a family of three boys and has a father who, to this day, is still willing to kick around a soccer ball.
""My dad still plays, so we always had four to play soccer with,"" he said.
Throughout school, he tried his hand at hockey and tennis as well as soccer, playing alongside other future UW-Madison athletes like Adam Burish and Matt Olinger. Badger men's goalkeeper Mike Hood said he first met his soon-to-be teammate while competing in a state championship in high school. Hood played for La Crosse Central while Van Sicklen played for Madison West.
""He scored multiple goals and beat us by one to move onto state that year,"" Hood said.
Such talent opened many doors for the young player. He had always dreamt of staying in his hometown for college, but considered his options elsewhere when Badger men's soccer took a downward spiral.
""[The team] had a new coach and the program had fallen off its tradition, but it was so tough looking at other schools when I grew up in such an awesome college town like Madison,"" he said.
His decision to attend UW-Madison paid off, however. In 2001, a new coaching staff stepped in and turned the team around. Van Sicklen attributed much of his success to the new coaches, noting they all played professionally themselves and encouraged the team to take the game to a more serious level.
Assistant coach Nick Pasquarello recalled having to let go of several players his first year coaching the team in an attempt to remold the fallen squad. Van Sicklen's rare ability to run as fast with the ball as without prompted the coaches' decision to keep him.
""We kept Nick,"" Pasquarello said, ""and he became a cornerstone of the team, the go-to guy.""
""Nick led our team by example, he was never the most outspoken of the leaders because he didn't need to be. He was always out there working hard and producing for the team,"" Hood said.
Van Sicklen's rare athleticism earned him 76 career points, title as offensive MVP, as well as All-American and All-Big Ten Conference selections. His senior year he was recognized as College Soccer News' National Player of the Week
With graduation nearing, Nick considered his future career options imagining he might make use of the degrees he received in business and legal studies. He never thought professional soccer would be an option. Pasquarello, however, noticed Van Sicklen's improvements and urged him to play professionally,
""He got better technically over the years, really made leaps and bounds. This allowed him to play at a professional level,"" he said.
Van Sicklen was chosen for the MLS scouting combine his senior season and decided to see what would happen. While celebrating in Las Vegas after the showcase, he was drafted to D.C. United as the team's first-round pick.
""My name got called way earlier then I thought"" he said. ""It all just fell into my lap.""
He left Madison and headed to Washington, D.C. just as the United was coming off of an MLS championship. He learned a lot from his teammates in D.C., he said, playing along side young international star Freddy Adu, among others.
After two years of hard work and little response, Van Sicklen decided it was time for a change. He had a connection to a team in New Zealand and asked for release from the D.C. United.
""I thought it would be a nice way to see another part of the world,"" he said.
The Canterbury United in Christchurch signed him right away and he began training with the team. The transition to living and playing abroad went smoothly for Van Sicklen, especially since former UW-Madison teammate Noah Goerliz joined the team. Van Sicklen said he has gained momentum in Canterbury's rotation while taking advantage of traveling opportunities. With no particular plans for the future, Van Sicklen is sitting back and enjoying the ride.
""It's a pretty easy life right now,"" he said, ""play some soccer and see a beautiful country.""
