Life without Alibekov

By Corine Gatti

Published: May 12, 2008

The midday sun’s glare was relentless on the pitch at Waynesboro. A breeze intermittingly swept across the field and feathered the jagged grass. It was a perfect time to discuss the Waynesboro boys soccer squad, its solid year and its playoff run.

Nothing is perfect. Not even a picturesque day and the Giants’ 6-0 Southern Valley record. The Little Giants will be left with a hole in its roster once they advance to the Region III tournament in June. They will be without forward Baur Alibekov, who will return home to Qostanay, Kazakhstan.

“Its been fun playing Waynesboro soccer,” Alibekov said. “I had a good time here.”

Alibekov joined the squad in late February, Giant coach Bill Meicke said he knew the forward would be a perfect match for his team. 

“The coach for the Augusta County Futbol team told me that I had to check this one kid out, so I did,” Meicke said. “Baur didn’t know it, but I went to see him play and it was like I struck gold.”

The Giants struck gold this season and captured the Southern Valley regular-season title Thursday night by defeating Fort defiance 1-0. It also guaranteed the Giants a spot in regional play.

“I was concerned this season, a lot of players left,” Meicke said. “ But [Javier] Martinez and Baur really stepped it up for us and contributed to this team. I was surprised how well we did.”

Alibekov had an advantage coming into this season. Unlike many American high schools, Kazakhstan schools do not have sports programs. Students have to find travel teams to play soccer, and the criteria is based on skill. Players are lumped together by their talent not their age.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was two,” Alibekov said. “I played with kids older than me, so I think it did help me to play better.”

The Giant coach touted Alibekov’s ability to jump right in to play. Focusing on a main sport gave the foreign-exchange student an edge.

“I’m not surprised. He’s played on a more sophisticated level because of his experience back home,” Meicke said. “He just fit in with rest of the team, he became a natural leader, and he has the ability to coach and direct players on the field.”

On the pitch, Alibekov showed that he’s dependable getting to the net.

“There are very few players that can get eight of 10 shots, Baur has that ability to capitalize on opportunities and make it happen,” Meicke said.

The transition to the American pitch was not as smooth because of the language barrier.

“I struggled with learning the soccer lingo, I didn’t think I was even going to play soccer in America because of the other big sports here like football and basketball,” Alibekov said. “But I was glad that I was able to play soccer.”

The Giants (7-1-0, 6-0-0 Southern Valley) would seem to have all the momentum they would need entering the playoffs. But Meicke is concerned about moving forward without the Alibekov.

“I’ve been worrying about how we’re going to deal with that if we go to play regionals in June,” Meicke said. “He’s gotta do what he’s gotta do, but we would love it if he stayed.”

Alibekov summed up his experience at Waynesboro with gratitude.

“My teammates have become my good friends, I just loved playing here,” Alibekov said.