About Me
My background
I was born and raised in two states -- Iowa and Illinois. I started playing competitive sports when I was 4 and travel sports when I was 9, and through tournaments and regional and national competitions like USA Cup, Presidents Cup, ODP and State Cup, I've visited about 30 of the 50 states. I've loved traveling and meeting new people from all across the country and all across the world. One of my favorite moments was getting to see Lionel Messi and Argentina play live at Soldier Field in Chicago in the summer of 2024. That was an incredible moment. Some other personal highlights were scoring the game winning goal for my club team in the State Cup Championship in fall 2024, and having two of my artworks chosen to be a part of a national exhibit at a museum when I was in junior high.
A Versatile Player
One of the things I'm proud of is my versatility as a player. I'm equally strong with both my left and right feet, and I've played every position on the field (including goalkeeper, although I haven't done that in a while.) My last year on JV, I played attacking mid and led the team in goals and assists. I got moved up to Varsity and played on the wing and at the 9, then this past year on Varsity, we had a lot of injuries so my coaches needed me to play defense. I ended up playing a lot of defensive back on the wing, usually paired against the other team's leading scorer, and it was my job to keep them in check. It was a great challenge, and it made me a better player. I think that's why I like playing midfield so much, because it incorporates offense and defense, scoring and passing, playing the whole field. On my club team, I'm playing the 7, 10, 8, 11 and 9, and I love playing each spot. Some of my favorite players are all over the field, from Antoine Griezmann to Sergio Busquets to Lamine Yamal to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Interests Off The Pitch
I love soccer, but I've always had a lot of different interests off the pitch as well. I really like business, particularly marketing and entrepreneurship, and I plan on majoring in business in college. Over the past year, a classmate and I came up with a "Shark Tank" style proposal for a new app that got a lot of interest from actual companies and VCs outside the classroom, which was really exciting. Throughout my life I've played various other sports, like baseball, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and tae kwon do. The most recent sports I've really gotten into are golf and pickleball. I've also always been involved in art. I've had my artworks exhibited in five different gallery shows at different times in my life, and one of my graphic illustrations was used by Bettendorf High School for the cover of its fall information guide. I was also a published author in grade school, and co-wrote and illustrated five children's books with my father. I've also volunteered for school hunger drives, I've been a part of graphic design programs and clubs, Young Christian Athletes, and I'm really into photography and video editing.
Links To Media
I've been a part of a number of stories in the media for travel soccer and other achievements. You can find some of those here:
Jackson Leary: Talented Midfielder Earns Spot on EXACT 11 Watchlist - EXACT Rankings
QC boys soccer team will compete in USA Cup in Minneapolis | OurQuadCities
Mid America Premier Ends Its Ride At The Top | Quad CitiesQuadCities.com
Jackson Leary (@jleary7) • Instagram photos and videos
Jackson Leary Books | List of books by author Jackson Leary