TEMECULA, Calif. -- A young soccer player from Temecula has accomplished quite a feat with his feet.
Hunter Borland can juggle a soccer ball 1,019 times without letting it hit the ground. It’s not a world record, but for a 9-year-old it’s pretty impressive.
“You have to keep the ball low,” Borland said while showing off his juggling skills.
Borland plays center midfield for the under-9 team in the Temecula Valley Soccer Academy. He started juggling three years ago by dropping the ball from his hands to his feet, one kick at a time. He steadily improved and his dad, Justin, decided to chronicle Hunter's progress by putting the videos on YouTube.
“I just saw how good he was and we did it just for fun,” Justin said. “We started out just setting goals and see how each week and watch him progress.”
Hunter wears green cleats when he plays. The same green cleats he earned by juggling the ball over 100 times, alternating legs, in front of the coaches.
“He was the first one to do that,” said coach Ryan Halliday. “We didn't think the young kids at his age would be able to do it, but he did it very, very quickly."
“Typically, you would never see kids do the things he can do with the ball at such a young age. He works extremely hard at it. He's like a little sponge. If you show him something, and he can't do it at practice, the next practice when he comes back he can do it,” Halliday said.
Hunter said he'd like to become the best soccer player in the world. Even at a young age, he looks like he knows how to get a leg up on the competition.
