Lindstrom’s Talent in Soccer Puts Her on a Fast Track

Most teenagers are in no hurry to grow up. They wouldn’t dare turn down free room and board, meals home-cooked by Mom and the inalienable right to hang out at the mall with high school friends.

Stacy Lindstrom, 16, is different. She petitioned the NCAA in August to recognize her as a senior, clearing the way for her to skip a year of high school and start college next September.

At a recent pep rally at Aliso Niguel High, Lindstrom was getting stares from classmates wondering why she was sitting in the senior section. After she’d told them of plans to accelerate her graduation, the reaction was predictable.

“The juniors are going, ‘Oh my God, I’m so mad at you,”’ she said. “And some of the seniors are like, ‘Why are you doing it?”’

The answer is simple--soccer.

She has been one of the nation’s top youth players. At 14, she was playing against Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain at a national camp. She has been traveling around the world competing on national teams and clubs. She helped Aliso Niguel win the Southern Section Division I title last season as a sophomore.

“I think the decision was made for me, how I’m living,” she said. “It just feels right because all my friends were older, and I already felt like I was a senior.”

College coaches were thrilled with Lindstrom’s decision. They immediately offered scholarships. She has narrowed her list of schools to UCLA and Texas.

Of course, there’s more to it than simply declaring herself a senior. The biggest obstacle is completing the academic requirements. Besides increasing her class load this semester at Aliso Niguel, she’s taking two classes at Saddleback College.

“I don’t get much sleep,” she said.

Lindstrom’s parents support her decision to start college early, but they wanted to make sure she considered all the ramifications.

“Think about what your regrets will be when you’re a freshman in college,” her mother, Jan, told her.

“I really don’t think I’ll regret that much,” Lindstrom said.

She’s being permitted to experience all the social activities of a senior, such as senior pictures, the prom, the yearbook.

But what sane teenager is prepared to throw away a year of having no responsibilities other than to attend high school?

“I don’t think she’s giving up her teenage years,” Jan said. “She’s going to graduate with her friends. She’s enjoying herself right now. If she didn’t want to do the work, that would have made the decision easy. She’s the one who had to commit to do the studying, do the homework and go to the classes.”

And her parents had to accept empty-nest syndrome a year early. By this time next year, Lindstrom and her older brother will both be off to college and out of the house.

“She owes me hugs,” Jan said.

College coaches have been mostly supportive but also wanted Lindstrom to know what she would be facing.

“I talked to some coaches and got different perspectives, good and bad,” Lindstrom said. “Most of them thought, soccer-wise, I’d be fine. They wanted to make sure I thought it over and would be strong enough to deal with all the responsibilities thrown at you. They wanted me to have my eyes wide open. I think the biggest challenge will be the social part and school.”

Lindstrom’s decision to skip a year of high school to play college soccer immediately is not unprecedented. It’s a growing practice among girls on the East Coast.

It’s opposite the trend among boys to hold themselves back a year in middle school, gaining time to become bigger and stronger for high school. There’s no turning back for Lindstrom. She has made herself part of the class of 2002. The fun and games of the teenage years will soon end.

“I’m not trying to rush anything, but I think it will really challenge my soccer game,” she said.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.