 |
How long have you been involved in sports?
I’ve actually been involved in sports for as long as I can remember, right from when I was an infant. I started out with little league soccer, y’know the 5 year olds running haphazardly around the field, aimlessly kicking at the ball and not really knowing 100% which net is theirs. I mean, I’m sure those years didn’t do much for my technique, but it definitely got me out there working with a ball and a team. It was the definite beginnings of my soccer obsession.
What types of sports do you play currently?
Currently, I am very heavily involved in track and soccer. I’m a member of the Edmonton Olympic Track Team and train three times a week. I also am on two different soccer teams, a U-18 tier 2 youth team and a Women’s Premier team, with two games each week and a practice. I also am a member of a dance group, Dance Xtreme, which rehearses twice a week. Although many in the “extreme athletics” world don’t consider dancing a “sport,” I always beg to differ. It involves the mastery of practical technique, working with other people, and requires practice and dedication, not to mention quite a bit of endurance to go “all out” in a 6 minute piece.
If you had to pick a favorite sport, what would it be?
I would definitely point directly at soccer. I’ve been playing it my whole life, and I’ve sacrificed a lot of other activities that I really do enjoy, just because I have the soccer “bug,” I guess.
If you could pick a favorite moment when it comes to your sport(s), what would it be?
There are so many. Obviously an athlete always looks towards victories as stepping stones towards greater achievements. One moment in my sports career so far that stands out to me is a provincial championship victory with my U-16 tier 1 team, and the main reason why was because we actually had to work for it. I’ve won provincial championships before, but none ever seemed so sweet because there were never points where I would panic or doubt our team. Honestly, that year it was rough and I felt nervous before every game and I felt like I had to push myself further and further because I couldn’t stand for any other team to walk all over us.
|
And we struggled, but we came through, miraculously in fact. Everyone was surprised and elated. It made our team bond so much stronger and I had never had more faith in my team mates than the moment when we won that championship.
Who inspires you when it comes to athletics?
I’ve gotten this question a lot and I’ve always felt tempted to answer the usual Christine Sinclair or Brittany Timko, however, although I admire these women very much, I can’t say I am ever directly inspired by them. A lot of athletes are inspired by other athletes that have huge amounts of talent, but it’s not always that way for me. A person can have a natural talent for a sport and pursue it only because it comes easy. When I look for inspiration, I look for players who have passion and are willing to work their butts off because it’s passion for their sport that drives them. I don’t care if they’re international level, or inter-neighborhood league, if they have the fervor and enthusiasm towards their sport and I can see it, then I’m inspired.
Do you have a motto that you live by?
Not particularly….I do have some philosophical ideas that can be phrased into mottos…and I consider them often in decision-making and everyday life. So I guess I’ll just share those. I always like to remind myself that whatever I do, there is always going to be someone better than me. There is always someone I can learn from and in turn they have something to learn from me. I believe there has to be a mutual respect between all athletes for sports to have a positive impact on one’s life. I also believe that every goal takes time; everything in life is a process, with a beginning and a final ambition or purpose, but never an ending.
One can’t ever expect anything to come immediately, and it’s important to create many intermediate steps and aims that can be conquered throughout the process. Finally, if it’s your passion, don’t give up. If it is truly your passion, then an abandoned passion will be something that will nag at you your whole life.
Do you believe sports and fitness go hand and hand? Why?
I do believe those two go hand and hand, very much so. Fitness is something that is very important to me, even if it didn’t benefit me so much in my sports, I would still constantly keep up with it, because it makes me feel good. When you are in shape you feel healthier and happier. Achievement in ALL sports is directly correlated with a dedication to fitness training. If you are not tiring out every 5 minutes, it is so much easier to focus on the game, the technique and the team work.
What do you plan to do this year regarding your sports?
I have many aspirations and expectation for this year in sports. I feel really good about my youth soccer team and am looking forward to playdowns and hopefully a shot at the provincial title again. In track, I am looking for some good new Personal Bests, especially at a particular track meet in February in Winnipeg on a professional track! Exciting.
Tell us about a defining moment in your life that has made you the athlete you are today?
Wow, this is a tricky question. Hmmm.....well I think one pretty defining moment in my life in terms of my athletics came when I was first put in a competitive environment where it was only me, without other team mates to fall back on. When I was in grade 5 I believe, I participated in the Journal Games at the U of A Butterdome. I had joined our little elementary "Running Club" with only the motivation to get more involved in school activities and maybe meet a couple people from higher grades. I never really knew I had a particular talent for track. I always knew I was fast, if anything from playing "Tag" and "Red Rover" at recess, and those rare break-away moments in soccer, but never fast enough to be successful on the track. So anyway, part of being a member of the Running Club was to participate in the Journal Games by doing a relay race with your team. Originally I didn't take it too seriously at all, but then when the time came to actually get out there and run, and I saw the other teams and how we were all competing to win, and something changed in me. Having noticed my natural aptitude for speed, my teacher put me as the last runner out of about 6 or 7. By the time it was my turn to run, we were in about 7th place. I would not stand for this. I received the baton from my team mate and took off. I ended up passing 4 other girls which put us in third place! At least we got a medal. Everyone was pretty surprised and amazed, even me. I had no idea I had that competitive edge, or the speed that competition brought out in me. At that moment, I knew I was an athlete, because I had heart. Even in the 5th grade, I saw that potential and I knew that if I worked at it, it could grow.
Finally, tell us how you feel when you play/compete in your sport, what emotions and thoughts run through your mind.
It’s quite funny actually, how emotionally involved I get when I’m competing in sports, particularly soccer. I usually get nervous before games, especially important ones. I also get way over-excited on the bench; ask any of my team mates. I usually get angry when teams are pointlessly aggressive, and I am definitely affected whenever a player gets hurt, whether it is on my team or the opposing. While actually playing, as in on the field handling the ball, I am usually very focused and don’t have near the outward reactions that I display on the bench. I am always determined and ambitious, and I try and channel all this emotion into putting the ball into the back of the net. |
