When and why did you start playing?
As practically an only child living on a ranch, where our closest neighbors were a mile away, and not another kid my age in sight, I was thrown into sports as early as possible. I was just 4 when I joined my first rec team. The coach was my half-sisters’ professor at Sierra College, and we were called The Purple People Eaters!
I was THAT kid that was constantly doing something and just couldn’t listen – if I wasn’t doing cartwheels, I was picking flowers, if I wasn’t picking flowers, I was standing on my ball, I would be doing anything but paying attention. And, to top it off, I didn’t even last through my first season… I hated being told what to do!
When did you start comp soccer and your experience?
I must say, my first few years of soccer were not the best. I played my first year of comp when I was 7 years old. I was on the younger side of a U9/U10 combo team, and was solely on the roster so they had enough players to form a team. I was so bad that the other parents told my mom flat out that soccer was not my sport. But, I persisted.
The following season I was left without a team. While playing indoor, the coach of the boys team in my age group saw that all I wanted to do was play, so she took me under her wing and offered me an opportunity to play on her son’s team. She could see that all I wanted was a chance to learn and improve, and that changed everything. I loved it! The speed of play and competitiveness made me fall in love with the game, and I couldn’t get enough! With the passion that was instilled in me after playing with the boys, along with the training of an amazing personal trainer, I was easily making that team that said I wasn’t good enough, and quickly craved even more of a challenge, so I moved on to higher competition. Two years later, I claimed my first of two US Club National Championship titles
High School / College Experience
High School: I played and lettered my Freshman year of high school, but decided not to play the following years. I had my eyes set on playing D1 in college and did not want to risk getting injured.
College: As I said, my goal was to play D1 but I had a strategy: I wanted to stay close enough to my family so they could watch all my games, but far enough away that I could spread my wings and have a true college experience – so, Fresno State it was! My experience was amazing. It allowed me to learn so much about myself, both mentally and physically. I pushed myself beyond what I thought I was capable of; I felt the support of our community with us at each game; I was proud to be representing something bigger than myself. I was proud, and still am proud to be a Bulldog!
Why Did you Start Coaching?
My plan was to continue playing after I graduated, but two weeks before graduation, I broke my leg. In an instant my life took a sudden turn. Instead of training and getting into shape for the tryouts that were coming up, I could now barely make it to the kitchen. Once I was cleared to play again, I started attending my old club coach’s practices to get back into shape. The next thing I knew I was helping out at practices, and then offered a team. That was nine years ago … and the rest is history.
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