The Heart of a Champion
A group of strangers compete for a championship and find friends along the way.
STORY BY LYNSEY AMUNDSON | PHOTOS BY DAISEY JAMES
Ashley Homer’s eyes squint at the sudden glare of the sun as she wakes up from her usual pre-game nap. The only sound she can comprehend is the roaring of the bus engine that she’s riding on. She puts on headphones, choosing her favorite Nelly song, “The Heart of Champion.” Her mind is clear and her body relaxes as the presence of her teammates comforts her.
Those women, like most successful sports teams, consider their teammates family.
The sound of laughter fills the air as the women, dancing and chatting with each other, step off the bus. Walking on to the field, Ashley’s calm gives way to butterflies and nerves. She puts on her left glove, tightens the strap, and then does the same with the right.
Stepping off the goal line, she takes a deep breath in and says a prayer. The whistle shrieks.
It’s game time.
“I know that when I look to the girl next to me she’ll have my back no matter what. I know she’ll go to battle for me and that’s a special feeling. You can’t say that about many people,” Ashley says.
Ashley has been playing sports for 15 years, from basketball to volleyball to softball. But it’s soccer that has captivated her heart.
“Whether you’re angry, excited, anxious, stressed, energetic, sad… Soccer is an outlet for it all,” Ashley says. “I joined the team from my school in New York, and the team instantly welcomed me.”
This past year the Western women’s soccer team made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Division II national championship. That success is based on the cohesiveness of their team. This means each woman knows the role they play on the team, will always put the team before her individual needs and will do anything in their power to make the team better.
“In order for a team to be successful, you need teammates willing to put in extra work outside of practice, willing to help out a teammate when they need it and willing to sacrifice their time to make the team better,” Homer says. To be successful, a team puts hours of work in both on and off the field, working on skills they need to perfect.
Shayna Adelstein, a Western softball player, says that bonding is what makes or breaks a team.
“It is not something that a team just has. It takes hours, and plenty of work for a team to become one. The individual skills of each player won’t matter if your team can’t work together.”
When a team is able to create that bond, it transfers directly on the field. Where one player falls, another player will step up. Not every team can come together and unite as one, and play for something bigger than themselves. However, it is something that every team works to achieve.
“Being selfless, having your teammate’s back, confronting your teammate when you have a problem with them, being reliable and never assuming something or judging your teammate are great starting qualities to a successful team,” Shayna says.
Sports have taught Ashley how to time manage her life and push herself. It taught her how to be social. It has given her 28 sisters.
According to the Western Athletics page, about 300 students competed in the 15 varsity sports offered at Western during the 2015–2016 school year. Only about 6 percent of athletes from high school make it to play in NCAA, making these 300 athletes part of an elite group.
“It takes a dedicated person to become a student athlete in college,” Shayna says. “You have to be able to manage three hour practices every day, 6 a.m. weightlifting twice a week, a full schedule of school, homework, team bonding, community outreach and balancing your social and family life.”
At the end of the day, their time with the team will come to an end. It doesn’t mean that their time as a family will, however.
“Honestly, I probably won’t remember every save I made in my career or every big game our team won, but I will remember the times I spent with my teammates laughing and making memories off the soccer field,” Ashley says.
Stepping back on the bus, after a 1–0 win over Central Washington University, every player is beaming. They begin reminiscing over the game-winning goal by Gabriela Pelogi, who had a short break away before driving the ball into the back of the net. As they head back to Bellingham satisfaction, pride and exhaustion are the results of a hard fought win. But, for Ashley, this feeling only lasts for a moment. Her thoughts begin to shift towards the future, as she begins to visualize the successes they’ll need to execute in order to win their next match.