Alex Jonaitis Interview

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This podcast is being brought to you by WXAV 88.3 FM and WXAV.com. WXAV bringing the best podcast to you. Salutations listeners and welcome back to the Player Profiles podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Misrael, and if you're looking for a spot to hear all the great stories that the athletes of St.

Xavier University have to offer, then this is the right place to be. Today's athlete is Alex Yo-Naitis. Hailing from Naperville, Illinois, she is a forward on the SSU women's soccer team. I don't feel like getting the yellow card right about now, so we're just gonna hop straight into the interview.

Alex, thank you so much for taking the time out of coming to do this interview. Of course, thank you for having me. So, soccer or football? Football, something to say.

Which way to use the way? I mean, very controversial topic, but definitely soccer. I mean, America, here, soccer. In England football, you'd get killed if you said soccer.

But... Yeah, it's in a point where you have to classify American football or just football. I mean, if it's said that way, maybe I prefer the other one, but I guess it depends on how you say it. Yeah, but for the purposes of this podcast, I'll go with soccer.

Alright, sounds good. So, what got you in a soccer in the first place? My parents, first of all, my parents wanted me to play sport, so I tried out soccer and it just stuck. I think I started playing when I was about eight years old and I'm 18 now, so quite a long time.

So, I don't know, something just stuck with it. Especially with my coaches. I had really good coaches, so I wanted to be what they were. So, I coached in the summer this year and enjoyed it, so I just kept going.

Oh, wow. Coaching as a teenager, that's impressive. Yeah, it was quite hard. Like, seven-year-olds, eight-year-olds, terrible.

One of them bit me once, which was not me. What? Yeah, he bit me once. That is a whole not- Yeah, I had a few tried to run away too, but you know, crazy stuff happens.

Okay, welcome to coaching, Alex, your night is okay. Oh, yeah. But, uh, South Soccer, was that the very first sport that you kind of had on the market? Were there any other sports on the radar?

No, I actually played soccer and basketball, but then in middle school, I had to decide between either basketball or soccer, so I can focus on one. So, I was a basketball player at one time. I know you're only four games in the college, but do you feel like you made the right decision? Oh, 100%.

100%. I mean, sometimes I think maybe I should have done volleyball, but I don't think I'd be very good at myself. Yeah, it's one of those sports. Volleyball's one of those sports was like, it's a lot harder than it looks.

Yeah. Like the pinpoint position you actually have to have is like, oh yeah, it's crazy. I don't know how they hit those corners like that. No idea.

Yeah, it's okay. It's hard. But yeah, so you realize, okay, soccer's your thing. Yeah.

You get to high school, you get to Naperville Central, and you know, obviously your freshman year, it's, you know, it didn't happen, you know, in terms of playing soccer probably because that thing happened. Yeah, that thing. We do not mention that thing. Yeah, that thing happened.

We all know that that that had to have been crazy. Because I was a high school class of 2021 and I always thought, you know, what are the other clubs? What is it like to be like in the other classes? You know, like at this time, okay, 2020 they're probably salty because they got prompted to lead it and their graduation was online most likely.

Yeah. Our class 2021, which I think we're probably the luckiest class in history. Yeah. I'm not afraid to say that.

We're probably the luckiest. Us, we, it was weird because that was the year where we could really let senior writers kick in like the holes. You mean to tell me the whole senior year we get to sit in our beds? Oh, it was seniorized of Max.

We had their play stations in front of them, their TV's in front of them. It was, and then, you know, maybe we'd have the cameras on and we had to. Yeah. But for the most part, I was on Pack Attack mode.

I was like, no, I'm, I'm Pack Attack. So it was fun. It was a fun year. That was a very, very fun year for a year like that.

It was, it was very oddly satisfying to be able to just breeze through it like that. But I'm thinking, okay, so class of 2022, they're probably coming back and, you know, senior year, it can be somewhat normal, but they're going to have to work their way back into normal series. I'm like, okay, so class of 2023 comes. Yeah.

Okay, what in the world are they thinking because they had like three quarters of freshman year and then their whole perception of high school just got heated. Yeah, it was a mess. It was a mess relearning everything was a mess, especially with like the work workload. And like at one point on zoom and when COVID happened, it, your grade could not go down at one point.

It could only go up. So after that changed, it was a big, big struggle. Wow. Big struggle.

Yeah. It's, that's another thing like, like when COVID happened, obviously, you know, it was like the teachers were kind of stuck in limbo because it's like, how do we educate? Yeah. Especially, you know, when fourth quarter hit, it was like, oh my God, what do we do?

I mean, for me, I have Google classroom and even then it was just like, they didn't know how to navigate it, you know, by by fully just going on, you know, Google classroom. So obviously some teachers had packets and worksheets. It would be like, yeah, but you couldn't do that anymore. No, it was just like, it was a game changer.

It was bad. It changed a lot. So obviously the first full year that you had, like your sophomore year was it fully online for you? It was hybrid.

So like you would come in for like maybe like two or three days and then the other days were online. Okay. So it was a little weird. And you were also juggling, you know, your first year of RC soccer sophomore year, right?

Yes, I was. So it was a lot going on. Oh my goodness. It was a lot.

What in the world? What in the world was that? Like you're expecting to play, you know, you're expecting to come in and play soccer because obviously it's a spring sport. Like I'm sure you guys are practicing.

You guys were getting, you know, getting, getting fit, getting ready for the season and then they get shut down and then you got to wait a whole other year to go and get back in the season. That first of all, I got to applaud y'all on that because that like getting a season shut down right as it starts is crazy. Yeah, the comeback I wanted to say insane from that. What was the comeback like?

The comeback. I mean, it went from during COVID. It was just running outside, trading on your own. And then when we came back, it was a lot different.

It was more soccer, more with people, but still difficult. Yeah. But eventually you got back on the field, right? Oh, yeah.

So I got to ask is it like that had to be that to feel so good to finally get back on the field, right? Like first game back from like what maybe two years off of soccer? Yeah. You know, like what was it like getting back into your first game?

I mean, adrenaline rush was definitely there a little excitement, but one problem was the mask problem which you'd have to run running around with a mask was not fun at all, especially when you're out of breath. But it was definitely fun like getting on the field and actually getting to play was the best part ever. Yeah, I could tell and you guys actually had a pretty good season that you didn't. We did.

Regular season number one seed in the sectional number one. Yeah, you guys made a run that year too. I mean, your first year there it was it was pretty successful. But you know, the Huskies came out and you know, they had a different plans for you guys.

I mean, you're in a sectional championship, you know, free playoff wins is pretty good, but man, it had to have sucked to lose to an in-city rival like that. The rivalry every time we play them. It's always something happens. It sucks losing.

It sucks losing. But it sucks losing to them. To them specifically, yeah. Speaking of specifics, I know there's like three schools in Naperville.

If you get to you, it's the Huskies of Naperville North and then it's Nequa Valley. Nequa. I got to ask is it's like it's three schools in one city. Like, how does the kind of how does the rivalry work?

Is it like a three way rivalry? Is it like, do you hate one school more than the other? Does one school treat you more differently than the other? Like, what was that three way rivalry like?

It's a little weird, but I feel like we all hate each other equally. But personally, I think I hate Nequa more, but that's just a personal thing. I don't know. I just decided that myself, but definitely we hate all Haiti to the equal.

Oh, geez, that's funny. I mean, me personally, I like a little rivalry, you know, from the outside looking in now, but I'm part of the rivalry. Oh, yeah, it's different. It's kind of different.

Like, I know it is different. Like you really do not. You do not want to lose to that team, but it was, you know, unfortunately you guys got the wrong end of two different sticks because you went from losing to the sectional championship to Naperville North and then the very next year you met in Equivalion, the regionals, and then it went down. It went terribly.

I think it was either a four zero loss or three. I think it might have been three one, but it was terrible. It sucked loose and getting off that field, them celebrating in like the middle of your field like on your school logo. Because you guys hosted that regional that year, right?

Yep, and we lost the regional that year. Oh, that would have made me sick. That would have made me sick. Yeah.

Then, you know, obviously you go into your senior year and, you know, try to make another run it and then lock forward. I mean, it's not as bad as losing to the other two schools that you lost before, but it's like it still sucks to lose in the playoffs. It's still hurt. It's not Neuqua or North, but, you know, still.

Yeah, but here's the one thing that you can bank on. If there's anything good about losing in the postseason, especially your case, the team that beat you immediately lost the next round, all three times. It felt so good to see that. So good.

I saw it pop up on my like stats thing. I was looking at the stats and I was like, that's good. So you're feeling fantastic. It's kind of like a post poll effect.

It's like, you know, you look at that next match up that they have and it's like, man, on one hand, it's like, man, if we could have beat it, then we could have probably gave them a better fight. But on the other hand, it's like, you know what, you guys deserve that. Yeah. Especially those two neighbor field schools.

That must have really felt different because that rivalry, I, it speaks for itself. Yeah, it gets me every time just thinking about it. Just flashbacks. Yeah, but whatever else we're lost is what about the victories.

What about the victories? Have you had like any notable victories while you were, you know, a red hawk? We had a lot. I didn't remember most of the teams we played, but yeah, but most of them were pretty good.

We put up a big fight, which is nice. Yeah. I know you guys had a few blowouts, especially in the first round of some of the, um, those things like eight to nothing, um, which, dang. Yeah.

No. Like last year, I think we went to Belleville, Illinois and we like wiped some of the teams and it was crazy. Yeah. But obviously I do want to hone in on that senior year because, um, obviously you had a choice to make and it's like, all right, when I'm done being a red hawk, what am I going to be after that?

So what made St. Xavier, you know, kind of the place to be for you? Well, my teammates was one. I came here and visited and played with them in the fall, my senior year.

And I just enjoyed it. I was like, okay, the girls are nice. The teams nice. I feel like we had a good connection, a good bond.

So I was like, hmm, maybe it's an option. And then the more I looked at other schools, I thought, yeah, this one's definitely the one because something just clicked. I don't know. That's like gut feeling really.

Yeah. This is, this is the one. Did it click before or during the season? For soccer at high school?

Yeah. I'd say before like entering my senior year of my season, I just, I just knew where I was going to go. I was like, okay, I'm going to go here. I'm going to go to soccer.

I'm going to just enjoy it and then put in the work for Essex too. Yeah. Okay. Very interesting.

Speaking of fun, I was assumed that you at least got some resemblance or a lot of the resemblance of what a normal senior year looks like. So you kind of back where you started. It was like, all right. Yeah.

This is kind of where I expected to be like two years ago. Yeah. But I guess it's good. It felt good to finally get back to normalcy.

So how did you go into your senior year academic wise and as like as a student, like how much, you know, did, how much of a focus was it to kind of have the most fun your senior year now that you know, had to, you know, get back to normal? Well, first semester of my senior year was a bit of a struggle because of the classes I picked. But after that, it was not that bad. I feel like I focused on academics, but I also made sure that I enjoyed what I was doing.

So I didn't want to just go there, not talk to people and just like go there and go home. I just wanted to socialize with people before I left and everyone else like I freaking salute you. Absolutely. That mentality, you don't see that mentality very often.

Yeah. And I can tell you, there are a lot of people that are like, you know, they have to, you know, get in, do your work, go home mentality. Yeah. It kind of, it makes the door kind of close and you lock it.

It's like, yeah, the opportunities are just not there when you do that. Yeah. And it's like, oh well. But yeah, eventually you graduate, you get to diploma and it's off to here.

So you got to campus and you know, obviously you get to, you get the privilege of moving in early because athlete and your sport is a fall sport this time instead of a spring sport. Yeah, we were the first ones here. There was no one here. Was it like a ghost town?

Yeah. It was quiet. The dorms are silent too. That's a unique experience to have to, you know, come into a place that, you know, hasn't been like occupied in a few months and you're the first ones there.

It's like, it was like buying a new home. Yeah. It's like, huh, okay, this is, this is going to be a bit of a, you know, different. How did you get adjusted to it?

Because obviously, you know, it's your freshman year. How did you get adjusted to, you know, the dorm life? I mean, I never really got adjusted to it. Oh, man.

I just talked with my dorm mates, my teammates. And then that's pretty much it. We all go to each other's dorm sometimes. We just hang out.

And that's what you adjust. Yeah. I mean, what do you do the past the time? I mean, that's a lot of time to kill before you even start classes three weeks.

Yeah. That's a lot of time to kill. I mean, for preseason, we were out there practicing like twice a day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon and we spent time at lunch and dinner. So a lot of bonding, I'd say.

Yeah. Definitely helps when, you know, you get to sit with your teammates and you don't eat with your teammates and all that stuff. Kind of like family. Yeah.

It's like Thanksgiving, but not November. Yeah, I see your point, but you guys actually had your first game before classes even started, which that, that had to have felt like weird in a sense. It's like you don't usually get to play a regular season game before you start your classes. Yeah, it was weird because also no one was on campus.

So there's no one there. Like it's like, it doesn't even give you a chance to, you know, have like a fan, you know, kind of fans there. Like there'll definitely be more fans of all the students wrong campus because it just felt, it just felt weird, you know, because I moved in the 14th because I had to help the freshmen move in, some of the freshmen move in the air dorms. But I could tell you this, like, while you guys were playing, all the returning residents were moving in.

And it was like, what, I'm like, man, what kind of scheduling. I'm just going on. I'm just going on. I'm sure everybody hearing screams from, uh, from Dean, they're like, what the hell is going on?

What's going on? What's going on? Is there a football game? No, it's soccer.

That's not, no, people don't really, I'm kidding. Yeah. It's, it's got the crack of chocolates. As long as long as both sides are, you know, you're going to do something, you got to eat it when you're just eating it.

True. You don't know. But, but yeah, um, you guys got a pretty convincing win. So yeah, I mean, good for you guys.

I mean, and that was your first college game too, because I got as well as it likes to step onto the field on the collegiate level. I mean, definitely I was excited, but also very, very nervous because I did not want to make a mistake because college is a little different from high school or like club soccer where it's like, oh, you make a mistake. Oh, it's okay. But here it's like you got everyone watching coaches watching.

I mean, we get scholarships for this. So it's like a lot on the line, definitely. Yeah, that pressure is a, that's a crazy pressure to deal with. Yeah.

It's crazy, but you got it as an athlete, you got to deal with it. Yeah. But I say in the second game, you dealt with it in a really good way. Oh, yeah.

It's not very often that you can say that your first goal in college is a GWG. And that's what you get the most. Yeah. And I go, take me through that goal.

I mean, obviously people will say, well, she scored it like 30, it was 37 minutes of the game until it wasn't like it was a 97 minute or something. I don't care. It was the only goal that was scored in the game. It's hard, sworn soccer.

Yeah. It is, it is freaking hard to score in soccer, more so than any other sport that I know of. It is very hard. So when you got that ball to go to the back of the net, what in the world were you thinking?

Well, I'm very fast. Personally, I think I could be, this is a bad trait for me, but I feel like I could be anybody under race. No matter how fast they're, I think I could beat them in a race. So I just drove down the line and I kind of turned the girl and then just popped one from outside the box and it went in.

Like go, barely like tipped it and it just, and the goal, it felt so good. Because we were, we were fighting the whole game, both sides. We were fighting. It was such a good match.

And it just went in and that's when like everything just stopped and fantastic. Yeah. I had to feel good because it's like, especially in that game, I mean, Bethel did get more shots on goal. It felt like they were pushing the ball a lot more, but obviously you guys hung in there really well.

I mean, the fact that, you know, you guys scored a shot and they got 12 shots. Yeah. That's not easy. That's not.

Yeah, she came up. She's come up. She's fantastic. And that's what you like to see because obviously, you know, the program in previous years, especially, you know, recently it hadn't had that kind of, you know, we can find a way to win mentality.

Yeah. But that game, those first two games was like, okay, this team, this team finds ways to win. Yeah. And I'm sure it had to feel good to be a primary.

I do mean primary contributor to a victory. Yeah. So when that 90th minute came and you know, you realize the game was over, what was that feeling like? Big relief, but also there was rich snacks on the sidelines.

So I ran to them and devoured those. It was a big relief, big relief. The bus ride home was even better knowing that we are going home with a win. Oh, yeah.

That it's always good to get a win on the road. Yeah. It's like, I know some teams that go through long road trips and it's like those road trips can kill you. Yeah.

They, some that it can kill your momentum. It can throw off your energy. Yeah. It's tired.

Yes. Road is something something about road trips. It can sometimes be a nuisance, but you guys, you guys stuck with it and you know what? You guys, you're doing a good job so far.

You're doing a good job so far undefeated two. I know you've battled for a couple of times last two games, but you know what? You got a break. You got a pretty lengthy break.

I know the alumni game is next week, so you know, I'm sure there's going to be some festivities with that, but then you guys get right back in action after that. But still, you got a week and a half worth of, you know, no games. So what are you guys doing to kind of stay in shape and stay in condition for your next game? Well, on Monday, we kind of spent some time recovering because we have, we had three games in a span of a week, which is a lot, a lot.

The breaks, you didn't get much. You had a day and then right back at it. So right now we recovered and now we're just getting back to intensity. We're keeping it high just so we can be prepared for the next one.

Yeah, you guys, you guys are not going to have three games in the span of a single week until maybe October when you, you know, say, post-season implications and stuff like that in conference games, but that's a whole different story. We'll get the request that we get there. Yeah. But for now, you guys get to rest and I say it's, it's, it's well deserved.

You guys did not suffer loss so far in four games. I, I say pretty good start. But yeah, obviously when you get to conference, do you have any, you know, expectations? You kind of looked into the opponents of the CCAC yet or you're going to just cross that bridge and you get there?

I try not to look at it because I feel like it puts my mindset, you know, you know, predicament. It's either, oh, I see their stats and if they're not good enough, I'll say, okay, we got that. But then, you know, if I go into a game with that mentality, I'm going to play not my best. So I try not to look at it, but sometimes I do look at it, but, but no, I don't try to.

Yeah, it can be very tempting, especially when, you know, it's talked about in a magnitude in a light like this one. Yeah. But yeah, sometimes it can be, you know, it can be no big deal. It can be detrimental.

And I just remember having an athlete here last year doing this interview. He told me about how his team, his football team, they were riding high going into the state championship and they saw their opponent that they absolutely obliterated like week one. And it was like, oh, yeah, we got this right and then ended up not even scoring a touchdown in the game. I think they lost 13 to three.

So it was like, it was like the ultimate like down to earth back to earth moment. And it was like, yeah, that the hype that you, you know, you get looking at a schedule or looking at an opponent on a scouting report or whatever, it can sometimes mislead you. And it's like, that was one of the most brutal examples that I've ever heard of. Because he told me that like when they got back to school, they didn't even feel like they wanted to go to school.

It was, it was that bad. It was like, and that was, um, it was brother rice. So that's a school that, you know, is very, very prideful about their football program. Yeah.

Very capital V, very. And it was just like, oh, that had to hurt them. That had to hurt the soul. The heart and the soul.

They were undefeated. They were undefeated. I think they were number one in the, in the state in seven eight. Oh, well, and they lost to a three loss team.

And it was like, oh, man, that has to hurt. That has to sting. That's an upset that just, I would have, I would have hurt. It almost hurt me.

Because I was, I was just like, dang, it hurt to hear that mega. Yeah. I'd be crying if I was in that locker room. Oh my goodness.

It's kind of when you have like a, like a cut and you put hydro peroxide in it. Like stings. That's kind of what I think that would feel like. Yeah.

Salt anything that could, anything, anything that could burn that is just terrible. That's a wound that's hard to heal man. But I mean, I've had some of those moments in my life where it's, it's like that, that kind of happens. But I do have to ask, you know, obviously soccer is a sport that's kind of, is kind of built off of opportunity.

And it's like you really have to work for your opportunities. But you know, obviously when you get to capitalize on them, it feels really good. Yeah. So I got to ask you what, what do you think is like one of your favorite memories of soccer, period, whether it's something that happened on the field, you scoring a goal.

I mean, what do you think are some of your best moments on the field? Best moments. Definitely like in the past, you said, yeah, or credit. I mean, it could be either or like what, what do you think is the best moment you've had playing soccer up to this point?

Definitely the summer, my club team, we went to regionals for soccer for the president's cup. And I think we played very well, unfortunately lost because of a last minute goal. But I think as a player, I saw my abilities and my opportunities that I have open for me. And I just need to work for it.

And I saw it. It's like an open door. You can kind of see your path that you're going to take. That's kind of kind of where I'm at.

Yeah, that's reasonable because it's like, that's, that's something that's like, it's room for progress. Yeah. You can definitely build off that, especially when you're going into your first collegiate season and stuff like that. I have a couple of good memories with soccer.

One of them, great. One of them awful. I'll start with a great one. I remember I was in high school and we would have open gym.

Yeah. We would have like units for PE. I miss PE classes. Oh, my goodness.

Oh, man. You were one of those people who tried it. I loved physical education. And I'm not, I'm not like an athlete.

I've never been on like an organized team, like a school team before. Yes. But, but I love physical education because it, it was, it was like, it was the easiest class on the market. Yeah.

It's like just get up, do some things, have fun and get an A. And get a great. Easy grade. I was like, slip on a uniform.

I'm like, okay. I mean, I mean, a locker room is not like you guys don't know what a locker room is. Yeah. I mean, I mean, get past that barrier.

We all good? Yeah. So I remember we were all playing soccer. It was like 40 of us on, on a turf field, on a 50 yard turf field.

Yeah. And I'm like, this is going to be chaotic. And I remember dribbling the ball like past the 25 yard line. And I just, I was just trying to kick the ball forwards and you know, get good field position because we had walls and obviously we could, we could kick the ball off the walls.

So it was like, all right. So I tried to kick it, you know, over the goal and tried to, I tried to be like, I tried to pull off like a street move where I kicked it off the wall and then made a move after that or something that I don't know what I was thinking. I was thinking kick the freaking ball as hard as I could and see what happens in the sea where it goes. And that's sucker went top corner from 25 out on the right.

I was like, I was looking at it in the air and I was like, wait, that's not where I wanted to get. I'm like, wait a minute, maybe it and then I saw the goalie jump up and he just missed the ball. And it went top, top left corner. I said, what Alex?

I ran like a mad man when I saw that my shirt almost got taken off. We were going to celebration though. Yes. Always got to celebrate.

The freaking cell was nuts. It was nuts. Oh my God. I was like, I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

It felt like I have won the freaking world. I'm like, it was, it was so hype. It was one of the most hype moments I've ever had in my life because I didn't, I didn't even plan on you'll sniping it from that far. I was just, I was just trying to kick it and see.

Oh man. But you tell everyone you're like, yeah, I meant to do that. It's like, it's like calling bank when you shoot a basketball off the backboard. It's like, I meant to do that.

Yeah. Yeah. The other one was not so great in the grand scheme of competition. Yeah.

So I was in sixth grade and my school, we had a tournament. It was K through six. Yeah. Literally the entire school, it was like we had two, like two classes for each grade level and they would all get put in, we would all get put in brackets and we would have to deal with the competition that we had.

And I just remember just obliterating the grades beneath us because I'm like, I'm in sixth grade. I'm not going to go as hard, but I'm going to go ahead and do what I got to do to move to the next round. I'm growing. I can do it.

Yeah. So I'm looking at the bracket throughout the day and I'm like, oh man, we're set up for a showdown with the other six grade class. I can feel it. I can feel it.

So we go through all the other grades, fourth grade, fifth grade and we get to the final. And I see, you know, I'm seeing some of my closest friends on the other side. I'm like, all right, let's go. I'm like, what's up, bro?

What's up? And I'm just like, I'm feeling good because I was pretty much like the best player in my class and probably in school individually. Because I mean, back then, looking at it now in hindsight, I think it was because I put a decent amount of effort into it. Like I would be fancy with footwork.

And I would like put my foot on the top of the ball, like right foot on top of the ball, like nudge it to the left and then yank it to the right. It would be like a nasty like dribble that I kind of like implement. I was like, oh, yeah, that feels like a real good. It felt like crossover.

Yeah. So yes, Brazilian type of. So yeah, that game started. And I remember the other team scored first and it was the first time that we had trailed in the entire tournament.

I was pissed. I'm like, oh no, I got to do something about this. And I remember scoring a goal right after that I was like, all right, come on, let's go. Because we were giving up a lot of shots on goal.

It was tough for our goalie. Yeah. And I'm just like, no, I can't make this happen. And they scored a second goal late.

And I'm like, oh, no, we got to do something fast again. I'm like, I need another response. And I'm like, I'm like the midfielder. Yeah.

And I'm like, I got to do something, man. And next thing I know is the last minute and we're struggling to even get the ball to the opposite side of the field so we can get it in the offensive zone. I'm like, no, no, come on. And then like 30 seconds, we finally get it there.

And I'm like, all right. Next thing I know, the gym teacher is counting down the seconds 10, nine. And I'm like, I got to do something. I got to do something five, four.

And then I'm like, give me the ball. And then I get the ball three. I kicked that sucker. I just kick it.

And I don't know where it ended up. But all I know is it ended up right back at me with one second left. And I said, nook. And that's how I go back in the net.

And I was charging to the net like crazy. Like I kicked it and then I just somersaulted into the net. And I just, I was in, I was literally sitting in the net and I looked at the gym teacher and she gave me a look. And she was like, I'm sorry, Jopham, but you were just one second too late.

And she was like, this game over Mrs. Smith's class wins. And I was, I was sitting in the goal. It felt like a movie.

It felt like a movie. I was just sitting there like, Oh, got to be kidding me. I'm like, I was one second too late. I'm like, oh, no.

And I heard the whistles and I'm like, I heard the whistles. I'm like, please tell me I got that off and she just shook her head. I was like, I didn't get off. And so we had to sit through the ceremony and I had, I was, I was like, I was a good game.

I was, I was a great mone. It was a great mone. It was heartbreaking. Because I'm like, I mean, I didn't cry over it, but it was like, it was like, dang, man, to lose like that when I was so close to sending it to overtime.

I was like, oh, man, I didn't want to go out like that. But it was a valiant fight. I mean, I finally had really good competition, like people that are actually taller than me. And that's saying something because I'm five seven right now.

I'm not, I'm not a beanstalk. But I was like, there were some dude there were like, you know, they had some height, they had high differences over me. I'm like, all right. I'm like, it's like a big boy.

Let's go. Let's go. Let's go to the test. I'm like, yeah, I got, I got put to the test.

And I'm losing effort. So, yeah, that was one of the, that was like one of the greatest memories of life of my life, period, because it was like, it taught me about time. It was just like, man, you can be one second too late and everything can change. Yeah.

Second place definitely hurts more than last. No. Like it, those like, some people would have like third place matches. Yeah.

If you get to that point, and it is, it'd be like, like, like, it almost, I know the standing mean, it's kind of lower when you look at it, but it's like going out with a win almost feels like good enough concept compensation for going out with a loss. Yeah. And I don't know. It's just the way it is.

But yeah, that's athletics. That's soccer. Soccer. But obviously, there's another half of why you're here.

And that's, you know, the academic part. You are a student athlete. So remind me, you are an exercise science major, right? I am.

What do you want to do with that? I want to go into PT. So physical therapy definitely is something I want to do afterwards. Well, what sparked your interest in PT?

Not too sure. I think it's just like being an athlete and seeing like the injuries and like the prevention and like, just all that. I think I just want to be, I just want to stay with the sport. Like I don't, I feel like I can't just let go of like, even after like my four years here, I just can't let go of the sport.

So I got to, you know, make up for it somehow. Yeah. I mean, it's stuck to you for a decade. So I can't blame you for now wanting to let it go, you know, find a way to stay in the profession, get paid for doing what you love.

Hey, that's a good formula. Yeah. It's a good formula for me. Yeah.

But yeah, when you were, you know, looking at, you know, the course catalogs and you know, looking at your schedule, you know, what do you, what was your mindset like going into classes a few weeks ago? Like, you know, was it like butterflies? Were you thinking, you know, what are the classes going to be like, what was going through your mind? So you know, I think maybe sometimes the workload could be tough as a student athlete, especially when you have games and stuff and some professors, they're not, they're lenient to a certain extent with games and missing class, but that was definitely something I was thinking about, but it ended up being okay, so which is good.

Yeah. And you would think that for a department that really focuses on helping athletes that they would probably understand the schedule of a student athletes. Yeah. So yeah, that's always a good luxury to have.

Yeah. I mean, some teachers have that like, where else where they they are lenient about it, but some don't really, they're not into sports, so they don't really understand. Yeah. It's always like Mrs.

Soane. So I know I have to probably get something out of this lecture that I probably can now look at online because we have Canvas, but I have to go to this game. And this is what I have a scholarship for. And stuff like that.

So it's like you would hope that they just understand. Just don't go out the hard way. Yeah. Especially when you ask, are the notes on Canvas?

Nope. Ask a classmate for him. I was like, oh, all right. Ask a classmate for him.

It's crazy. I was like, OK. And that's crazy because you guys have, all the time I had at least two games that are during typical school hours. Like Tuesday afternoon game on the road.

You got to go to Wisconsin in the middle of the week for an afternoon game there. Yeah, that's interesting. Yeah. I feel bad for my Tuesday Thursday class because I always got to be missing that one.

Yeah, that's that's old stuff. But I guess it is what it is. Oh, excuse me. No, you're all right.

But yeah. So obviously, we have a class together, actually. So I pretty much kind of get a good glimpse of what the workload kind of is like for you in the sense of the field because it literally is an introduction to exercise science. So it's like, what are your impressions of that class and the field in general so far?

So far, I enjoy it. Like, I think it's something I definitely want to get into. I'm big in the gym also. So I like understanding the muscle aspect aspect, like the nutrition part of it.

I feel like it's a good thing to know as an athlete also. Now, I know our teacher, there was a time where he stressed communication. Do you feel like you struggle sometimes with being vocal or is that something that you feel like you excel at? With teachers?

And that aspect or just in general? I mean, let's see. How do I put this? That's a good way.

That's a good follow up question. I guess in a sense, like with our teacher, he tells us that if you want to go into that profession, you're going to have to be vocal. Do you feel like it's going to be easy to be vocal in a way where you can succeed in your PT pursuit? I think so.

I mean, I'm pretty talkative sometimes. I just talk about random stuff, but I feel like definitely yes, especially in the PT route, because I kind of have a feeling, like understanding for people who are recovering athletes especially. So I feel like it wouldn't be too difficult knowing that I'm an athlete. Yeah.

It's like the relatability also helps as well. Like you can be like, oh, I've been there. Like, oh, you pulled like your hamstring. Oh, I've been there.

Like, I know what's going on. Yeah. It's like you get helped once and it's like, OK, I know how to help someone who has the same problem I have. Yeah.

That's kind of the common inspiration behind a lot of exercise science, like pursuit careers. That's kind of the one thing I've learned from that as well. And it's interesting because I'm a communication major. So you know, you might look at it like you're a comager.

What are you doing in exercise science? Yeah. I'm like, I just want to learn about exercise science. You know, I'm just like, for me, I'm in a predicament where it's like a lot of my credits have to come from other departments.

Oh, yeah. Just because of the fact that like my my com major, it's only like 50 something credits deep, which means over half of my like credits are going to have to come from electives, which means I'm going to have to look into a lot of other classes outside of the comp department to go get my credits. Yeah. So I saw, you know, intro exercise science and I thought, you know, a lot of my buddies, because a lot of, I mean, put two and two together, I cover athletes at the school.

It's my job. I talk to a lot of athletes who are exercise science majors just happen to be exercise science majors. And it's a good, good class. It was a good experience.

You know, I, you know, I did, you know, I got, I learned a lot of it. I'm like, okay, well, exercise science 130 here I come. Yep. And I will say I've, I've learned some things.

I'm not, I haven't been disappointed. Work low, work low lies, very manageable. Yep. The class itself, like lectures are not like drop dead boring.

Yeah. The guy actually has a personality. Oh, love him. He's so fun.

Yeah. He actually has a willingness to connect with us. Yeah. It's not like he's just there to do his presentation and leave.

Yeah. Yeah. As a student, how critical is it for you to, you know, have a teacher that you, you know, you can at least, you know, kind of, you know, relate to or just, just, just, um, be able to listen to. Well, I like having that like connection.

So when teachers are like talking to you and talking about their life, talking about their experiences, it's like you have that connection. It's not like you're just talking to like a robot or something like that. You have that connection and it's like more than just like a teacher. Like you can go to them for different things.

It's nice. Yeah. I feel like teachers have developed that kind of develop that skill. Um, now that, you know, our, or our source of education is becoming very heavily technological.

Yeah. Cause I don't know about you, but this is the question. What was the last time you've been given a worksheet? A worksheet.

I don't even remember. I'm trying to think, but I don't even remember. Besides like a paper quiz. I don't even know.

A while ago, I'd say maybe, maybe high school, sometimes we'd get handed like a worksheet, but most of it's online. Yeah. It's like that, that, the ability to just open up your laptop and knock out the, knock out the stuff right there. Like you don't have to, you know, do it in class all the time.

Yeah. That, that, that was a game changer for me personally because I'm like, you know, I like to be able to, you know, have a lot of control over when I do it and what I, you know, when I do what? Yeah. So that, that, that feels good.

Um, but yeah, um, you play soccer, you're an exercise science major. Do you have any hobbies though? Hobbies. Uh, isn't the gym considered a hobby?

If you want to go there. Yeah. I mean, I go to the gym almost every day, even with practice, which could be a lot, but I enjoy it. Um, I would make it to photography in high school.