Arguably the thing that I’m most proud of in my short, twenty-two-year-long life, is the 2019 Slippery Rock Women’s soccer team. It was a culmination of four years’ worth of effort rewriting the culture, restructuring the expectations, and redefining our values. By no means was this a one-woman show and definitely not a one-year feat – two classes that wouldn’t even wear the jersey anymore formed the base that the 2019 championship season was built upon. Notably, without the leadership and contributions from Haley Burkholder and Emily Aldridge, that trophy wouldn’t be sitting in the locker room today.
I’ve always been excited to gain mentors and learn from those more experienced than myself, and when I met Haley my freshman year, I knew that I wanted to be like her. She was a junior captain and led quietly by example. I saw her constantly put others before herself and go the extra mile when no one (but me apparently) was watching. There was no question about her work ethic – she played every minute but practiced like she never saw the field. But above all, she supported her teammates however they needed.
During my horrid sophomore season, she was the one that kept me on the team – driving me wherever I needed to go, hanging out with me late night in the library, or just taking me for a vent-session frosty at Wendy’s. She set the standard for how we should treat our teammates: selflessly. When you ask anyone that played on that team what it felt like, the most common denominator was family. The overarching understanding was that we worked for each other, through the shitty fitness tests, the mentally draining school days, and the miserable games.
“The team dynamic was like having sisters, it was nothing like any other team I’ve ever been on…This team actually made me enjoy playing soccer again and I started to love the game again.”
-Katy Ericson ’22
If Haley was quiet, Emily was the Ying to her Yang – in the best of ways. Simply put, Emily reminded us that it’s ok to have a good time when you’re going through hell. Characterized by her special ability to get us all to sing while we were doing fitness, she kept smiles on our faces and positivity flowing (even if it was sarcastic). You know the saying – “fake it ‘til you make it” – and we did.
When it was my turn to be a senior captain, I took attributes from all of my favorite leaders, coaches, and teammates and attempted to lead in the most authentic way that I could. I thought about what I wanted out of a leader and I tried to embody that. At the top of my list? Fun. I only played soccer because that rush of endorphins you got was unbeatable – like when you megged someone in a small-sided game during practice and couldn’t even score you were laughing so hard. I was known for just smiling the entire time I was on the field; I even won an award during a basketball tournament when I was ten because the announcer thought it was hilarious that I smiled up and down the court. I wanted that for everyone else – why else were we playing the game if it wasn’t fun?
“Going to soccer practice was like going to a family outing.”
Maddie Thierry ’21
Our team functioned so well because at the base level, we respected each other and no matter what, would go to bat for one another. It didn’t matter whether it was your closest teammate or the one you spoke to the least, you knew they had your back. That translated onto the field. We handled rare team issues internally, grinded at practice, worked hard in games, and just loved being together. We started winning…and then we kept winning.
At the exact midpoint of our regular season, we got our first loss to the team we’d eventually beat on senior day and in the championship. As we were doing our cooldown and were on the other side of the field, I pulled the team together. I was pissed – everyone around me was displaying the worst body language I’d seen all season and they were silent or pouting. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I told the girls that it was good we lost now and not later. What a fantastic reminder that we’re not perfect, but to remember it’s not a statement that we’re terrible. I think I had some choice words about fixing body language and keeping our heads high. No one was allowed to take this loss off the field with us – it was staying, and we were moving on.
“…I think we were so successful in 2019 because we knew that every single person had each other’s backs and that we were giving 100% for each other.”
Jordyn Minda ’22
A few days later I had a mid-season meeting with my coaches and Jessie asked what I said to them when we were across the field. As I told her, she started smiling and told me that every girl had sat in that same seat and verbatim told her what I had just said. It was the most positive reaction to a loss she had seen yet. We leveled up that day, proudly adding “resilient” to our tool-belt.
Honestly, the rest of our season was the same as the first half: unnotably spectacular. Winning the PSAC championship was expected, I never even considered losing an option, but not because of our skill, other teams had that. It was us – who we were as individuals and as a team – that made that win obvious. We said it all season, but every single person on that roster played a pivotal role in our success. Through our relationships we found joy in the game together and if people didn’t want to be a part of that, they left. Those who remained were committed – to the mission, to each other, and to the sport. It sounds good, but it felt even better.
“We were a team full of talent, but our chemistry is what won us games. A whole new mentality was instilled by our leadership of the team. Selfless intentions; playing time, personal performance…it didn’t matter as much. The main concern was giving your best for the sake of the team.”
Elise Forry ’21
That feeling – of belonging, of having purpose, of being unwaveringly happy – I want others to feel that and find that. Whether it’s in sports or after, I want to get people in that headspace, because when they do, they’re unstoppable. If you’ve read some of my past posts, you know that I’ve struggled with my identity post-athletics – who am I without soccer or my team? Coming off of that high from my final season was shocking, quite literally going from one hundred to zero real quick.
That feeling of loss is very real, whether you’ve had a perfect final season or not. That season solidified my love for people and through months and months of pandemic-born introspection, I’ve realized that that’s exactly what I want to do – help others reach their full potential. It doesn’t matter if you’re a current or former athlete, you have what it takes to get there, sometimes you just get lost along the way. I’m hoping in the next few months to start coaching current and former athletes on exactly that – reaching their full potential. Everyone deserves to feel that elation of firing on all cylinders – physically and mentally – and I’m excited to help others get there.
I want to briefly thank all of the SRUWS members that I ever played with, Jessie, Mark, Bart and Tyler. The laughs, memories, support and guidance you’ve all given me is unparalleled and simply has made life that much better. #RockSolidRelationships
“This team was definitely different than all other teams I have ever played on because it was a family and we were all there for each other…”
Ashley Rea ’23
“I don’t think I’ve been on a team before where we worked as hard as we did for each other. Nobody really cared about individual stats…It was more just working towards common goals we had as a team.”
Brooke Riefenstahl ’23
“We poured our hearts and every ounce of ourselves for every single one of our sisters on that team. I regret nothing, because we held nothing back.”
Shannon McIntyre ’21
“The 2019 team was hands down the best I had been on. Honestly, there was just no comparison for that team to the ones before. I have never been more close, felt more supported and felt more loved by a team than I did that year. We were a family.”
Emma Yoder ’22
“[The 2019] team was the definition of “Trust the Process.” Jessie would always tell us to buy in and put effort into every little thing; and [that] year, every single person on that team did exactly that. We gave it our all and had fun doing it together as one.”
Sofia Harrison ’21