United As One – Virginia Tech Athletics

Being a Division I student-athlete comes with so many perks.
 
No question!

But it’s not always as glamorous as it appears. 

With a rigorous schedule that leaves little time outside of athletics and the classroom, it’s challenging not to get overwhelmed and stuck in a rut of the day-to-day grind.

I’m a sophomore here on the women’s soccer team at Virginia Tech. What I love most about this university is they understand how easy it is for student-athletes to fall into that trap with the hectic schedule of balancing athletics and school.

The women’s soccer program takes an international trip every four years to help break up the monotonous routine and give every girl the opportunity to see a new country and gain new experiences.

We recently got back from our trip to England. 

I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was excited for the chance to explore England and expand my knowledge and love for the game with my coaches and teammates.

Those ten days made more of an impact than I ever could’ve imagined. 

In addition to all the sightseeing and working with Tottenham’s pro team coaches, our team bond was strengthened in ways that never would have been possible without this trip.

We took off for England as a team, but we returned to Blacksburg as a family.

 

Building camaraderie

While ten days seem like a lengthy trip, it went by in a blur. Each day was packed with a variety of different activities that kept us plenty busy.

One of the most memorable days was when we did a community service project, cleaning up by one of the rivers.

We set out for the river in a canoe with groups of two. This was impactful because many of us were paired up with teammates we normally wouldn’t be, so it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to get to know each other on a deeper level.

By far my favorite moment on the entire trip happened when two of my teammates fell off their canoe and went into the river.

If you’re wondering how it’s possible to fall off a slow-paced and sturdy canoe, you can direct that question to my teammates and good friends, Lauren Hargrove and Lauren Gogal.

We exploded with laughter as a team – to the point our stomachs hurt from laughing – and it’s something we’ll probably be laughing about for the rest of our careers.

There’s so much you can do to improve as a team on the field, but it’s moments like this that happen off the field when you really come together to embrace each other and build that camaraderie.

 

Training with…