Janine Willis ’05 – Soccer

polImageThe life-skills that you garner as a student-athlete are valuable in every aspect of life. You learn how to multi-task effectively. You learn about the fruits of your labor, and that there is no substitute for hard work. You learn how to pick yourself up when you’ve fallen short. All of these skills and experiences are easily translated to the professional/working environment, and to life. They make you stronger, more able to adapt, and more resilient in the face of adversity.
Every player, every coach, every single person who had an effect on Princeton soccer was a critical piece in the puzzle of our success. I think if any one of us had been removed, or even positioned differently, it could have dramatically changed our end result. Call it chance, call it some masterful orchestration, the influence was undeniable.
It would be easiest to say that my most memorable experience was our team’s climb to the Final Four round of NCAA competition but, to be honest, that was just one wonderful experience in the midst of many, and that one experience alone does not do justice to the thousands more that rush through my mind every time I think of Princeton soccer. I think of every moment, from start to finish, the good and the bad; they all make up my memory of Princeton soccer. I cherish every moment.
Being a student-athlete at an institution like Princeton is a challenge. Being a part of the Princeton team made everything worthwhile.