Interview with unb soccer player lucy parkins
About Lucy Parkins:
Age: 22 years
Plays for: UNB Varsity Reds Women's Soccer Team
Time played for: 5 years
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Lucy Parkins can often be found around sports. She helps teach gym class at George Street Middle School and Park Street Elementary. But, she also plays for the University of New Brunswick women's soccer team. She is on her last year of eligibility as a player (5th year). When we asked her for an interview she happily agreed and came to the school to speak with us.
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1. What number do you wear and what position do you play?
I wear number 14 and I play holding center midfield.
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2. Where are you originally from?
I am from Sheffield, England and I came to Canada to go to UNB.
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3. How do you prepare for a game mentally and physically?
Physically I take care of myself really well, in the weeks before I eat well. I don't eat much the day I play, I kinda snack. Also I don't really eat if my nerves are bad. But I sleep, I eat well, I warm up and cool down and stretch after every session. Stretching is a big thing, ice bath. When I feel myself get sore I kinda lay down and then get back up. And mentally, I like to be by myself. I'm very much earphones in, I'll do my home work on the bus. I'll sit in my little cubby and my earphones in right until we go out.
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4. What do you plan on doing with soccer in the future?
I want to coach still, a bit around teaching. I'll probably coach. I do want to play still at a pretty high level. There are a lot of leagues, not necessarily in New-Brunswick but, the bigger cities that are higher than rec, but not professional. So I definitely want to keep playing, I'm not ready to stop. A lot of people after their five years are ready to hang up their boots, but I'm not. I love the game too much.
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5. Do you have any quotes that inspire you?
Not really I am very big on hard work, grit... Probably one of the most hardworking people, cause I am not technically the best. So, if it means you have to work hard and that kind of thing. My team, my team inspires me, you wouldn't do it if they didn't.
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6. Who inspired you to play soccer?
My dads a professional soccer coach in England and so is my uncle so I grew up around it. It was something that was part of the family, part of the weekends. I loved watching David Beckham, Ronaldo, those kinds of players growing up. But I didn't actually start playing till' I was 15, I was just around it and then woke up one day and decided to start playing I guess.
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7. Do you have any tips for people who want to start playing soccer?
Yeah! It's a lot of fun, you meet people you'll have for the rest of your life! A lot of my best friends are people I met through soccer and I'll always have them. It's hardworking, it teaches you commitment. It's a lot of fun, it's a really good sport and I don't regret anything.
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8. Do you have any penalty kick rituals?
Yep! Pick the ball up, don't look at the keeper, put it down and I always shoot my left so the keepers right and I have never changed it, never, never changed it.
9. How does your coach inspire you to become a better player?
He's really good at inspiring me to become a better person, actually, more than a better player. He's very big on "We are good people first and players second", so we give him our grades, he knows everything that goes on. We do community things with him, Read with the Reds, that kind of thing with him, through him so it's more of an overall kind of thing. He holds us accountable if you don't go to the gym you don't train, if we forget to take the balls out we're on the line and we'll do 10 full fields. It's very....everyone knows it's more of a routine.
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10. Do you have any food you always eat before a game?
I'll have breakfast the morning that we play and then I'll have a salad for lunch with chicken and then a snack. I usually have a granola bar at half time, cause that's when I can start to actually.... that's when my nerves are gone, but the night before I usually have a big meal. A lot of veggies, pasta, chicken, salmon but that's about it really.