Senior Ady Eakin has to balance school and some semblance of social life while participating in two different sports.
Eakin started playing football as a junior and is the only girl on the team. Eakin copes with the excitement of playing two different games in her own way.
“I got into football after kicking outside during a free day in weightlifting with coach (Kyle) Ralph, the boys were kicking field goals and I wanted to try it and turns out I was not half bad and Ralph asked if I really wanted to try it and I said yes, and then I was told to come out to practice,” Eakin said.
Does Eakin have any struggles being the only girl on the team? “I don’t really face any challenges, everyone is sweet and they do pretty good at making me feel included,” Eakin said.
“I go to football for the first few minutes to get my kicking done and different days mean different kicking types, but when that is done, I run to my car and drive over to where the soccer practice is being held and start soccer,” Eakin said.
It takes a lot of planning and a routine has been developed by Eakin to help her be successful in both sports despite them being in the same season.
“A normal day at football for me would be getting out to the field and we all talk and joke around for a while and then we get told to line up and then we stretch, after stretching I either go to kickoffs and PATs (point after touchdown) with the team or I go to PATs on my own,” Eakin said.
As for soccer practice, it is quite a different experience.
“Soccer practice is a lot of drills at the beginning, and as practice moves on, we either run or move into goal-based drills where I go into goal and get shots or I work on my communication with defense,” Eakin said.
Eakin also handles a lot of pressure during her seasons.
“I would say that soccer is more stressful because it is ‘my’ sport,” Eakin said. “The expectations that I have from others and even for myself are much higher because I have been doing it for such a long time.”
Eakin’s only day off during the week is Sunday, when sports and practices aren’t being held.
“I try to either plan hangouts with my friends on Sundays when we don’t have sports, or I will stay out a little later to do something fun like a cute girl’s dinner or even a fun game of pickleball. I have to fit it in where it goes, but it never fails to show up when I need it,” Eakin said.
Eakin had a bit of a rough time transitioning between both of her teams at first.
“The boys are a little harder to relate to, so I kind of have to switch the way I joke around because their jokes and the soccer girls’ jokes are different and they are both perceived differently. I honestly think it keeps me really balanced because I can be myself with both but soccer it is definitely easier to relate to the girls,” Eakin said.
