WSOC: Stoppage Time

Summer Yates' soccer story // 10.11.19

By Washington Huskies

October 11^th, 2019

Playing soccer at the University of Washington was always a dream of mine since I was ten years old. Like every college athlete, they have a story of how they grew to compete at a very high collegiate level. Here is my story.

I grew up in a small town in Eastern Washington called Pasco. I wasn’t like every other little girl growing up: I was very active and somewhat of a daredevil. I grew up racing quads (motocross), snowboarding, kayaking, and hiking. I am very grateful for my parents raising me the way they did. My parents made sure that I knew that nothing in this world was going to be given to me, and that I would have to work hard for what I wanted. This really drove my competitiveness and desire to compete at a high level.

When I was five years old I began my soccer journey. My dad was a big part of my journey, he coached me from the very beginning, teaching me the game of soccer by watching and analyzing my biggest soccer idols Ronaldinho, Messi, and Marta, while also training me individually almost every day. I started setting goals for myself as I got more competitive with soccer. I set goals like scoring a hat trick in a game to playing on the national team to becoming a Husky soccer player. I was very determined to reach my goals but with greatness comes adversity.

Since I did come from a small town I did not get the exposure I needed to become the best player I was capable of being. My family and I decided to take a chance and have me play for a Seattle club called PAC NW. This was one of the best decisions I made but also one of the hardest. Since this club was a four-hour drive from my house I had to train individually with my dad on the week days and drive four hours up and back every weekend for games. This was very draining for me and my family but playing for this club helped me get the exposure I needed from other coaches and I gained some of my best friends.

The sacrifices I made to achieve my goals helped me gain the honor of playing on multiple youth national teams and the opportunity to travel the world playing the sport I love. My national team experience has been a dream come true. I have been lucky enough to travel to over eight different countries to compete. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given not only to wear a USA jersey but a Husky jersey as well. I cannot wait to continue to represent this amazing university for the next three years. I am so thankful for everyone who has supported me throughout my journey and I am honored to call myself a Husky. Go Dawgs!