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1) Tanya, how long did you play
in the MPS Player Development System?
I was part of the MPS system for
five years. I played four years full-time during high-school and then I also
played during the summer after my freshmen year of college. During my time at
MPS I got to go on a tour of England to play, we won the State Cup my final two
years, and during my third year we were North American Super-Y League champions.
2) How were you recruited to
play at the University of Wyoming?
I was at the Raleigh
shootout in North Carolina with MPS. I had an interest in the Rocky Mountain
area from having visited that part of country in the past to horseback ride and
ski. I had previously contacted the coaches at Colorado and Wyoming expressing
my interest. Luckily the Wyoming assistant coach (who was originally from North
Carolina and played at NC State) was visiting her family and getting a little
bit of recruiting in as well that week and came to the tournament to see me
play. Shortly thereafter I was invited to visit the campus and I fell in love
with the whole environment. Even though I was nervous and it was far away, with
support from my mom and dad I decided to give it a try. My mom and dad always
told me if it didn’t work out I could always transfer back after the first
year. Luckily the whole experience has been great. I have had to work hard to
earn more playing time, but I really wanted to challenge myself at a pretty high
Division I level. The Mountain West conference is a pretty tough schedule,
including nationally ranked programs such as BYU and Utah. Our non-conference
games have included Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Colorado, as well as
trips to California.
3) How did playing at MPS help
prepare you for Division I soccer?
I honestly believe that the
most important things I learned from MPS were responsibility, and
professionalism. Everyone at the DI level is a great player, and MPS is
certainly the reason I was able to play DI soccer, but it is the things I
previously mentioned that really set me apart from a lot of my college
teammates. The MPS staff demands that its players follow certain codes of
conduct that turn them into not just great players, but great people. I’m sure
Pete Bradley and James Hamblin can tell everyone that myself and my MPS
teammates did not come in to their system with the best set of behaviors, and we
certainly got into our fair share of trouble. However, by the time they sent us
off to college we were more than prepared to take responsibility for our
actions, and act in a professional manner.
4) You have excelled in the
classroom during your collegiate career and recently earned a 4.0 GPA during the
fall season. How do you balance school and soccer?
Sometimes it can be pretty
difficult to get everything accomplished with such a hectic schedule, but I
honestly am more productive when I am busy. I think it is just a lifestyle I got
used to in high school. When we’re on the road I try to get homework done on the
plane or bus so that I can relax a bit when we finally arrive at our hotels. I
am in the honors program which requires a lot of reading. Most of our away games
we have to fly, which also requires a three hour bus ride to the Denver
Airport. This travel time actually helps me find the time to get my work done,
unless of course there is a good movie playing on the bus!!
5) You
currently serve as President of
Wyoming's Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee and act as
Wyoming's
representative on the Mountain West Conference Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee. How do you enjoy these responsibilities?
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is
required of every DI school by the NCAA. My freshmen year, the coaching
staff and the athletic department’s academic support staff nominated me to
replace one our graduating seniors as the soccer representative at Wyoming and
this past year I was voted President. I was also chosen to serve as the school’s
representative to the MWC. I really like being so involved on these committees
because it is an opportunity to interact with other student-athletes on campus
and conference wide, organize community service events, and help better the
collegiate experience for student-athletes. The events we sponsor also helps
the athletic teams bond with each other and also with the rest of the school. I
am also serving my 2nd year of a three-year appointment to the
University President’s Committee on Athletics, where I am one of two students on
the committee. This has given me great insight into how to interact with a
board of faculty and administrators. If the opportunity presents itself I would
recommend to any player getting involved in your school’s SAAC or any other club
or activity.
6) You are currently majoring
in Dietetics at Wyoming. What are your plans for after college?
After graduation I plan on
attending graduate school for Dietetics/Exercise Physiology. From there I would
like to focus on counseling athletes on their specific nutritional needs. I have
also done significant course work in psychology so I wouldn’t mind helping other
individuals deal with disordered eating behaviors as well. I actually became
interested in this field of study from a sports nutrition seminar that MPS
sponsored one year featuring world renowned nutritionist Nancy Clark.
7) You have one year of
eligibility left at the University of Wyoming. What are your goals going into
your senior year?
I was recently diagnosed with
mono, so as soon as I am cleared by our physicians my goal for the spring and
summer is going to be to getting back in to peak physical shape so that I am
ready to compete when preseason arrives. My goal for the fall will most
likely be to start consistently. Last summer I arrived at preseason in great
shape and led the team in all our fitness tests. The effort worked out well as
I earned a starting spot leading into the fall, only to lose it quickly due to a
quad injury that took several weeks to heal. We have a new coach for this
season, so we all have to start over and work hard to prove ourselves. It would
also be great if my senior year could be the year that my team finally makes it
past the first round of the Mountain West Conference Championships.
Another goal I have for the
next nine months is to simply enjoy this great opportunity I have been given. I
have been playing soccer competitively my whole life and I am quickly
approaching the end of my career. I feel that so often players focus on the
negative aspects (waking up at 5am to run and lift and then having to go back
and practice for 2 hours later in the day, getting home from a road trip at 3am
on Monday and having to wake up for an 8am class, etc) and not enough on the
positive ones. Thus I am going to try and face everything this coming year has
to offer with a smile. Running sprints may not seem like fun at the time, but I
think that when my career is over I will look back and miss it all.
8) What advice would you give
to MPS players currently finishing their high school careers and preparing to
enter college in the fall of 2008?
If your college coach gives
you a summer workout plan before preseason DO IT – and then do more!! When my
MPS team was getting ready to head off to college I would usually meet some of
my teammates (Becky Westbury, Nicole Allen, Maria Picard, Alanna Darling,
Courtney Perkins and some others) before practice and we would do some of the
fitness in our packets! One time Alanna and I actually ran our college fitness
right after playing in a game!
I would also encourage
players to get involved in other things at school, meet other students away from
the soccer field, and attend various events held. At Wyoming, football is
pretty big and home games are a huge event. Likewise men’s and women’s
basketball draw large crowds, so these are always fun to attend. However, try
to attend non-sporting events as well. This year I have attended plays, comedy
shows, and even art exhibits on campus in addition to hiking and skiing in the
Rocky Mountains. The years go by quick so try to mix it up.
9) Do you still keep in touch
with any former MPS teammates and keep tabs on their college career?
Yes!! There was a core group
of girls that were in the MPS system the majority of my five years and I still
talk to most of them. Becky’s team (Franklin Pierce) is always competing for a
National Title so I’ll watch those final games on TV and call her before hand to
wish her luck and stuff like that. Facebook and text messaging also allows us to
easily keep in touch – I had a message from Angela Maria Viscomi the other day
actually and Nicky and Maria text me every so often as well! Everyone seems to
be doing well at their respective schools, but I think all of us do miss playing
for MPS too! Pete Bradley and James Hamblin did a great job unifying us as a
team from early on and it has clearly still stuck with us!
10) Finally, who has been the
biggest influence on your career to date?
Various members of the MPS
staff have had a big impact on my career. I came to MPS very raw and
undeveloped. I was lucky that I got involved with MPS in its early stages and
was able to grow with the program. I think that the expectations and commitment
that Peter and Joe Bradley wanted from its players and coaching staff is what
set the tone for good practices and team cohesion, while also making it so much
fun. I think it was the winter training sessions that really helped me
improve. After two years with MPS I was selected to the MYSA ODP team the last
two years I was eligible.
James Hamblin and Bekah
Splaine were instrumental in my development. As my coaches they each helped
develop my confidence, while also being able to provide constructive criticism.
Another area that MPS helped
me with was the development of leadership skills. At MPS I was able to work at
their camps and I even got to run a few clinics and camps on my own. To do
these well you need to be organized and plan your time well. You also have to
be able to interact professionally with parents. These skills came in handy as
last summer I was asked to work a camp for former national team player, Cindy
Parlow, in Cheyenne, WY. She was pretty impressed with some of the drills and
games I brought from my MPS camp experiences.
I also, need to recognize
that I would not be where I am today if it were not for my parents. No matter
how cliché this response may appear it really is the truth. If they were not
willing to drive me to various practices and games for club and ODP all those
years before I had a license there is absolutely no way I would be playing
collegiate soccer right now. So thanks Mom and Dad!
MPS would like
to thank Tanya for her help in compiling this special feature. To keep
tabs on her collegiate career please visit the University of Wyoming Women's
soccer site
HERE
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