The women's soccer blog is back, and this year it's Kendall Johnson who is taking on blogging duties for the Pilots. Kendall and the team are currently in the middle of preseason training with the season-opener at Merlo Field against North Carolina just one week away. Be sure to bookmark PortlandPilots.com/KendallBlog to follow Kendall and the Pilots all season long!
ENTRY #1
Friday, Aug. 10, 2012
Ladies and gentleman, it’s the most wonderful time of the year again. Nope, I’m not talking about Christmas.... It’s Portland Pilots soccer season! And I am more excited than when I watched Misty May and Kerri Walsh take home their third straight gold medal at the Olympics. I, Kendall Johnson, have the honor of filling you in on our team and season. I’m a 5’5 Taurus who is fond of dogs, chocolate, night bike rides, cooking, the Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Portland Trail Blazers, but enough about me. Official preseason just recently started, but we’ve been going at it hard for the past six weeks with circuits, double days, and ice baths galore. Of course recovery is key as well, and we’ve been getting plenty of rest, watching lots and lots of Olympics. The gymnastics events have inspired me to work on my handstands and cartwheels for future goal celebrations. This season, we are slightly low on numbers, 18 to be exact, but you know what they say, “quality over quantity.” Not only do we have players returning with experience, but we’re also lucky to have snatched five new members to add to the team. With that said, I’d like to introduce you to our team’s newest additions:
Noelle La Prevotte (pronounced LA-PRO-VET, I like to say it with a French accent, but that one is up to you): Although I have not been privileged enough to hear her, rumor has it Noelle’s got vocals like Beyonce. Another one of Noelle’s hobbies is texting in foreign languages. Recently, Kaila Cameli received a text from her that said “maybeys i see you raterss den!” I tried Google translating that, and nothing came up. Maybe there’s something wrong with my computer. Aside from singing and texting, Noelle is a great runner who loves to attack down the line. She’ll be a great offensive threat for us this season and if we’re lucky maybe we’ll hear her sing the national anthem at one of our games!
Devlyn Jeter: Measuring in at 6 feet tall, one-hundred something pounds, Devlyn “DJ” Jeter is a force to be reckoned with. Supposedly related to pro baseball player Derek Jeter, and USA track star Carmelita Jeter, DJ may appear intimidating, but inside she’s just a big teddy bear. In her spare time, DJ loves trying out pick-up lines on anyone who will listen, although they are pretty awful. However, any man out there who does fall for her lines will be a very lucky one. DJ will be a great post for us up front, and will be an optimal target for crosses.
Haylee DeGrood: As a Southern California native, Haylee DeGrood is as chill as they get. Her go-with-the-flow attitude may make you think she’s down for whatever, but don’t be fooled. This girl is dynamite when it comes to Taboo, Charades, and just about any other game, including soccer. Haylee is a strong defender, who is confident with the ball, and will put you in her place if she needs to. Thankfully, I’m on her good side right now.
Shelby Vaver: Recently dubbed “Little Foot”, due to her little feet, Shelby is quite petite. In fact, she can fit into Jake’s (my yellow lab) hotdog Halloween costume. No offense to Shelby, she cannot pull it off as well as him, but very few people or animals can. At least that’s what I think, but I’ll let you be the judge (see photo below). Although Shelby is small in size, she is a strong, very quick player. She helped her team win the 4x100 and 4x200 relays in the state of Washington last year for her high school. Her tenacious attitude and fast feet will be very helpful in shutting down teams on defense this year.
Sara Bindl: Every year, for whatever reason, we unconsciously choose a new member to pick on. Well, we always pick on Sippy (Emily Sippel), but for this year’s class, Sara Bindl is the chosen one. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s a bit louder or has been caught muttering random things to herself, I don’t know. But, a little while ago some teammates decided to secretly pour a bunch of salt all over Bindl’s chicken. Apparently Bindl loves salt because it didn’t even faze her. Another fun fact about Bindl is that she gets scared very easily. Amanda Frisbie recently captured some footage of her watching the scary movie “Strangers”, take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le_M8df8nXA&feature=g-upl. On the field, Bindl is a solid defender and a very hard worker. She’s a great addition to the back line.
Well, there you have it folks. By the looks of it, this year is going to be a good one. Only one week until our season opener against North Carolina! We want to show the Tar Heels that we have the best fans in the nation, so please come cheer us on next Friday at 7:00pm. Hope to see you there! (Editor’s note:
Ticket Info Here).
Life,
Kendall
