Born an Athlete

As the girl’s varsity soccer team kicks into soccer season, senior Stella Jones prepares to embrace her final year on the team and her future plans.

Jones first began her soccer career at the age of seven. Though at first she wanted to play hockey, her mom had placed her in figure skating, but she was still on the hunt for her sport.

“Eventully, she signed me up for soccer,” Jones said. “And it kind of just stuck.”

For the next 11 years, Jones developed in both sportsmanship and leadership skills through her love of soccer. This ultimately led to her becoming one of the three captains of the girls’ varsity soccer team.

Farewell Season

Even though the season has just begun, Jones praises her team’s chemistry and skill.

“Our [team] culture is really just about working hard and working for each other,” Jones said “If you’re an underclassman, you’re playing for your seniors, because you want them to have a good last year before [they] go.”

In times when it gets stressful or heated on the field, Jones says the girls come together during water breaks to regroup and blast their team song, “Unwritten,” by Natasha Bedingfield.

“[It] usually helps us, like, get back into a good spirit,” Jones said.

Kicking it to College

When looking for a college to attend, Jones aimed for a school that provided both rigorous academic and athletic programs.

“Being an athlete… how I decided what school I wanted to go to was very much surrounded around athletics but I also knew that academics were important to me,” Jones said.

With these focuses in mind, she committed to the United States Naval Academy. On top of continuing soccer in college, she also hopes to study aerospace engineering.

“I think at Navy, I found a good balance between the two,” Jones said.

As she prepares for graduation, Jones leaves advice to aspiring athletes.

“If you’re just starting out, practice is obviously the best thing you can do,” Jones said.

She also adds that soccer is a great sport that can create opportunities to meet new people and build relationships on and off of the field.

“It’s a lifestyle,” Jones said. “I would say, 80% of my life revolves around soccer.”