DemminBlog

Rachel Givan

She was a goal scoring machine throughout her select and high school years. As a forward she was simply unstopable. Who would have guessed that Rachel Givan would be one of the top defenders in NCAA women’s soccer. I spoke with Rachel a couple days ago and she is having a wonderful season.

Read some of my questions and answers with Rachel.

 Ddemmin: What was some of the training you did this past summer to get ready for your season?
Rachel Givan:We get a packet every summer by our coaches that consist of running fitness, technical stuff, weights, and suggestions for games. I focus on fitness every summer. I have to pass a 120′s test that is mentally and physically difficult. I also focused on 1v1′s and small sided games. I trained this summer with Mallory Coleman a senior on the Ole Miss soccer team, and Courtney Alexander a senior on Miami soccer team.

Ddemmin: How was preseason training?
Rachel Givan: Preseason was good this year. Our coaches thought that our team came into preseason extremely fit.  The freshman class came ready to compete and their fitness level was very good. It helps being a junior, it brings experience and confidence with all the  preseason test and games. This preseason was longer than usual, we spent one week in Chapel  Hill and another week in Ocean Isle North Carolina, at the beach. It was not all fun at the beach, we did a lot of hard work too.

Ddemmin: How is your season going so far?
Rachel Givan:Our season is going great so far!  We have played some difficult teams and have really connected. Our record is 10-0-1.

Ddemmin: How you felt after winning your first NCAA women’s soccer championship?
Rachel Givan: It was AMAZING! The day is a blur in my memory, but it is such a great accomplishment and I am very blessed to have experienced it and play with my awesome teammates. Our team would do anything for each other.

Ddemmin: You have played forward throughout your high school years. Was it difficult to switch to a left back position?
Rachel Givan:Yes, luckily I got to make the transition my Freshman spring season so we could afford to make some mistakes in the back. It was difficult also playing on the left becasue I AM NOT LEFT FOOTED. But, I now feel very confident in the back and my left foot has improved a lot. It was challenging but it has been a great experience.

Ddemmin: If your coach gave you the choice of choosing a position to play, what position would you choose?
Rachel Givan:Right now I am really enjoying playing defense, because all the players on my team are incredible and just to get on the field is an accomplishment for me. I miss getting to shoot though!

Ddemmin: What advice would you give to young soccer players that want to follow in your footstep?
Rachel Givan:I would just say work hard, but have fun while your doing it. And just take aditional time from team practaice and focus on your strengths and weaknesses and try to improve them. If you really want to succeed just work hard and keep your head up.

Ddemmin:I have a question from Cheyne Bush, One of the u-12 Brilla girls that you met this summer. The one that fell in love with your championship ring and didn’t want to give it back. She wants to know how many times you can juggle the ball?
Rachel Givan: I wish I had practiced juggling a lot when I was her age. I did practice a lot over the summer with Mallory and Courtney. I can juggle over a hundred.

Ddemmin: Good luck with the rest of your season and we will talk soon.
Rachel Givan: Thanks!

To read more about Rachel click here http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/givan_rachel00.html

Rachel Givan

Rachel has set the bar extremely high. She dazzled the fans with fancy foot skills and an amazing goal scoring ability throughout her high school career. She scored over 150 goals and was a three time Gatorade Player of the Year.

She was honored twice as the Clarion Ledger Player of the Year and was voted 4A Player of the Year 3 times. She was selected to the All State Team 5 consecutive years. To top it all off, she represented the country at the national level, U15, U16, U17, and U20.

Her strength and speed were major concerns for all coaches. Her ability to score goals was a nightmare for all defender. As a forward she was, in a word, simply unstoppable.

It has been a privilege and honor to work with Rachel over the past years. She is not only an outstanding soccer player, she is also an exceptional person and an excellent role model. Although I have never coach Rachel at the high school or club level, I have worked with her several times on an individual basis.

Rachel Givan

The many things that amazed me about Rachel were 1. Her hunger for success. 2. Her exceptional work ethic, she was never satisfied with just 100% effort; she always tried to give more.

3. Her stamina, She never complained about the heat, the cold or being to tired to train. 4. her self-motivation. This was perhaps the trait that most impressed me. She would spend hours practicing not to please he parents or anyone else, but because she wanted to improve her skills.

Her self confidence. She thought she was better than me at a game we used to play after working out. (cross bar game).

She did win the very first game we played, but that was only because I didn’t know the rules(smile). After that first game, she never came close to winning again. She might have won one other time when I wasn’t feeling too good or I wanted to cheer her up(smile). In my opinion Rachel Givan is probably the best female soccer player to come out of MS high schools.

Presently Rachel is a junior at the University of North Carolina(UNC), the number one ranked team in the country. While there, she has been switched from forward to a defensive left back position where her role is to stop top forwards in the nation. She has responded to the new position extremely well and is having an outstanding season.

So my question again: Who will be the next Rachel Givan to come out of MS high schools?

To read more about Rachel and her team click here http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/unc-w-soccer-body.html