Leaving tomorrow for Brittany Rupples Senior night. So proud of what shes accomplished throughout her career and what a journey for me as her primary soccer companion. It seems like yesterday when it all began, from the early years with the Sting Academy (thank you Craig Smith for the wonderful photo when Brittany was 9 years old) to now playing for the Lipscomb Bisons. Her soccer has taken us to all major cities from coast to coast. Ive definitely had my fill of Las Vegas given the numerous trip weve made. Brittany came to me when playing recreational soccer for the Thunder and said she wanted to pursue soccer and stop focusing on other sports. Undaunted by the large number of girls trying out, she made Stings top team (thank you Ed Jefferson and Ted Eck for the years coaching Brittany) which went on to win the State Cup, Premier League, and was the top team in the country. Brittany went on to also play for the DFeeters Soccer Club and Solar through her club years. Never did she complain, always self-motivated to attend numerous Ludwig technical skills sessions and a variety of other skill building events. What I remember and probably enjoyed the most were the last two years of club soccer playing in the Elite Club National League Tournaments after she committed to Jon Ireland that she would attend Lipscomb. As we traveled to these venues, Brittany and I spend a lot of time reflecting on her club years, dining at Sushi restaurants, and discussing college. I was most proud of her perspective, maturity, and drive; qualities that will continue to lead her forward in the future. Brittanys college career has been everything she couldve hoped for competing at a D1 level for a small Christian based private school. Playing along side a group of wonderful young women, she was a 4-year starter and led the team in minutes played. She made All-Conference (Atlantic Sun Conference) but what shes most proud of was Lipscomb qualifying for their first conference tournament last year. That success has continued this year as Lipscomb is closing in on a 10-win season and they also entered the national polls for the first time ever. Unfortunately, Brittanys senior season has been bittersweet. She had a fantastic start capped off when she scored the winning goal against West Carolina in Overtime. Unfortunately, in her next game against Vanderbilt, which I was watching on ESPN, she suffered a concussion that ended her season, and her career. Brittany continues to improve, now attending class and steadily progressing back to her baseline. Sorry for the length of this post, but its a Thank You note to Brittany for all the wonderful years playing soccer that Ive enjoyed being part of. I am so proud of what you have accomplished in the classroom (All-Academic for 4 years) and on the soccer field throughout your career. All Brittanys effort and successes will be celebrated tomorrow night and I am soooo looking forward to be your escort in front of the many parents, family, and friends at your last home game!!!
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:50:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015