Berea Woldeyes is an attacking midfielder and winger on the women’s soccer team. Her path to athletic excellence was paved by memories of youthful enthusiasm and support from family, coaches, and friends. Her humble beginnings later paved the way for her athletic journey, leading her to the Wolfpack women’s soccer team. Recently, the Omega spoke with Woldeyes about her experiences, interests, and passions.
Omega: What inspired you to pursue soccer?
BW: Well, when I was really young, about five years old, my mom signed me up for TimBits soccer, which is for really young kids. My passion and love for soccer grew as I got older. It almost became second nature to me.
Omega: Can you tell me about a memorable moment in your athletic career?
BW: A memorable moment for me could have actually been in youth soccer. There was a day that l remember very vividly. l was planning on playing soccer at a level below the highest level, and my coach told me during practice that he wanted me on his team, which was the highest level at that time. It was a turning point for me in my sports career.
Omega: How do you balance the demands of training and competition with other aspects of your life?
BW: I would say it takes a lot of discipline, focus, and effort for me because university courses are a lot, but over the years, I have kind of learned time management.
Omega: Can you share any routines you follow before competitions to help you prepare mentally and physically?
BW: Oh yes, absolutely. Before games and tournaments in season, as a team, we obviously train, lift, eat and rest. On a personal level, l am big on my faith, so l pray, listen to music, and spend some quiet time alone just to get calm and ready as possible before game days.
Omega: How has faith played a role in sports for you?
BW: My faith to me is one of the main reasons that l play soccer. Yeah, it is just trusting God with my sport and honouring him with my sport even when l am not playing as much as l would like. I take the time to remember that playing soccer is a gift from him that l never want to take for granted. l really want to use it and my success for his glory.
Omega: How has your Ethiopian cultural background influenced your approach to sports and competition?
BW: If l were to tie my culture into what l do, l would say that l take after my parents’ cultural values. A lot of their values come from working hard and staying focused, those are aspects of my parents and their culture that l am able to bring into my sport. Also, the selflessness of my parents that l think l would like to take after, just trying to always put my teammates and people around me above myself in my sport, that is always a blessing, and always striving to be my best is something that l strive to do every day.
Omega: How do you stay motivated and focused during training and competition for soccer?
BW: I love this question because l think that this is something that is overlooked a lot for athletes. It is easy to be motivated but lack the ability to follow through. So, people can have big dreams and aspirations, but l think it is a matter of staying disciplined in order to be motivated. The challenge for me is giving myself practical ways of meeting my goals and setting my mind in action to things l am thinking about.
Omega: What do you enjoy most about being an athlete, and what keeps you coming back for more?
BW: Yeah, what l enjoy the most about being an athlete, l would say, is the community and even just the life lessons that it gives me, like time management, effort, consistency, discipline, and all these benefits of the sport that it has given me in my life. Also, the amusement of the sport and the entertainment of it and being able to compete is something that l love a lot. It drives my life in a lot of different ways.
Ellen Kazembe can be reached at kazembee23@mytru.ca