You never know what light you might spark in others just through your kindness and your example. Then, in 1995, the university officially sanctioned Division I Womens Soccer and began searching for someone to head up its new team. At the close of the season, the Cougars were ranked fifth nationally. As President Monson stated, we want to be a light even to total strangers.. She had considered getting a degree in education when she first came to BYU, and she had taken a slew of humanities classes as an undergradI probably had enough for a minor, except I didnt speak another language, she says. For several years I have had the opportunity to participate in a team race that takes runners through some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. Unfortunately, due to BYUs recent start as a NCAA sanctioned team, the relatively unknown WAC teams that BYU played against, and the limitation of only 48 teams that entered the tournament, the Cougars did not play in the NCAA tournament that year. There is something about the way they play. They provided Rockwood with insights into team management and leadership development, lobbing her encouragement along the way. But the word was out. Parents and players being disgruntled in decisions that you make becomes very challenging.. She went on to graduate from BYU, serve a mission, and bless the lives of all those she came in contact with. Fortunately I was blessed by the tender mercy of a friend who must have been inspired to send me a poem that appealed to Mother Teresa. View All. . We get scared of failure, we fear the unknown, and we are burdened with losses, sickness, and pain. However, when she came back to Provo, an opportunity arose to work for BYU athletics when she took on the role of womens sports publicist. To this day, the only sport I really watch is BYU womens soccer. Christi Norris/BYU BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood talks to her team at the women's soccer preseason scrimmage for the 2022 season. While their initial season was not perfect with some bumps along the way, the team finished with 11 wins and a winning record. She made the decision to stay and surround herself with great friends, teammates, professors, ward members, and the environment at BYU, and it ultimately led to an opportunity to change her life and her future. Love yourself so that you can love others. With so much that has been provided for us by a loving Heavenly Father, much is expected. As we follow the example of the Savior and live as He lived and as He taught, that light will burn within us and will light the way for others. Her years of experience playing and coaching soccerincluding six years at the helm of the BYU Womens Soccer club teamsuddenly seemed insignificant beside the challenge that lay ahead. I can do this. Do the hard things. Whether these are choices about who to recruit or about playing time, these decisions often cause issues with players, parents, and familieswho, needless to say, are not too happy with me. Wemust always seek for the light, and we must light the way for otherstoday more than ever. But they werent soccer people, they didnt know much about soccer. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Soon after, our van was starting to get ready for our second leg of runs when my friend Greg mentioned that maybe I should run a shorter leg that was half the length of what I was supposed to run. "Right now, I feel we are playing our best soccer.". Class of 1989. We are to use our gifts and our individual talents to share the light and bring the light to others. In the October 19, 2013 match vs. the San Francisco Dons, Rockwood would amass her 300th win. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. To me, this is a great example of someone who was able to apply a simple concept to his life and who continues to share that lesson with those he teaches. I leave you with my testimony that I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows us by our names, by our thoughts, and by our hearts. Soccer? Far from a program, that's a dynasty, a consistent achievement layered by the individual bricks of three decades of top athletes the majority of which came homegrown from Utah and the surrounding region. 15 player in the country when she signed with the Bruins. But not even the 400-plus career wins, 14 conference championships and seven conference coach of the year honors can adequately describe the impact Rockwood has had at BYU since foregoing a basketball scholarship to Ricks College in 1984 and transferring to the club soccer program in Provo. What an adventure! My thought was I was going to get this club team to the point of where and if we do transition to an NCAA status that we will be ready and be prepared so that BYU isnt just starting at ground zero, Rockwood said. Do you have that light in your eyes? minutes. I see my players play their best. Once I had passed the arrow, I would scan again, trying to find another redlight. Many years ago I was in the middle of some very challenging situations that not only caused me much doubt in my abilities but also made me question my own path. Itis for the entire team. In that time she amassed an overall record of 128-25-9. Reading or replaying the story in its When she became the head coach of a club-turned-NCAA-sanctioned team in 1995, nothing was ever promised. Everybody knows more than you do about your job. You could just tell that she loved soccer., Smith-Bretzing said that she also respected the process by which Rockwood was able to lead the program when she became head coach. She graduated with a degree in Communications and began her career working in broadcasting, including working for CNN and KBYU-TV. To take His name, I will be strong Our reach goes so far, whether in sports, music, dance, research, science, or education. Spurs snap 16-game losing streak by topping uninspired Jazz, Man arrested in connection with fatal shooting now accused of child rape, Bill mandating counties to provide homeless shelters, enforce camping laws passes Utah House, Troopers identify woman killed in crash near Nephi, Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness. To many in South America, soccer was akin to a religion. "Actually in the last several years I have come to terms with (not making it to the College Cup), but it is something that has driven me,". If Santa Clara wins, the final will be played Sunday at 6 p.m. MT but moved to Monday at 6 p.m. MT if BYU wins because of the Cougars' no-Sunday play policy. After three years of teaching PE for Meridian, Rockwood went to the headmaster and asked for a chance to try teaching in the classroom. But I think for me personally, I was like maybe this is what I am supposed to be doing because it doesnt make sense that we are having all of this success.. 1 seed in the NCAA College Cup, the first women's program at BYU to ever be awarded a 1-seed. One of the challenges for me as a coach is knowing that I can make a lot of kids really happy by recruiting them but that I also ruin dreams, she says. Im not worthy enough or strong enough. Standing for Him After one yearincluding a frigid winterin Rexburg, Idaho, Rockwood made the leap to BYU. This archived news story is available He hired me as a sixteen-year-old to help work his youth soccer camps throughout the summer, and that opportunity gave me the knowledge and experience I needed to direct the camps here at BYU with the more than 2,500 kids who attend each year. It was one of the few runs that took place on a trail in the middle of nowhere at 2:00 a.m. We didnt know a lot about soccer, it was just getting started in the high schools, it wasnt a big sport in the States.. Billings became the first ever trainer for the soccer team, and Smith-Bretzing was one of Rockwoods first assistant coaches. Provo, UT 84602 Twenty-two seasons have passed since Rockwoods appointment, and her undeniable success includes fourteen conference championships, eighteen NCAA tournament appearances, and an overall record of 355-100-38. At Waterford, Rockwood taught seventh- and eighth-grade PE classes and coached the high school girls soccer team. As the leader of the firm's Global Power & Utilities Practice and Co-Head of the Private Capital Infrastructure Practice, she works across . We have more responsibilities, more pressures, more expectations, and more places to be, and we spend far too much time on our smartphones. At first I thought, Oh, thats thoughtful of himhes concerned about my foot. But I soon realized that he just didnt want me to slow down the team. These are questions we must ask ourselves on a daily basis. Help people anyway. In 27 years at the helm of the BYU women's soccer program, Rockwood's teams have finished below .500 just twice. Without the light no man can see. That's all it would take. Legends Jennifer Rockwood Love them anyway. She could not believe the opportunity in front of her. Structural Info Known for movies Always give everything your best effort. Unlike basketball and football, soccer doesnt adhere to a recruiting calendar; Rockwood may be traveling any given weekend to watch prospective athletes. A visit to the basketball tryouts for Ricks College landed her a spot on the team there as well as a scholarship offer. Aggression is the key in soccer, but so is patience, calmness on the ball, and tactical awareness in a game that can resemble both a chess match and a track meet and sometimes in the same 45-minute half. Jennifer Rockwood and the origins of the BYU women's soccer team Story and cover art by Alex Dotson This story is part of the March 2022 issue of The Daily Universe Magazine and magazine show (below). Prior to becoming head coach at BYU, Rockwood led BYU's highly successful club soccer team for seven years. Which voices do we let in? With that team, the Cougars knew they had a chance to do something special from the moment they lost to Virginia 2-0 in the second round of the NCAA's unique spring tournament that cut short an 11-4-1 campaign truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 and received a No. Thats all it would take. We have . This was such a kind gift and note that touched our team and reminded us that we are capable of reaching individuals who we would never have thought of. In order to slow down the madness of life, I love to retreat into nature. Finally, toward the end of my run, I saw a few runners ahead and followed their lights to the finish. It was 1995, and Rockwood had just signed a contract to become the inaugural head coach of the newly sanctioned NCAA Division I BYU Womens Soccer programat the highest level of intercollegiate athleticsdespite having no prior Division I experience. And they needed one kick to seal it. The Lady Cougars have compiled a 16-1-1 record on the year and look to be in good shape to win the West Coast Conference championship and make a run in the NCAA playoffs. - Sat 2/25 8:00 pm. After my first run of nearly six miles, I was okay, but it had been really hard and I had gone pretty slow. 4) in the NCAA Tournament. After one year at Rick's College on a basketball scholarship, she transferred to BYU where she became a four-year starter at center midfield on the Cougars' club soccer team and graduated in finance, business management. Her first interaction with the soon-to-be head coach Rockwood was one of intrigue, as neither had coached or been part of a program at the NCAA level. Join Facebook to connect with Jennifer Hill and others you may know. Bertoch, a native of Chile, came to the US and went to school at BYU. Rockwood decided to give the junior college, now BYUIdaho, a shot. In one of BYU's most successful seasons, 2012, the Cougars were ranked as high as No. Im pretty sure in todays world my scenario would not happen, Rockwood says. Most of our players attended camps when they were younger, so they know how exciting it is for young campers to come and hang out with them for a week. Her daughter had found new motivation, inspiration, and direction. What a blessing for all of us to be at this great institution. In a world thats weak I thought she was young, Bertoch said. Drawing a deep breath, the fledgling head coach set to work. BYU finished the season after falling in the Elite 8 to No. She knew the sport of soccer. She wanted to be like the campers and players on the team and go to BYU someday. Ive been there, done that. "This means a lot," Rockwood said. My journey truly has been different than what I would have ever foreseen when I once sat in your seat over thirty years ago. [4], Rockwood coached high school soccer for the Waterford School girls' team and the Meridian School's boys' and girls' teams prior to gradating from BYU. The pain of being so close to winning it all must have hurt, but as she normally does, Rockwood could only think about how much this meant to her players, especially to her two seniors Colohan and Tucker. Rockwood was retained and became the Cougars first NCAA women's soccer coach. He remembers me saying, What makes you think you will ever get those shots off in a game if you cant even pass, trap, or control the ball?, Although I dont remember saying those specific words, he does, and he not only applied them to soccer but to life. Other crucial figures came to help, as Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined the program in 1995. During the run it was important to stay strong, positive, and confident, even though there were continual doubts. [Be an Example and a Light, Ensign, November 2015]. I am always drawn to the light in the beauty of Gods creations, in which I can find calmness, comfort, peace, and a deeper connection to my Heavenly Father and my Savior. What an amazing opportunity it is to stand before you today. March 10, 2016 Name: Jennifer Rockwood BYU employee since: 1989 My job is. 2 in the country in 2012, Finished seasons ranked in the top 10 sixtimes (1998, 2000, 2003, 2012,2016 and 2019), Finished seasons ranked in the top 25 13times in 25seasons, Third coach in NCAA history to start a program and win 300 games while there, Sixth NCAA coach to win 300 games at one school, 10 of her student-athletes have been on the shortlist for the MAC Hermann Trophy with five semifinalists and one finalist (Mikayla Colohan), Her players have won 11conference Player of the Year awards, five Defender of the Year awards, three Goalkeeper of the Year awards and six Freshmen of the Year awards, Named 2016 Women's Coach of the Year at the Governor's State of Sports Awards, Named the 2021 National Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches Association. Most of those girls who take them havent taken them since high school because our conference doesnt have a conference championship.. 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