Do you have that light in your eyes? We can look to the west and appreciate the view of the lake, travel east and be enveloped in the canyons, or drive south and take in the magnificence and serenity of the red rock. With the Big 12 on the immediate horizon, dont be surprised if success happens rather quickly. Are you an example of the Savior in your words, thoughts, and actions? However, she believed in me, and she believed that I had a future in education and coaching. Any doubts or questions of her being able to lead the team into a new era were gone. After finishing 12-4-1 on the season with a share of the West Coast Conference crown, they beat top-seeded Virginia in the third round and previous national champion Santa Clara in the semifinal. 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. BYU, in part due to Title IX legislation, began its search to field another competitive womens team to add to its growing collection that already featured the likes of basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. He wants us to feel as if there are different paths. I loved it, Bertoch said. We are to use our gifts and our individual talents to share the light and bring the light to others. She was good enough to play at other universities, and I told her I would help her find a place. Copyright | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us | Website Feedback, Jennifer The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would be right here, right now. Her daughter had found new motivation, inspiration, and direction. As a child in Chile, she watched soccer every day. During her senior year she helped lead our team to a number fourteen ranking before we were knocked out of the tournament by the University of Portland, the defending national champion at that time. "We are thrilled to have Ellie coming to BYU," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. . As surely as there is God, there is Satan. Legends Wally Joyner. In many ways, it started Sept. 18, the last time BYU lost a match on South Field a 2-1 overtime loss to Utah State that triggered an offensive deluge. 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. Rockwood says the key is in recognizing you cant control what other people say or how they act; you can only control how you react. There was BYU's head coach, seated across from a teenager who couldn't stop asking questions. Everybody knows more than you do about your job. Article written by Rachel Evensen 2021 Women's College Cup preview, ahead of semifinals, Marriott Center But some persist, and one she faces on a continual basis is dealing with criticism. Turning the Key: Kelsey Turnbow has 11 goals to lead a Santa Clara offense that averages 1.8 goals on 16.5 shots per game. What a blessing for all of us to be at this great institution. . Each team spends more than thirty hours together with no sleep, not much food, and few rest spots. I remember thinking we had such great success those first few years, that the expectation got pretty high, Rockwood said. The Cougars have a challenge against Santa Clara, their WCC rivals with a 15-5-2 overall record and the reigning national champions. BYU finished the season after falling in the Elite 8 to No. I can do this. Rockwood has always had a passion for athletics, but soccer wasnt necessarily her sport of choice growing up. Although the initial group of players, coaches, trainers and managers in comparison to todays staff and roster were small to start, the voices that this small group carried were loud and supportive. Besides, she points out, despite everything she and her teams have accomplished over the yearsconference championships, tournament appearances, and top-tier rankingssome goals remain unmet. They will spend countless hours together at practices, in the weight room, and on the road throughout almost every weekend during the season and the summer. Follow the light, seek after the light, and bethelight. The Broncos, who are 8-0-1 at home this year, are one of two teams to shut out BYU and its nation-leading offense that averages 3.50 goals per match. Iamliable to find fault with this, that, and the other. She is the only coach the school recognizes since the club joined NCAA competition in 1995. I thought they were a good program, Bertoch said of the program at the time, recounting how the club team had to charter their own buses and often slept when traveling in the homes of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Cougars have reached the Elite Eight in 2003, 2012, 2019 and 2021. There was a handwritten note on top, and part of it read: I am an inmate of the Utah State Prison. But what a blessed life and what a ride it has been. And although Iwasnt even aware of it at the time, I was actually a light for others. Womens soccer was already played on campus but at the club level. Rockwood would build indeed. She was her own person, had her own ideas, and marched to her own drumwhich was fine, but at the same time, it was holding her back from reaching her highest potential. In order to slow down the madness of life, I love to retreat into nature. Copyright 2023 BYU Marriott School of Business. It was not an easy journey for her, and there were many times when she knew it would be easier somewhere else. This is one way wecan search for the light. So please accept this blanket as a token of my appreciation. I hope I can bring [players] in to where they have an amazing experience whether they play a lot or not, she says. 24:58 mins Follow Jennifer Rockwood, a four-year starter for BYU women's soccer, through her illustrious career as a player and coach. On the outside, she remained expressionless, but she struggled to contain her nerves on the inside. Which voices can drown out the darkness and fill our minds and souls with the light? View the profiles of people named Jennifer Hill. These are questions we must ask ourselves on a daily basis. As graduation approached, Rockwood found herself at a crossroads. Legends Jennifer Rockwood Jennifer Rockwood stepped onto BYUs South Field and gazed numbly across the green turf. Our society is trending away from the spiritual and becoming more secular than ever. We are so blessed to live at the base of majestic mountains. Every soul who walks the earth, wherever he lives, in whatever nation he may have been born, no matter whether he be in riches or in poverty, had at birth an endowment of that first light which is called the Light of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, or the Spirit of Godthat universal light of intelligence with which every soul is blessed. We get scared of failure, we fear the unknown, and we are burdened with losses, sickness, and pain. 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. Always ready for a challenge, Rockwood has seen a pattern in her life of receiving unexpected opportunities, growing to meet them, and then receiving more. After participating in basketball in the Fall-winter of 198485, Rockwood transferred and enrolled at Brigham Young University. Structural Info Known for movies In the October 19, 2013 match vs. the San Francisco Dons, Rockwood would amass her 300th win. Other crucial figures came to help, as Carolyn Billings and Robyn Smith-Bretzing both joined the program in 1995. Are we making the most of our opportunities here at BYU? Hopefully, when I deal with these campers, Im bringing a love for the game, a love for getting better, a love for training on their own, and a love for being kids and being a real teammate and what that means, she says. It is truly one of the hardest and most time-consuming aspects of our job, but it is also one of the most rewarding because we have the opportunity to recruit some of the finest young women who are playing at the highest level in their sport. Shes won multiple Coach of the Year awards as the program has transitioned from the WAC to the Mountain West to the West Coast Conference, now standing on the precipice of joining a Power 5 conference in the Big 12. Not only can we choose to surround ourselves with good people, but we are also blessed to have a God who intentionally places certain individuals in our path to provide opportunities and open doors to the future. Will Rockwood ever leave BYU? One of my favorite songs is titled I Will and is written and performed by Hilary Weeks. As you can imagine, it was a bit disconcerting, and it was very challenging to stay on the path. They surround us each day, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. "Honestly, Jen has been awesome. I see my players play their best. The run to Friday's Final Four didn't just start in the NCAA Tournament, or in the 4-1 win over South Carolina in a national quarterfinal. Rockwood would play with the Cougars club team from 1985 to 1988, and as a senior Rockwood was placed in charge of scheduling and budgets for the club team. Completing her 21st season in 2015, head coach Jennifer Rockwood has taken the BYU women's soccer team to national prominence and has established herself as one of today's premier coaches of Division I soccer. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion To this day, the only sport I really watch is BYU womens soccer. I remember a brilliant lady, Nancy Heuston, head of the Waterford School, who hired me to begin teaching at a middle school and coaching at a high school during my senior year at BYU. Ive been there, done that. I loved those guys, and we had a great time. [Be an Example and a Light, Ensign, November 2015]. "Not everyone gets a second chance, and they got it," said Smith, who was an assistant coach at Davis in an era that featured Colohan, midfielder Olivia Wade, and a national championship honor. Zhao snuck the ball past Smith, and the Seminoles stormed the field, having clinched the national championship. Rockwood previously earned the honor in 2012, 2014 and 2018. Smith-Bretzing couldnt help but laugh when she thought about those early years. We must ask ourselves: Are these individuals helping us to move toward the light, or are they allowing us to let some darkness slip in? These were great womenincluding Lu Wallace, Elaine Michealis, and Ann Valentinewho in 1995 took a chance on a young coach who had no real NCAA coaching, recruiting, or managerial experience but who had a dream and a vision of what BYU soccer could someday be. A visit to the basketball tryouts for Ricks College landed her a spot on the team there as well as a scholarship offer. The team was expected to struggle out of the gate, but that would not last long. Ill be true, This often leads us to complain, blame, talk badly of others, and make excuses, and the light gets smaller and smaller and smaller. She decided to pursue a bachelors degree in business management with an emphasis in finance, in part because few women were in the program, and she wanted to see if she could rise to the challenge. Although we are not perfect, we try to represent BYU the best we can. Conference regular season champion Our profession is out there for everybody to critique, she says. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. In 27 years as the Cougars head coach, Rockwoods resume includes seven Coach of the Year awards, 13 total conference titles and 27 All-Americans. Cultivate it in your lives and hold its very essence until you grow old and gray. During her junior and senior years, she assisted the club soccer team behind the scenes in areas such as scheduling and budgeting, gaining a preliminary sense of the ins and outs of BYU sports administration. [7] Rockwood began to have immediate success. The Cougars were interested in Swensen-Haslam, who during her time with the Bingham Miners was an all-state forward. 218 University Press Building At the close of the season, the Cougars were ranked fifth nationally. So I took the shorter run. I know mine does. Division regular season champion All of these emotions leave us vulnerable, questioning, and sometimes searching for easy fixes. She happily accepted both offers. I have had the opportunity to coach amazing athletes over the years and we really have had some fantastic teams, some teams who have been really close, and we haven't quite been there. March 10, 2016 Name: Jennifer Rockwood BYU employee since: 1989 My job is. The question crosses her mind every few years, but she is adamant that if she were to depart, it wouldnt be for another coaching position. http://speeches.byu.eduJennifer Rockwood was head coach of the BYU women's soccer team when she gave this devotional on 15 March 2016. Brigham Young Univers. Reading or replaying the story in its I was super excited that we could get to do this. I wore a headlamp and a blinking red reflector. 1 seed in 2012, Advanced to the Sweet 16 sixtimes (1998, 2000, 2003, 2012,2016 and 2019), Advanced to the Elite 8 three times(2003,2012 and 2019), Led BYU to 13regular season and eighttournament conference championships and won conference championships in 16of her 25seasons, Led team to four-straight regular season conference titles twice, once in the MWC from 1999-2002 and in the WCC from 2012-2015, Finished with a winning record in 24of 26seasons, Reached highest national ranking of No. This new team was understaffed and had a limited number of fans due to a lack of exposure or interest in womens sports as a whole. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to live together again as one eternal family. While I walk in the light of God my mind is open. Join Facebook to connect with Jennifer Hill and others you may know. Her mom went on to explain that her daughter loved soccer but was from an area where there werent any members who played, and she was slowly losing interest in attending her Young Women group, seminary, and even church on Sunday. This opportunity eventually opened doors for me to set a new career path. I love to share it at every possible opportunity. 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. This month, the longtime BYU head coach picked up her 400th win in college soccer. In her 27 years as head coach, Rockwood's Cougars have made the NCAA tournament 21 times. I had to intently search for the light of others to help me find the way and point me in the right direction. 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. I thought it was unusual, but I opened the package. archived form does not constitute a republication of the story. In their winningest season in program history, the Cougars steadily climbed to no. BYU Women's Soccer (@byusoccer_w) September 10, 2021 BYU is another prestigious women's soccer program that longtime head coach Jennifer Rockwood leads. She knew it may never come again. But if anyone is up to the challenge, it's Rockwood. BYU had veteran coaches running its womens athletics, but soccer was a young sport in the state at the time, and Rockwoods experience with the club team set her apart. I personally feel I was in the right place at the right time, she says. This biographical article related to women's soccer in the United States is a stub. "I have known Ellie. I am fifty-four years old, and in all my life I never was interested in watching any sports on TV. This story is part of the March 2022 issue of TheDaily Universe Magazine and magazine show (below). Rockwood has also coached youth club programs, high school teams and the Utah Olympic Development Program. Her mom basically had made her attend. Yoshligi[tahrir| manbasini tahrirlash] When she became the head coach of a club-turned-NCAA-sanctioned team in 1995, nothing was ever promised. I loved it. But we must choose to surround ourselves with light. Her mom was quick to point out that her daughters experience at camp that week had been life changing. Legends Brandon Doman. "Right now, I feel we are playing our best soccer.". What an amazing opportunity it is to stand before you today. In 1995 BYU officially recognized women's soccer as an NCAA sport. In 1996 and 2012, Rockwood was also Region Coach of the Year. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a A week or so after the camp, I received a thank-you note from her mom, explaining that this young girl had not wanted to come to camp. While her accomplishments are remarkable, even more so is the path that positioned the 1989 Marriott School grad to achieve them. I must admit that the first thing I thought when asked if I would be willing to speak was, Really? "It's just been a magical season," says BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood (BS '89), whose team, with nine seniors, wasn't even ranked preseason. overrideCardHideSection= After three years of teaching PE for Meridian, Rockwood went to the headmaster and asked for a chance to try teaching in the classroom. Here are some words of wisdom that I believe They want us to know, to repeat to ourselves, and toalways remember: You are a beautiful child of God, made inHis perfect image. If we dont continuously search for the light and stayon the path, we can just as easily be led into darkness and off the course. Information in the story may be outdated A few weeks ago I heard from a former player from those days who wrote me an email telling me of an experience he remembered and a lesson he learned that has helped him over the years. But the word was out. 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). We didnt know a lot about soccer, it was just getting started in the high schools, it wasnt a big sport in the States.. Jennifer Rockwood is BYU women's soccer, they say. While their initial season was not perfect with some bumps along the way, the team finished with 11 wins and a winning record. As members of the Church trying to build the kingdom, we can be assured that we are prime targets. Head coach Jennifer Rockwood, known for her focused determination on the sideline and for being emotionally defensive of her players, leaned in to anticipate the shot. As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light, as it were, in the lives of those around uswhether they be our own family members, our coworkers, mere acquaintances, or total strangers. After 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven Sweet 16 runs and four Elite Eight finishes, BYU women's soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood finally broke through with the program she helped build. I think she probably felt overwhelmed by what it all means.. During the entire run I was scanning for any sign of a light, a marker, or even a blinking reflector from someone. We must intentionally use our voices that say, I am strong. Do the hard things. As I take my place, I will stand The search didnt go on long. The event starts in Logan and winds through the Wasatch Back to finish in Park City. We live in a world in which our lives are busier, noisier, and more stressful than evera time when nothing stops or even slows down. We are in a battle between the light and the darkness each and every day. But for Rockwood, it's never been about the wins, the honors, the trophies or even the 18 All-America designations received by her players. She could not believe the opportunity in front of her. My headlamp was the only source of light through the two and a half miles of switchback trails. President Monson stated: We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. Before long, she was accepting an offer. Much of the challenge lay beyond the coursework, however, as Rockwood also fought inner battles each day. Something most of you know and something I have come to learn over the years is that your mother and father are always your biggest fans. 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