Words by Dakota Shaw
The sun was beaming and the air was hot, mirroring 17-year-old Elizabeth Hicks' heightened state of mind. Though it felt good to be outside after a long day of unpacking her bags, having recently arrived for her first-ever year at Trinity Western University, the fresh air did little to ease her nerves.
It was her very first day of practice with the Spartans women's soccer team. She walked up the concrete path and onto the sidewalk toward the field. Her muscles were tense as she took in a deep, albeit shaky breath. She was trying to focus on anything but her nerves, as her churning stomach threatened to erode any positivity.
Looming in front of her was a rite of passage – her first fitness test with the Spartans. It taunted her mind, provoking questions like, "Am I really good enough to be here?" This question overwhelmed her thoughts that day and would continue to do so throughout the years to come.
It hadn't always been this way for Hicks. Usually, soccer came as a source of pride and confidence. It was a comfort for her. Growing up in a sports-oriented family and having her dad, Michael Hicks, play for McGill University, it was the one thing she knew best.
However, Hicks looked at her new environment at TWU with fresh eyes and a curious mind. It wasn't far from home – the Langley-based campus resides just a short drive from her Surrey, B.C. home – but on this summer day in 2016, she found herself in foreign territory.
Everything happened so fast. Spartans coach Graham Roxburgh explained the instruction and then, with a heavy breath out and sweat forming in droplets on her forehead, it was time to go.
"Three! Two! One!" Roxburgh shouted, with a little pause in between each number.
With legs and arms flailing and flashes of different colours, Hicks started fast, with adrenaline coursing through her body and driving her first-year frame forward at full speed. It was an intense experience.
Hicks' teammates screamed encouraging words at each other and pulled each other along to help them finish as their bodies inched towards exhaustion. This was her first taste of what practices would be like and her first impression of what Roxburgh was like as her coach. Over her five years at TWU, they would come to know and understand each other and a deep respect between them would blossom.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca