For many people, it takes years to find their passions. However, that was not the case for Brooke Ramsey, senior midfielder.
Ramsey was raised in a traditional sports-oriented family. Her parents and two older brothers have all participated in athletics: her brothers chose ice hockey; her father chose baseball; and her mother chose track. Ramsey, after trying multiple sports, found an interest in soccer, enjoying the fast pace and free flowing nature of the sport.
“Growing up I played a little bit of softball, but it was too slow,” Ramsey said. “I did volleyball and track in middle school, and going into high school I just did soccer.”
The senior’s love for the sport was apparent early on.
“I’ve been playing since I was about four,” Ramsey said. “I’ve played it my entire life—17 years.”
Beyond the speed of the sport, Ramsey enjoys the mental challenges the game presents her.
“I think it’s so fast-paced and it’s truly a thinking game,” Ramsey said. “You don’t go in having certain set plays or something to follow. It’s super free-flowing, and you can be creative.”
Ramsey began her career as a Bobcat in 2014 after a successful high school career that saw her named All-District First-Team in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. When the time came, choosing to attend Texas State University wasn’t a hard decision for Ramsey.
“I loved it,” Ramsey said. “I think it was such a cool atmosphere when I came here. It was close enough to home, but it didn’t feel like Texas.”
The midfielder also sees the value in both trying to excel as an individual, as well as being a good teammate in the sport.
“It’s not individualistic,” Ramsey said. “I mean you do have to work by yourself, but not completely because it’s a team sport.” Although Ramsey doesn’t believe to be a very superstitious person, she sticks to her same pregame ritual before every game.
“Normally I’m too anxious to take a nap, so I just pace around my room listening to music,” Ramsey said. “I listen to hardcore rap or something really intense.”
Team chemistry plays a major part in the game, and with seven seniors on the team—Ramsey included—there’s been ample time for bonding.
“A lot of us live together,” Ramsey said. “I’m still with my same four roommates. We’re all super close.”
While most young athletes look up to professionals, Ramsey doesn’t. Instead she draws motivation and drive from herself and from her family.
“I think it’s more self-aspiration,” Ramsey said. “I think I get my motivation intrinsically, and I think I get it externally from my family.”
The Bobcat’s love for the sport runs deep, but she fully understands that 17 years of playing a sport takes a toll on the body.
“I think after college I’m hanging up the cleats,” Ramsey said. “I think that’s as far as it goes. My body is tired, and I think it’s just the perfect way to end my career.”
Ramsey is majoring in business marketing with a concentration in sales. Although she’s not quite sure what her career path after college is, she’s confident she’ll figure things out.
“I know for a fact I want to end up back in Dallas, but I’m not sure exactly where I go from there,” Ramsey said. “I’m hoping this year will shed some light on things.”
With both her athletic and academic collegiate careers reaching their ends, Ramsey feels fully prepared entering the real world and gives a great amount of credit to soccer for her level of preparedness.
“Honestly soccer has made me so ready for the real world,” Ramsey said. “Not just job wise, but interacting with people. It taught me time management and that you must be competitive. What you put into something is what you’re going to get out of it.”