U SPORTS News

U SPORTS sits down with one key athlete, coach, and staff member of each U SPORTS athletic program in our new interview series “Getting to know…”

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Name: Katherine Koehler-Grassau

School: UOIT

Sport: Women’s soccer

Position: Midfielder

Year of eligibility: Fourth

Program: Applied & Industrial Mathematics

Hometown: Greely, Ont.


1. What attracted you to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology?

I was attracted to UOIT by its friendly environment, the campus and the soccer team. Since the school has a small population, there was a small community feel to the campus which was very welcoming and made me feel at home. Every person that I met seemed very friendly and had a smile on their face. I also really liked the idea of reduced class sizes, which gives students the opportunities to interact with the professor one on one and ask more questions. Before attending the university, I also had the chance to meet the girls on the team, who all seemed so genuine and saw that their style of play seemed very similar to my own. I loved the underdog mentality and the fact that we had to play hard and earn the respect from other teams, especially since we were a newly-developing soccer program.

2. What’s your favourite memory, and your greatest athletic achievement as a U SPORTS student-athlete?

My favourite memory so far was going to nationals in Nova Scotia in my third year. As a team, we worked so hard throughout the season and reached one of our many goals. The experience of staying in the hotel and having lots of opportunities for team bonding was amazing. We became even closer as a team, and we got the chance to play against some of the top teams in the country.

My greatest athletic achievement as a U SPORTS student-athlete would have to be the bronze medal we won as a team at nationals. It was such an honour, as a young school, to be competing against many top university teams and to place the way we did. We put our heart and soul into the games we played, and the hard work and effort paid off.

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3. Where are you hoping your path will take you after university?

I’m hoping to one day become a teacher. I enjoy coaching, tutoring and helping players/students learn concepts or skills they do not understand. Seeing someone succeed and prosper, after struggling with something they could not grasp before is very heartwarming.

4. Who’s had the greatest influence on your athletic career?

 I would say my parents had the greatest influence on my athletic career. They are constantly active and playing different sports and encouraged a healthy lifestyle since I was young. They would consistently drive me to my soccer practices when I lived at home and supported me all throughout university, attending many of my games. My other great influence was my coach, Peyvand Mossavat. He encourages and helps me train hard, so I can play to the best of my abilities. He is a very smart and knowledgeable coach and really helped me to develop as a soccer player and person over the years.

5. Who is someone in the sports world, past or present, with whom you’d love to have dinner with? Why?

I would have to say Lionel Messi. I would have dinner with him because I want to ask him many questions about how he trains and prepares for his soccer games. He is an unreal player and has so much talent with his feet, it’s almost hard to comprehend. I’d like to know which steps he took and how much hard work he put in, in order for him to get to where he is today.

6. What is your pre-game ritual? Do you have any superstitions/idiosyncrasies around preparing yourself for a game?

My small superstition is that I have to put my shin pads and cleats on in a certain order and get my hair braided by my teammate before every game. Besides that, I do not have much of a pre-game ritual, except mentally preparing and trying to think as positively as I can about the game I’m about to play.

7. What’s your go-to song to get pumped up for practice or a game?

I always love listening to some Eminem songs to get pumped up. If you were to ask my teammates what song was my pump-up song, they would most likely say Get Low by Lil Jon. It is an odd choice, but it is one that reminds me of the girls that used to play on the team and started the program, one that we would all jam out to together.

8. What’s your favourite social media account to follow?

I enjoy seeing the highlights and announcements on the UOIT Ridgebacks page, which keeps me up to date with the other UOIT sports teams.

9. If you could try another sport, what would it be and why?

I think I would mostly likely try hockey. I used to play with my brother in my backyard rink, in the winter as a kid and really enjoyed it. I love how fast-paced it is and the skills required to stickhandle. I find it really exciting to watch on TV and would not mind trying it out for myself.

10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as an athlete?

I think the most embarrassing thing that happened to me as an athlete – and I think any soccer player can agree – is tripping over your own feet and falling when no player or the ball is even near you. You just get back up, hoping no one noticed but being fully aware that everyone saw. This is really quite embarrassing, and you wonder to yourself if you have even ever played soccer before.