Women’s Soccer
Getting to know your U SPORTS student-athletes: Abby Wroe, Nipissing Lakers
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…”
Name: Kaylee Carlisle
School: Royal Military College of Canada (RMC)
Sport: Women’s soccer
Position: Attacking midfield
Year of eligibility: Fourth
Program: Major in Psychology with a minor in History
Hometown: Bainsville, Ont.
1. What attracted you to RMC?
The free job and getting paid were key factors for attracting me to RMC, but I was also attracted by the leadership experience as well as the unique learning environment. Not every school has mandatory inspections, physical fitness testing and drill lessons with rifles.
2. What’s your favourite memory, and your greatest athletic achievement as a U SPORTS student-athlete?
My greatest athletic achievement was being voted as the captain for two years in a row by my teammates, and my favourite memory was scoring my first goal as a Paladin.
3. Where are you hoping your path will take you after university?
I am currently in the infantry trade, but I am planning to change to be a logistics officer in the Air Force. I have no idea what I want to do with my life still, but I am hoping it is full of adventures and new achievements every day.
4. Who’s had the greatest influence on your athletic career?
Probably my teammates. I cannot pick just one who has the most. But without them on the field and supporting me, or passing me the ball, I would not achieve anything.
5. Who is someone in the sports world, past or present, with whom you’d love to have dinner with? Why?
Christine Sinclair. I chose her because she is my inspiration on and off the field. She is who I try to be as a leader for the team and as an officer, as well as a player on the field.
6. What is your pre-game ritual? Do you have any superstitions/idiosyncrasies around preparing yourself for a game?
Normally my pre-game ritual is listening to some music by myself to get into a calm state, followed by visualization drills on the field. It is a mental warm-up for my game, and I believe that it is not just enough to warm-up the body, but it is also important to warm up the mind in order to make smart decisions.
Before I step on the field, I say a phrase to myself, and I try to avoid eating at least an hour in advance. The phrase I say is actually something my coach yelled at me on the field. I say it to myself during games as well, and it’s “Get excited for the next opportunity.” It’s just a way to forget about the last time and mistake but think about the next one.
7. What’s your go-to song to get pumped up for practice or a game?
Magic in The Air by Magic System
8. What’s your favourite social media account to follow?
@SoccerGrlProbs on Instagram
9. If you could try another sport, what would it be and why?
I think it would be pole vaulting. I used to do it back in high school, and it could be fun to get back into it
10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as an athlete?
One time when the team was running full-field sprints, I forgot to breathe and I nearly fainted. Normally when I sprint on the field during a game, I do not breathe as it is an aerobic exercise, so naturally, I assumed I could do the same. But, we did not have adequate time for me to recover my oxygen supply and I thus kept depleting it. Now, I am constantly reminded by teammates and trainers to breathe during a game when I sprint.