NCSA caught up with softball standout Jenny Goodman about her high school career and the opportunity to compete at the college level.
NCSA: What motivates you before a big game? What's your pre-game ritual(s)?
Goodman: I do not really have any pre-game rituals, but I have been known to take a nap either on the way to a game or right before we warm up. Sleep energizes me!
NCSA: What are you looking forward to if and when you get the opportunity to play on a collegiate level?
Goodman: At the collegiate level, I am looking forward to the opportunity to compete with the best and see if my game can play at the highest level. It will be interesting to play with a new group of teammates from different areas of the country as well.
NCSA: Why did you get involved in the sports you played in? (Is it a family tradition, do you admire an athlete in the sport)?
Goodman: I became involved in softball because my older sister Sara was playing and I wanted to do everything she did-I kept on playing and now want to compete in college. My sister stopped several years after I started. We both went to pitching lessons together for a while but that didn't work out too well for me!!!
NCSA: Tell us about your interactions with college coaches so far.
Goodman: So far most of my contacts with the coaches have been via email, with an unofficial visit. I enjoy communicating via e-mail, and it is interesting that I get contacted by schools not only from the South where I am from but some from up north! I have family from Massachusetts, so I am willing to go outside the South to play so long
as I think the fit is good!!!
NCSA: How are your team(s) doing so far? (Club teams, high school teams)? Any challenges this season? How are you excelling personally, how does that compare to previous years?
Goodman: Our high school plays in the fall, so we are not playing high school at this time. Our team does work out twice a week as we are starting to get ready for the 2007 season. As a rising senior, and last year's team MVP, it is important for me to set a good example for the new players and to lead the team in the off season workouts. My club team the 18U Xtreme Mavericks Gold has been playing since January and we are starting our quest to qualify for the ASA Gold Nationals in Oklahoma City in August. Hopefully we will qualify early, but if we don't, it will still be fun to travel to the various sectional
locations. Personally, I am batting 2nd in the lineup and hitting over .300. I am working hard at keeping the hits coming. I play 2nd and OF defensively and doing well. I hit over .400 in high school, but the pitching is much better in travel, so I am happy so far with my hitting!!! I think my Coach Roger Kincaid likes what I have done so far!!
NCSA: What are your goals - athletically, academically and in your community - for the rest of the school year? What are also your goals for the summer? Are you looking to improve your speed, skills, acing a course?
Goodman: As for my goals, I am looking forward to my senior year! I have straight A's, and make the honor roll at school. While my SAT scores are good, I am working at trying to improve them to as high as possible. I am looking forward to taking AP courses next year as well. I am trying to improve my speed, so I work out twice a week at the Velocity Sports Training Center here in Alpharetta, and I have been doing so
since November, 2006. Hopefully I can keep getting faster!!!
NCSA: Tell us about what you've learned since being with NCSA. Have you learned about how to talk with coaches? Have you learned some rules on playing at the next level? What's the biggest take-away you have from your experience here?
Goodman: So far, the recruiting process has been some what stressful, but not overwhelming. The process has helped my communication skills, as you have to learn to talk to and communicate with coaches, which I have never had to do before. This summer will be the key in deciding where I will go to play softball, and I am looking forward to playing in various tournaments and camps in front of the college coaches. I am realistic about where I want to play, and I want a great education first at a school that I feel comfortable at combined with a good softball program.
