Marquette University Athletics
Gordon Chases Dream
3/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
March 24, 2003
by Karen Rush Carolina Courage Staff
used with permission from the Carolina Courage
GREENSBORO, N.C.- The phone call came mid-day on Tuesday. And the answer was just what Markus Roeders and Frank Pelaez wanted to hear. They packed their bags, made their travel plans and 24 hours later they were on a plane off to see their Turtle.
No, their Turtle is not a tortoise with a hard shell and a slow crawl. Their Turtle is the exact opposite - a personable, zippy forward, Kate Gordon.
Almost four years ago when Gordon entered Marquette University, Pelaez, the Golden Eagles' assistant coach, dubbed her 'Turtle' - partly because she has a love for turtles and partly because she is the antithesis of the reptile.
Owning a turtle stuffed animal and a turtle tattoo, Gordon knows the nickname has its benefits.
"If they were on the sidelines, they could yell 'Turtle, go do this,'" she explained. "And no one would assume I would be Turtle because I'm fast."
While Gordon is able to pull away from the opposition, she hasn't been able to shake off her college coaches - not that she would want to. After two-and-a-half weeks of training camp, Roeders' and Pelaez's faces were welcome sights for Gordon, a native of Sioux City, Iowa.
The two Marquette coaches flew to Raleigh, N.C., as soon as they knew Gordon had made the travel squad for Carolina's Wednesday evening exhibition against Atlanta. Gordon, the Courage's fourth-round draft pick, is battling for a spot on Carolina's roster. Against the Beat, Gordon started at forward alongside Danielle Fotopoulos.
Watching his former star player - the first Golden Eagle to reach the professional level - from the sidelines gave Roeders a unique perspective.
"It's actually kind of funny because as just an ordinary spectator here watching the game, you feel a little bit like a parent," said Roeders, Marquette's head coach. "You always laugh at the parents who are watching their children play. You're watching her, you're tweaking a little bit. We're really proud of what she has done."
Two to three times a week, Roeders and Pelaez give Gordon a call to talk. Rather than trying to give Gordon advice, they simply listen to what she has to say.
"We're obviously curious about what the league does, how the trainings are, what the training is like," said Roeders. "It's interesting for us as coaches."
What they've heard is that Carolina's training camp has been unlike anything Gordon has ever experienced. Making the transition from playing for fun to playing for a living can be hard.
"It's been up and down," said Gordon. "I have good days and bad days. I think as it goes on it gets tougher. They expect more from you and they demand more from you."
Last week was the most difficult time mentally for Gordon. While her friends were enjoying spring break at the beach, she was grinding through a trying week of practice and living out of a hotel room.
"I didn't have my friends to call and be like 'Ugh! I'm so tired.'" Gordon lamented. "Just knowing that they were laying out on the beach was kind of hard, but I know that I'm doing something that I really love to do and it's my dream to be here."
In the midst of a challenging training camp, her coaches' voices have still been there.
"We've just been trying to encourage her and say 'Put everything you have into it and hopefully at the end of the day good things will happen,'" said Roeders. "We've just been trying to be supporters, friends, coaches - more friends. That's why we were here tonight."
