Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - For the 2020 season, the Virginia Tech women's soccer program will feature 10 new players who have all been announced previously in our "Get-to-Know" series. However, three of those newcomers had already arrived on campus, had been working out with the team and are still taking classes as they enrolled early at Tech to begin their collegiate careers.
Ava Veith, Tori Powell and Erin Carleton all came to Blacksburg in January, but are now back home, like many of the rest of their teammates, trying to find ways to stay in shape and navigate their way through online classes.
Already in the works for this semester were "Early Enrollee Q&As". These are still relevant, but with the current climate we are living in, the Q&A now includes a couple additional questions. Below, please enjoy the second with Haymarket, Virginia native Tori Powell, who was out during the spring due to injury, and had just started getting back with non-contact practices the week before spring break.
Q: When did you first entertain the idea of graduating early and enrolling at Tech this January?
TP: "I first entertained the idea of coming early around May of my junior year."
Q: Was this a difficult decision, whose advice did you seek, if any, and what do you remember of those conversations?
TP: "It was a very difficult decision and I sought advice from many different resources. I tried to get a variety of both younger and older people. What stood out most to me was that people I had asked that were currently in college, almost all had said that they would take a semester of college over a semester of high school any day."
Q: What are you most excited about with your decision to enroll early?
TP: "I was most excited about the change – new opportunities to grow as a person and player and to meet new people."
Q: What was your biggest apprehension in the decision?
TP: "My biggest apprehension was the fear of regret. If I would look back and wish I had finished out my senior year normally."
Q: What do you think you will miss the most about your final semester of high school?
TP: "I think what I'll miss most is having a sense of security, knowing everyone around me really well and them knowing me too. And my really close friends, the ones I've grown up with my whole life so far."
Q: How had the first couple of months gone for you, in terms of acclimating to school and the working with the program?
TP: "It was definitely a big change at first but I've always grown up liking a little bit of a challenge and uncertainty so my immediate sort of fear turned into motivation."
Q: With what's currently going on, are you still happy with your decision to enroll early?
TP: "With everything that's happened, I am still happy with my decision. Even with the shortened time on campus, I was able to see all of the exciting things ahead of me and how I can prepare best for them."
Q: How are you adapting to online classes and trying to work out in our current climate?
TP: "It's definitely been harder getting into a schedule back home, but I've still adjusted pretty well. Luckily, my last semester of high school in the fall was all online so I've dealt with the expectations of online classes. Working out is a little more difficult due to unavailability with most places closing, but I've made sure to get something in each day whether it's running, upper body, etc."
CLICK HERE to view Ava Veith's Q&A.