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PLAYING THREE SPORTS IN COLLEGE SOUNDS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE ESPECIALLY WHEN TACKLING A FULL
TIME STUDENT WORKLOAD. ADD BEING IN MILITARY AND TWO PART TIME JOBS AND YOU HAVE HCC’S
OWN SUPERWOMAN REBEKA COUGHLIN. A SENIOR AND STARTER ON THE HCC SOCCER, BASKETBALL,
AND LACROSSE TEAM, AND LAST YEAR’S STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, REBECCA’S PRESENCE
IS SURE TO LEAVE AN IMPACT. GROWING UP IN AN ATHLETIC FAMILY, REBEKA WAS ALWAYS VERY
ACTIVE AND EVEN DABBLED IN KARATE AND SWIMMING BEFORE SHE NARROWED IT DOWN TO JUST THREE.
SO HOW DID THIS MEGA ATHLETE COME TO PLAY AT HCC?
MY COUSIN PLAYED HERE THREE YEARS BEFORE I CAME HERE, FOR COACH KATE, AND I ACTUALLY
CAME HERE IN HOPES OF GETTING A LIFEGUARDING JOB. AND THAT'S WHEN COACH KATE ASKED ME TO
PLAY SOCCER, BECAUSE I ORIGINALLY CAME HERE FOR BASKETBALL AS WELL. AND I JUST ENDED UP
JOINING SOCCER AND BASKETBALL AND LACROSSE AFTER THAT.
IT WAS DEFINITELY GOOD TIMING THAT SHE ENDED UP ON CAMPUS. AND THE BASKETBALL COACH WAS
RECRUITING HER. I HAD NO IDEA SHE WAS THE ATHLETE SHE WAS.
I FIRST MET REBECCA, WE HAD SEVEN V SEVEN FOR SOCCER, RIGHT BEFORE PRESEASON, SHE CAME
DOWN TO THE FIELD AND SHE SAID "HEY ARE YOU PART OF HOWARD?" AND I WAS LIKE "YEAH." AND
THAT'S HOW I FIRST MET HER AND SHE WAS JUST VERY, VERY FRIENDLY, FIRST OFF. SHE WASN'T
SHY AT ALL, LIKE VERY CONFIDENT. SHE WAS ALREADY MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH LIKE THE FIRST DAY. SO
SHE'S JUST ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE LIKE, YOU DON'T MEET PEOPLE LIKE HER VERY OFTEN. SHE'S ONE
OF A KIND FOR SURE.
REBECCA’S EFFERVESECENT PERSONALITY AND SENSE OF HUMOR SEEMS TO HAVE WON THE HEARTS
OF BOTH HER TEAMMATES AND COACHES. ALL THE WHILE STILL HAVING THE MENTAL FOCUS AND DRIVE
TO COME THROUGH IN GAMES AND JUGGLE HER HECTIC SCHEDULE.
SHE'S A TRIP. I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO SAY IT. SHE'S HYSTERICAL. SHE WANTS TO HAVE FUN.
AND SHE'S ABLE TO DO THAT. AND AT THE SAME TIME SHE'S ABLE TO TURN THAT AND GIVE YOU
EVERYTHING SHE HAS. BEKA DEFINITELY IS A ROLE MODEL. SHE IS A
LEADER. YOU ALWAYS CAN RELY ON HER. AND IT HELPS THAT SHE IS GOOFY BECAUSE YOU NEED THAT
SOMETIMES. YOU NEED THE COMIC RELIEF. BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE GAMES GET REALLY STRESSFUL AND
YOU CAN LOOK TO HER TO MAKE A GREAT PLAY OR TO MAKE YOU LAUGH AT THE SAME TIME.
SHE'S A PURE ATHLETE. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ELEVEN OF HER ABILITY, SHE PLAYED SOCCER IN
HIGH SCHOOL BUT HER ATHLETICISM IS, THAT'S WHAT MAKES HER WHO SHE IS.
REBEKA WASN’T ALWAYS THE STAR ATHLETE AND STUDENT THOUGH. HER HARDSHIPS BEFORE COMING
TO HCC LED HER DOWN A DIFFICULT ROAD, A ROAD THAT LEAD HER TO JOINING THE ARMY RESERVES.
I WENT TO VIRGINIA WESLEYAN IN 2011, AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. AND I FAILED MISERABLY… BUT
ONCE I FAILED I REALIZED THAT I HAVE TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND, BECAUSE IT AFFECTED NOT ONLY
ME BUT MY FAMILY. AND LIKE THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS. SO I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING BETTER FOR MYSELF.
SO I DECIDED TO JOIN THE MILITARY AND EVER SINCE I JOINED THE MILITARY IT KINDA JUST
WENT UP FROM THERE. AND THEN I CAME HERE. I HAVE A DAD WHO IS MILITARY AND I LOOK AT
HER AND I KNOW WHAT SHE'S, I KNOW WHAT HER COMMITMENT IS. AND TO BE HER AGE AND TO HAVE
THAT COMMITMENT AND SHOW THAT ON THE ATHLETIC FIELD IN DIFFERENT WAYS, I TOTALLY RESPECT
HER. I THINK BEING IN THE MILITARY, SHE'S JUST,
FOR ONE SHE'S FIT. SHE, SHE'S LEADING THE PACK AS FAR AS ALL OF OUR RUNS. AND SHE'S
JUST A NATURAL LEADER. WITH SO MUCH TALENT AND PROMISE, REBEKA HAS
BEEN LEFT WITH THE DECISION OF WHAT TO FOCUS ON AFTER HER TIME AT HCC COMES TO AN END.
PLAYING SPORTS AT A 4 YEAR SCHOOL WOULD BE A WHOLE NEW CHALLENGE BUT HER PATH MAY TAKE
HER DOWN A MORE ‘CRIMINAL’ ROAD… MY MAJOR IS CRIMINAL JUSTICE., SO I WANT TO
GET INTO EITHER LAW ENFORCEMENT, IN HOPES TO LIKE GAIN I GUESS SUPERIORITY AND GO UP
TO HIGHER, HIGHER POSITIONS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. LIKE GO TO GOVERNMENT WORKERS,
FBI, SOMETHING LIKE THAT…I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP SOMEWHERE, BECAUSE
MONEY'S EVERYTHING. I'D LOVE TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP AND PLAY AND THEN GET MY BACHELOR'S IN CRIMINAL
JUSTICE AT A FOUR-YEAR SCHOOL. SHE DID TELL ME THAT CRIMINAL JUSTICE WAS
THE WAY SHE WANTED TO GO AND YOU KNOW OBVIOUSLY I'LL HELP HER AS MUCH AS I CAN AND PUT HER
IN CONTACT WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE IF I CAN.
WITH HER COACHES AND TEAMMATES BEHIND HER, REBEKA SEEMS TO HAVE A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE
AHEAD OF HER. AND WITH THIS BASKETBALL SEASON COMING TO
AN END REBEKA WILL BE HEADING INTO THE SPRING WITH HER HEAD HELD HIGH AND A LACROSSE FIELD
TO CONQUER. FOR DRAGONS LAIR UPDATE, I’M MARYLEE ADAMS.