Champions' TriBUne Archive

By: Jackie Crowther 
 
Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that will give you the student-athlete's perspective and tell their story in their voice. Jackie Crowther is a senior forward from Temecula, Calif., who has also played for the Mexican National Soccer Team in the U17 and U20 World Cups.

I remember the first time I walked on the Baylor campus, thinking, "Man, this is where I need to be."
 
There have obviously been challenges in coming to college and the stresses of what it means to be a freshman and what it means to be in college athletics that cause you to doubt what you're doing. I think every freshman deals with that at some point.


 
But, I think every year, especially last year through my injury, He has really shown me with the people He has brought into my life and the support I got from my teammates and my coaches and, honestly, even my professors. I have professors here that email me after every game, saying, "We were at your game, congratulations," which has just been so unique. It's shown me every day that God has me exactly where I needed to be.
 
College is such a big decision of where you're going to go and where you're going to end up, but at some point, I just threw my hands in the air and surrendered, saying, "All right, if this is where you want me to be, then I'm going to take that leap." And it's just been proven over and over that I could not have picked a more perfect place.
 
Growing up in Southern California – I've lived in Temecula my entire life – I got involved in sports at a very young age. I've done dance, taekwondo, cross country, track, baseball and soccer, of course. My dad said I had so much energy that they tried to put me in as many things possible just to get me to kind of calm down.
 
My older sister, Janelle, was involved in soccer and my brother, Blake, played baseball. So, I just did whatever they were doing. I was the only girl on a baseball team, and I loved it.
 
Eventually, I narrowed it down to track, cross country and soccer. I absolutely loved running. Even in the college process, it came down to: Do I want to run, because I was getting looked at to run at some places? Or, do I want to play soccer?
 
I just knew that soccer was ultimately where I wanted to completely pursue my passion. I didn't really want to have to divide my time between multiple sports, especially because I was already planning on coming in as pre-med. I don't know what else I have to give of myself.
 
Playing for Mexico has been such a blessing, just leading me toward my passion of soccer and especially pursuing soccer across boundaries, whether it's physical boundaries or language barriers. That's been a really cool outreach for me, just on the different mission trips I've been on, being able to play soccer with kids and just loving on different people with it. That's been a huge part of my life.
 
My dad and I talk about my opportunity to play for Mexico and constantly attribute it back to God's providence, just because it was so out-of-the-blue random. I was at a club tournament in Arizona, and they asked if anyone on our team is Hispanic. And I was like, "I am, even though no one believes me." My mom was born in Tijuana and my grandmother doesn't speak any English.


 
The challenge when I started with the team in Mexico was there had recently been an influx of American players that were of Hispanic heritage or background, and it was tough at first. I had never been to Mexico City before and I didn't speak Spanish as well as I do now, if at all. I knew enough to understand but not really communicate.
 
It was definitely tough at first, the other girls questioning, "What are you doing here? You aren't part of this yet." But, I think as we got to know each other and as we developed just a group cohesion, some of the girls turned out to be some of my absolute best friends.
 
I have VCD (vocal cord disfunction) that we could not determine for years, that affected my play, and Mexico actually removed me from the team at one point, until we diagnosed it and got proper treatment. It's often misdiagnosed as asthma. I decided that I could help others with that understanding if I was forward about it, and FIFA actually began to talk about it. After years of learning more about it, I can thankfully say I play without any issues now.
 
It was definitely a tough time being in the recruiting process my junior year, because that was when the U17 World Cup was being played. Instead of being at all the big tournaments and contacting colleges, I was out of the country in Costa Rica, trying to get a spot on the team. I was sending emails like, "Hey, I'm going to be playing in this World Cup if you happen to be watching."
 
In the crazy manner I was able to play for Mexico, that's ultimately what brought me to Baylor. There was a guy in Dallas named Jorge that knew Paul and Marci and also knew the national team. He contacted my dad and said, "Hey, I really think Jackie would like this school."

My Baylor visit was the first time I had ever been in Texas. I turned to my dad and said this is where I need to be. I think I committed like a week or two later. I just knew.
 
Freshman year is, for sure, an adjustment. Coming from California to Texas, that's an adjustment in and of itself. New environment, new people, just kind of getting used to the group dynamic and what it means to play on the college level.

I remember how the seniors my freshman year were really intentional about pouring into us. They played a huge role in giving us the efficacy to know that we could be a part of the team, even at such a young age. Now, to be on the flip side of it, it's really cool to be able to see the freshmen come in so nervous and be so anxious about their performance and uptight about everything.
 
A big goal of mine this year was to pour into the freshmen and give them that freedom and that space and make sure they know that it doesn't matter whether you're a freshman or a senior, you can have the same amount of impact, wherever you are.
 
My sophomore year at Baylor was definitely a challenge in ways that I didn't really expect. I knew it was going to be tough trying to play internationally, missing school. And I knew it was going to be tough to make the team in general, because going from U17 to U20 is a huge leap. Being split between two teams was tough, because obviously I realized how much I wanted to be more invested in Baylor soccer and just be there for my girls. I also knew I had this amazing opportunity to invest and have an impact on another team.
 
One of the biggest challenges that I didn't realize was going to hit me so hard was actually how much I missed being at Baylor and really feeling like I missed out on just being a unit with those girls that year.
 
Last year, I tore my MCL and PCL early in conference play and missed the rest of that season. It's hard to see your team doing so many incredible things, because as athletes we feel the only way we can contribute is by being on the field. And when you're not, you feel like you didn't really add to that.
 
But, I found different ways to make my own impact. I remember baking a bunch of banana bread before they went to the Big 12 tournament. And then, driving down to College Station for the games against USC and Notre Dame. It's definitely hard when people ask you what it was like going to the Elite Eight, and you're like, "Well, I didn't really do anything."
 
At the same time, through my injury, I learned so much about who I am as a player, as a leader, as a teammate. And I think that has really contributed so much to who I've been this year and what I've been able to contribute.
 
It's been such a blessing coming back from my injury and staying healthy this year and just being able to impact the team and love on what we've been doing so far. It's been a really incredible experience not only being a part of the team, but actually being a part of this team and interacting with the girls. I'm just really thankful for each day I get to be out here with this team.
 
There's really no one in my family with a medical background. My dad was in engineering and now owns the Great Clips hair salons back in California, and my mom works in home loans. But, I have always loved science and I was always the one asking questions. I remember being on long drives to soccer practices, just looking out the window and asking my dad, "Why is this the way it is? Dad, why does that happen?" That's kind of my reputation on the team, too, just always asking questions.
 
My plan is to go to med school and find something where I can integrate my psychology background with my medical aspirations one day. I want to be able to really invest with my patients and provide care not only medically but psychologically. I have a gap year after I graduate, so I'll have a little more time to plan out where I want to go and how I'm going to get there. But, I'm excited for what my future holds.



Previous Champions' TriBUne Features
Cross Country - Alison Andrews-Paul (Nov. 8, 2018)
Football- Ira Lewis (Nov. 6, 2018)