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Women's Soccer Spotlight: Julie Casselman
March 20, 2013 | Women's Soccer
March 20, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Julie Casselman, a rising senior on the Louisville women's soccer team, faced the typical challenges most Division I student-athletes face, from adjusting to a new living environment, to balancing a study schedule with offseason workouts. The difference between Casselman and most student-athletes is she adjusted to life as an independent young athlete at the age of 15.
Casselman, a native of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, left home to pursue her dreams to play collegiate and international soccer three weeks before her high school career was set to begin. She was invited to train at the National Training Center in Montreal and develop her soccer skills in a controlled environment.
"My invitation call came in late July, only three weeks before the beginning of classes," said Casselman. "Heading into grade nine, it was a quick turnaround to decide to leave my friends and my school, but most importantly, my family, and to move to an unknown environment - all of that to train."
While most of her peers were beginning their high school careers within the traditional comfort zone of family and friends, Casselman began the transition into a young adult, a challenge most don't undertake until their freshman year of college or later.
"At first, it was challenging to adjust living with a new family, adjusting to a new schedule, new city and to a new school, where you were given a course pack at the beginning of the year and it was your job to finish X amount of course packs for each class, and X amount of exams," explained Casselman. "There were no fixed class periods, only open periods where you had to go and do homework and ask questions to the teacher."
Like many, Casselman's first year away from friends and family had a challenging adjustment period filled with homesickness and the harsh realities of being a self-sufficient young adult. She credits her focus on her dream to play high-level soccer as the guiding force through those challenges.
"That first year away from home taught me the importance of discipline and accountability," she said. "I had to do everything I was supposed to on my own in order to be successful. I was missing home quite a lot at first, going home more often, but keeping myself focused on the journey to my dreams kept me going when times were hard."
Casselman's accelerated maturation process continued. Before grade 12, she moved into her own apartment using her daily schedule of schoolwork and training to keep her focused and grounded.
"People said I was crazy doing that much," said Casselman. "I told them I was determined to achieve a goal, and that it's what I loved doing."
As a rising senior, Casselman credits where she is today, both as a person and as a soccer player, to her experiences training and living as a young adult.
"Eventually, the adventure paid off for soccer as I made it to the National Team and I got recruited to play in college, but the biggest lessons from it were lessons off the field," she said. "I got to learn many things that made me more independent such as cooking, taking care of an apartment, finding my way around and being comfortable in new settings and with new people. I also learned the discipline, perseverance, accountability and daily motivation it takes to be successful in whatever I do. I would not change my journey for anything in the world as it gave me every tool needed to achieve great things. After going through these four years successfully, I can confidently say I am ready to face whatever it is that the world has to throw my way."
