The following feature was written specifically for ULMAthletics.com by the ULM sports information office. Any use of the following text, partial or otherwise, must give credit to www.ULMAthletics.com and the ULM Sports Information Department.
A familiar face joins the Warhawks with a new name in 2007. After sitting out a year following an early-season knee injury, junior Amanda Wing-Strope will be looking to regain the form that earned her first team all-conference honors in 2005. After only two full seasons in Monroe, Wing-Strope currently holds top-10 spots at ULM for career goals, assists and points. Wing-Strope stopped by www.ULMathletics.com to fill everyone in on what she has been doing this summer, what's gone on the last year and how she feels about the upcoming season.
Fill us in on where you are, what you have been doing and how your summer is going?
I am continuing to rehab my double knee surgery and start playing a little bit. This summer I have not been able to play much soccer because of the surgery but I did get married!
What is something you learned from the team's first year in the Sun Belt Conference?
As a team, we need to be playing out best soccer every game of the season.
What are your expectations and goals for yourself and the team in 2007?
Academically, I would like to see our team reclaim its status on campus as one of the top academic teams in the department. Athletically, I want us to be playing and competing in the conference tournament. Personally, I would like to be playing consistently.
What have you been doing to reach your goals?
I go to physical therapy twice a week and do extra workouts based on what my PT tells me.
Why did you choose ULM?
I choose ULM because of the people. Coach Lamb and Delgado were a huge part of my decision. I also loved the girls and everyone I meet on campus. ULM was the only school I visited that the President met with me and my parents and that my parents were invited on the trip.
Do you have any plans for the rest of your summer?
We went to Banff, Alberta, Canada for our honeymoon, so we will be home for the rest of the summer working and volunteering.
When you aren't playing soccer, what are you doing?
When I'm not playing soccer, I am having coffee with my friends and family, hiking or biking with my husband, or spending time with our families.
Other than yourself, which of your teammates do you think will surprise people in 2007 and why?
Mallory George. I think she will come in with a much larger impact for the team in 2007. She started taking on the leadership role we needed her to take in the spring and I think she will really step up to the challenge this next season.
What is your favorite soccer memory?
My favorite soccer memory was scoring the game winning goal for my club team at the Gothia Cup in Sweden to advance us to the semifinals. My entire team piled on top of me screaming. It seemed like slow motion, just like a movie!
What are you studying at ULM and why did you choose it? What do you want to do with your degree when you are done playing soccer?
I am studying everything at ULM because I can't choose (ha, ha, ha)! I was a kinesiology major for two years and changed my mind. I began taking classes in hopes to apply to vet school when I graduate because I love animals! But honestly I change my mind weekly.
