Meet Jill Oakes – Pro soccer player

November 24, 2008 – I first had the pleasure of meeting Jill Oakes when she was coaching soccer at a local high school. In fact it was the same high school she attended six years earlier where she helped the girl’s soccer team win league and CIF championships and was named Parade and Gatorade high school player of the year. She went on to play soccer at UCLA winning a number of collegiate accolades and was drafted by the new WPS team FC Gold Pride to play professionally.

Jill recently took time out of her busy schedule to talk to Pretty Tough. Find out more about this amazing player, coach and woman.

Vital Stats:Name: Jill Pauline Oakes
Sport: Soccer
Age: 24-yrs-old
Hometown: Encino, CA
College: UCLA
Position: center midfielder/defender
Music: Alicia Keys
Food: Vegetarian
TV Show: Project Runway

PT:  Tell us about your soccer background/training; how old were you when you started playing? What position(s) do you play? What are some highlights from your youth, club, high school, college, international and pro soccer experiences?

JO: I started playing AYSO at 8-yrs-old (Allstars) and moved to Club at 10-yrs-old for the Valley United Stars (I went to Santa Anita Strikers for senior year in high school). I started ODP (Olympic Development Program) at 12-yrs-old.

Then, State team, Regional Team -USYSA Adidas All Star team in high school -Harvard-Westlake School (captain, CIF champs, Mission League Offensive MVP, CIF Defensive MVP) – First camp with Full US Women’s National Team July 2002 -Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year 2002 -Parade Magazine High school Soccer Player of the Year 2002 -FIFA Under-19 World Cup Champion (2002)

College, UCLA… freshman All-American, 2nd team All-American, First team All-American, two-time NCAA College Cup finalist, captain.

First cap with Full Women’s National Team: Algarve Cup, March 2005, Portugal, Match vs. Denmark-Under-21 National Team member at multiple Nordic CupsAmateur: W-League…New Jersey Wildcats (’06), Vancouver Whitecaps All-Western Conference defender (’07), Pali Blues W-league Champion & All-League midfielder (’08)Professional: Damallsvenksan (SWEDEN), fall ’07…Team: Falkopings KIK

PT: Wow! Impessive. Did you love soccer right away? Did you play any other sports? Did you dominate during high school? How has your playing style changed over the years?

JO: I absolutely loved soccer immediately. At 8-yrs-old, it was the first organized sport that I participated in. I had done ballet and karate a little, but there was something about soccer that I connected with. I loved being on the team. I seemed to be a natural, making the All-Star team my very first year and on. I was always a very quiet and shy and fairly introverted person (with strangers), but soccer allowed me to express myself. I gained attention from others for my talent. I made new friends and always had the respect of my teammates. It was a great feeling. I was extremely fortunate to excel at every level available, moving my way up fom AYSO All-Stars to ODP to youth National teams to UCLA, and now to the professional level.I have been very consistent with my playing style throughout my entire career. I was a “stopper” my first year in AYSO and today I still consider defensive/holding midfield to be my favorite and strongest position. I feel that I’m calm and simple; I’m a ball winner; I like to organize things and keep things positive.

PT: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

JO: “Be unreasonable.” I love this advice because people can always justify why you CAN’T do something, why something CAN”T happen or it WON’T happen. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Reasons, reasons, reasons. Pursue your dreams. Be unreasonable in your pursuit. Let nothing be the reason you CAN’T have whatever you want! If failure was not an issue, what would you create for your life? Then, create it.

PT: What makes you Pretty Tough?

JO: I have always valued ‘balance’ in my life. I never wanted to ONLY be one thing. I’m a tough, aggressive soccer player, yet I definitely have a girly side. In high school, I was in the Advanced Dance program and was a high school cheerleader! In fact, I was a co-captain one year. And even now, I have a small business as an independent jewelry distributor for a company called Premier Designs Inc., presenting at-home jewelry parties for women! I love it. It’s empowering. It’s uniting. It’s 100% girly. It’s pretty tough!

PT: Thanks so much for you time and good luck on the pitch!

Editors Note: Follow Jill and the WPS when they start play next April.