Army West Point Athletics
Black Knight Spotlight - Jessie Congemi
September 26, 2007 | General
1. What does it mean to be able to play women’s soccer at West Point?
Before I came into the Academy, I had done all the research so I knew exactly what Beast and
R-Day would be like, but the first night I thought I had made a mistake. Having soccer made everything much easier. Even if I was having a bad day as a plebe, I still knew I could go to practice and do the one thing I knew about or was comfortable with, and that was soccer. Being on a team at West Point is tremendous. I feel that it is so important whether it is a club sport or if you are a recruited athlete. There is a tremendous support system.
2. What is the best thing about being an athlete at West Point?
I would have to say the support system. You can look at it different ways, but most of us have played soccer our entire lives hoping to play college ball. The best thing about being an athlete here is that you are an athlete and you are playing for this great Academy. I think it is something every athlete should be proud of. Any time I feel down, I look at the big picture and say I am playing Division 1 soccer at West Point. I have done it, and after all those years of practicing it is good that you can reach that pinnacle.
3. What is the most difficult thing?
I think it has to be time management. So many times I felt I could not handle the stress any more. It would get worse, but somehow you would get sill get through it. Probably the most difficult thing was keeping you head straight, dealing with the stress and learning how to work through things. I have learned to deal with stress much better and have surprised myself because somehow I have gotten through it.
4. What is your fondest sports memory that you have had since arriving at West Point?
It would have to be beating Navy my first two years. Both times it was amazing. I still have a photo of the whole team together when we beat Navy (1-0) at home when I was just a plebe. Every time I look at that photo, I remember how excited we all were. The year after, we were at Annapolis, and it was raining hard with high winds. It was an astounding win on their turf (1-0).
5. What adjustments have you had to make since arriving here:
a. Socially
It would be adjusting to various cultures from different parts of the country. Even my best friends, who I am not sure all of us would have found each other on our own and become friends were it not for soccer. The sport brought us together, but I can see that we are all very, very different. Since coming here, I think we are able to put our differences aside and take each other as we are. We all know we are a little different, but everyone brings something to the table.
b. Athletically
I would have to saying competing in a Division I program. Playing high school ball wasn’t very difficult for me, but playing travel ball and ODP was difficult. This is a Division-1 program and I don’t think I truly understood how competitive it could be. You can’t afford to have an off day, but have to be on your game all the time. We all come from good high school programs, but you are not the best any more and someone is always waiting to outdo you, and they will if you are not ready for it.
c. Academically
Academics have been tough for me because it doesn’t come naturally; instead I have to work for everything I get. West Point academics are a step above anything else, and I have had to work extremely hard and put a lot of time into it. I have gotten so much better and don’t have to work nearly as hard now.
6. Why did you decide to comet to West Point? What were some of the deciding factors? Who or what influenced your decision.
A former Army assistant coach, Jim Jorgensen, used to be my travel coach. I received a lot of information through him, and I also attended soccer camps at West Point since I was 13. So early on, I knew I wanted to come to West Point before I knew what it was actually about. I think I wanted to stay close to home, but I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want to go to a regular college. For some reason I had a difficult time picturing myself at a regular campus setting. I just knew I was supposed to come here for some reason. I didn’t think I could be happy unless I’d make myself do something more difficult. Soccer played a huge role because I wanted to play college ball. The location was a factor because I wanted to go away from home, but still be close enough to go home if I needed to. I wanted to do something different and difficult. It became more of a life goal. It is the one thing I said I wanted to do and I am gong to do it.
7. What do you enjoy doing during your “down time”?
I like to sleep, but I also like being with my friends. I am very close to some of the players from the team, and we like to do a lot of things together like going out to the Firstie Club where we can just hang out and have a good time.
8. What branch are you planning on entering following graduation?
My first choice is Adjutant General (AG). I looked at all the branches and I tried to be realistic as to where I would be most useful. I feel a job like AG would be best suited for my strengths and the type person it seemed the most like me, and being a management major will be useful as well.
9. What makes athletes at West Point unique from athletes at other schools?
Just everything that we have on our plate. Regular college athletes don’t have what we do on their plate. They don’t have the summer assignments nor are they training all summer. They don’t have the other military, physical and academic demands that athletes here have. We have all this piled on our plate, are expected to perform and we do perform. That is what makes us different, we have more discipline and we handle much more.
10. What is the best thing about being a cadet?
The fact you are representing West Point and that you belong to this institution. When people hear you are a cadet, you immediately get respect and everything else that comes along with the reputation of West Point. It feels good when someone is so proud that you go to West Point.
