A Sting Worth Talking About Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photography by: Kaitlyne Piper
Gabrielle Rourke is one Atlantic Coast Stingray to be on the lookout for. She is a high school freshman that has been playing several different sports since a young age. However, Atlantic Coast soccer has won her heart. “My favorite thing about playing at Atlantic Coast is the coaching staff,” said Rourke. “They really push you to get better.” Speaking of being pushed to be better, Rourke has always had her family pushing her to be the best she can be. She mentions that her family is big into sports, having played sports such as baseball, volleyball and softball. Both of her brothers play college baseball which pushes her to become more like them. It also helps that they all know how to train her in different ways to help keep her in shape. “My parents are my biggest supporters,” she said.
Rourke has always been supported by her family, but her role model is her Atlantic Coast coach, Coach Kenny Mukasa. Coach Mukasa has coached soccer players all over Northeast Florida making him very knowledgeable in handling athletes of all ages. Rourke also plays soccer at Jacksonville United FC (JFC), where she originally met Coach Mukasa. “He truly cares about the players future and treats his kids as if they were his own.” Having your team feel like your family is important to Rourke. The memories she’s made with her teams over the years have already begun to stick with her. Her favorite memory comes from her own skill as a soccer player. “I was in a club soccer championship game,” said Rourke. “We were winning 1-0 and I stopped a penalty kick.” Penalty kicks for goalies are terrifying. It is the goalie’s sole duty to do everything they can in order to stop the ball.
The entire team looks up to the goalie and although Rourke is a freshman, she starts in almost every game. Being a goalie is not as easy as being a field player, but Rourke does both. Though she does prefer to be in the goal. “I just feel more comfortable and confident there,” she said when asked about why being in goal is her preferred position. Rourke is clearly a versatile athlete. There is much in store for this future athlete as her family, team and coach continue to mold her into an incredible athlete. It will be exciting to see where her sports career goes. Graduation is a few years away for Rourke, but she already has been working on plans to continue playing sports in college. She wants to also work to obtain a degree in physical therapy. Wherever she ends up, anyone would be lucky to have her. ITG Next | 45