University of Minnesota Athletics
Times They Are A'Changing: Junior Laura Hoppe
10/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
For all the Golden Gopher women's soccer players, this season is a season of change. A new coaching staff has arrived, eager to turn around the program, and with this have come other modifications. For Hoppe, the biggest impact of the arrival of new coach Mikki Denney-Wright was a position change. A year ago, Hoppe was one of the Golden Gophers most promising midfielders, scoring three goals in her final six matches of 2003, and was the recipient of the team's Rose Grimm Heart and Soul Award, and for good reason according to her new coach.
"Laura has an engine that doesn't quit and has made the switch to defender look easy," Denney Wright said. She is what Denney Wright calls a "blue collar" athlete, who does whatever is asked of her as hard as she can.
Her new coach is not the only one who notices Hoppe's relentless effort; her teammates have described her as a "pure hustler" and somebody who plays with 100 percent heart. Many teams have their "sparkplug" who can provide extra effort off the bench for a spell, but Hoppe is more like the ignition, her effort starts as soon as the first whistle is blown and lasts all game long, a blessing for a Golden Gopher team lacking depth.
"Hard work gets you places," confirmed Hoppe. "My whole life I've worked hard, and I've seen how it has paid off, so I just continue to do that."
Switching to defender has not been all peaches and cream for Hoppe though. Obviously, she has put the effort into the position change, but like most sports, soccer has a mental aspect that must be mastered as well. Taking the offensive attacking mindset and adjusting it to a more defensive approach in a player can prove to be difficult.
Hoppe acknowledged this when she described the position change. "It was kind of hard at first," Hoppe said. "There are times I can still get into the attack, but sometimes I have to catch myself and get back in position to defend."
Holding herself back is not something Hoppe is accustomed to, as outside of soccer she is also an accomplished weightlifter. A trait not typically seen in collegiate soccer players, Hoppe relishes her weightlifting experience because most times she is undersized and it has helped to keep her injury-free in one of the most dangerous women's sports.
"To be a defender in the Big Ten, you have to obviously be very physical and aggressive. Without weights, I'd probably get knocked around quite a bit more," stated Hoppe. "I've been pretty fortunate to not really have any injuries so far, knock on wood, and I think weightlifting plays a part in that," she added.
With her drive, leadership and stellar play, the Golden Gophers are privileged to have her as a co-captain, and you can thank her family. Hoppe wanted to be able to play close to home, and stated that the proximity of the University of Minnesota to her home was a huge reason she decided to come here. "It's very nice to play so close to home. My parents come to every game, no matter where it's at, and if I need a break, I can just go home," said Hoppe.
One thing Gopher fans and even her parents do not get to see Hoppe do is her pre- game ritual, which consists of dancing. Yep, that's right, dancing. She allows only her teammates and coaches to watch her get down, which as she puts it, may be a good thing. Commenting on the ritual, she said, "Every pre-game, I like to dance, and I'm a really bad dancer, but I like to dance."
Even her crazy pre-game ritual serves an important purpose. It may be to release stress, or possibly to make the team laugh, but either way; the main focus is still winning. When it comes to Laura Hoppe and Golden Gopher soccer that focus is never lost, not even for a second.
This is made crystal clear in her a statement she made about her goals for the rest of her career. "My goal is for this team to go to the Big Ten Tournament this season and next season," Hoppe said. "For me, winning is not a want, it's a need."
With bold statements like that, coming from a tremendous leader with a winning attitude, it is safe to say that in the realm of Golden Gopher women's soccer, times have changed for the better.
Story written by Athletic Communications student assistant Dominic Ladd. Ladd welcomes comments at ladd0022@umn.edu
When meeting Golden Gopher soccer player Laura Hoppe off the field, it may be hard to comprehend how the petite woman with a beaming smile can be such a tenacious defender. Well, the answer lies in her attitude. Once she sets foot on a soccer field, whether it's practice or game time, it's time to get down to business. This season, Hoppe's business has switched gears, from field general/goal scorer to shutting down the opponents' attackers. Hoppe is out to win, her number one focus is the betterment of the team. Summed up, she has the right attitude, a winning attitude.
For all the Golden Gopher women's soccer players, this season is a season of change. A new coaching staff has arrived, eager to turn around the program, and with this have come other modifications. For Hoppe, the biggest impact of the arrival of new coach Mikki Denney-Wright was a position change. A year ago, Hoppe was one of the Golden Gophers most promising midfielders, scoring three goals in her final six matches of 2003, and was the recipient of the team's Rose Grimm Heart and Soul Award, and for good reason according to her new coach.
"Laura has an engine that doesn't quit and has made the switch to defender look easy," Denney Wright said. She is what Denney Wright calls a "blue collar" athlete, who does whatever is asked of her as hard as she can.
Her new coach is not the only one who notices Hoppe's relentless effort; her teammates have described her as a "pure hustler" and somebody who plays with 100 percent heart. Many teams have their "sparkplug" who can provide extra effort off the bench for a spell, but Hoppe is more like the ignition, her effort starts as soon as the first whistle is blown and lasts all game long, a blessing for a Golden Gopher team lacking depth.
"Hard work gets you places," confirmed Hoppe. "My whole life I've worked hard, and I've seen how it has paid off, so I just continue to do that."
Switching to defender has not been all peaches and cream for Hoppe though. Obviously, she has put the effort into the position change, but like most sports, soccer has a mental aspect that must be mastered as well. Taking the offensive attacking mindset and adjusting it to a more defensive approach in a player can prove to be difficult.
Hoppe acknowledged this when she described the position change. "It was kind of hard at first," Hoppe said. "There are times I can still get into the attack, but sometimes I have to catch myself and get back in position to defend."
Holding herself back is not something Hoppe is accustomed to, as outside of soccer she is also an accomplished weightlifter. A trait not typically seen in collegiate soccer players, Hoppe relishes her weightlifting experience because most times she is undersized and it has helped to keep her injury-free in one of the most dangerous women's sports.
"To be a defender in the Big Ten, you have to obviously be very physical and aggressive. Without weights, I'd probably get knocked around quite a bit more," stated Hoppe. "I've been pretty fortunate to not really have any injuries so far, knock on wood, and I think weightlifting plays a part in that," she added.
With her drive, leadership and stellar play, the Golden Gophers are privileged to have her as a co-captain, and you can thank her family. Hoppe wanted to be able to play close to home, and stated that the proximity of the University of Minnesota to her home was a huge reason she decided to come here. "It's very nice to play so close to home. My parents come to every game, no matter where it's at, and if I need a break, I can just go home," said Hoppe.
One thing Gopher fans and even her parents do not get to see Hoppe do is her pre- game ritual, which consists of dancing. Yep, that's right, dancing. She allows only her teammates and coaches to watch her get down, which as she puts it, may be a good thing. Commenting on the ritual, she said, "Every pre-game, I like to dance, and I'm a really bad dancer, but I like to dance."
Even her crazy pre-game ritual serves an important purpose. It may be to release stress, or possibly to make the team laugh, but either way; the main focus is still winning. When it comes to Laura Hoppe and Golden Gopher soccer that focus is never lost, not even for a second.
This is made crystal clear in her a statement she made about her goals for the rest of her career. "My goal is for this team to go to the Big Ten Tournament this season and next season," Hoppe said. "For me, winning is not a want, it's a need."
With bold statements like that, coming from a tremendous leader with a winning attitude, it is safe to say that in the realm of Golden Gopher women's soccer, times have changed for the better.
Story written by Athletic Communications student assistant Dominic Ladd. Ladd welcomes comments at ladd0022@umn.edu
