University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Makenzie Langdok is one of three Gopher Soccer captains in 2021.
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Don't Be Interesting, Be Interested
9/6/2021 2:37:00 PM | Soccer
Don't be interesting, be interested. It's a phrase that has stuck with Minnesota Soccer senior captain Delaney Stekr since her high school coach shared that with her four plus years ago.
"It just is the idea of not being so focused on yourself but focusing on the person you are talking to. You should invest in the people on your team and care about those around you and that is how you will become a better person and a better leader and make more genuine connections in life."
Captain is a title that often carries the weight of responsibility, respect and a whole lot more across thousands of teams and programs across the country in collegiate sports. Being the star of your high school club or team doesn't guarantee success at the next level, and every student-athlete has his/her journey toward earning a spot on the field. For the University of Minnesota women's soccer program this year Delaney Stekr, Makenzie Langdok and Megan Plaschko have been chosen to wear that captain armband.
"A lot of captains will probably have a pretty similar journey," Landok explained. "Coming from high school and playing all the minutes and being your high school captain to then being a freshman and not playing a ton of minutes in college and then having to grow into your role as a player and leader on that team. For me, that transition happened going into my junior year and then senior year I was able to take on more of a leadership role."
"In high school I was always in a leadership role and then I got here freshman year and it was just a lot of learning my freshman year," Plaschko said. "I didn't see any minutes and so it was about learning how to put the team first when I got here. Watching and learning was extremely important for me, going from playing every minute to none at all gives a great perspective that all three of us can speak on."
"One big difference for me regarding high school is I wasn't the star player," Stekr said. "Having that experience, and not being on the field immediately when I got here was probably one of the best things that happened to me as a leader because now I can relate more and understand the importance of those roles on a team and now I feel like I can communicate even better with those members on our team."
Captains often are thought of as vocal, outspoken individuals, who speak inspiring words on a daily basis, but for Stekr it isn't and wasn't about that when it comes to her leadership style.
"Seeing myself as a captain was something I had to grow into because I was pretty shy when I was younger," Stekr said. "As a center-back you have to talk and I wasn't super comfortable with that when I was young. Luckily I had the same club coach while growing up and he told me that I had to get out of my comfort zone and that I had to start talking more and that I was a leader whether I saw myself as one or not. So over time I was able to improve on not just leading by example but also leading vocally on the field."
Plaschko, who says she sees herself as more of a vocal leader, says it's not just about what you say but how you back that up as a leader.
"A big thing I have learned here is that I need to respect the example that a leader has set before I can listen to what they say. So for example, I can't respect someone who says something but then doesn't follow that advice on the field themselves. You can't lead vocally without leading by example and you can't lead by example unless you are pushing to bring the other people around you vocally. They go hand-in-hand for me in regards to good leadership."
Langdok, who is the only graduate student on the team, says her journey from freshman to captain with the Gophers was about finding ways to help the team even if that doesn't mean you are on the field playing every minute.
"I feel like coming here I learned how I can bring value when I am not on the field," Langodk said. "When I wasn't getting minutes, I was thinking, 'how can I still add value?' When I was younger I didn't really have that perspective and I just led by a lot of emotion as opposed to now I try to analyze what's going on and then give my feedback instead."
"Looking back at where I started freshman year, I had a hard time even leading myself and showing up to do the things I needed to do for me to play well," Langdok added.
Minnesota's next test comes on Thursday, Sept. 9, on the road against the University of Nebraska - Omaha. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start with the match being streamed on OMavs.com.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota women's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherSoccer) and on Facebook so you do not miss out on any content during the 2021 season.
"It just is the idea of not being so focused on yourself but focusing on the person you are talking to. You should invest in the people on your team and care about those around you and that is how you will become a better person and a better leader and make more genuine connections in life."
Captain is a title that often carries the weight of responsibility, respect and a whole lot more across thousands of teams and programs across the country in collegiate sports. Being the star of your high school club or team doesn't guarantee success at the next level, and every student-athlete has his/her journey toward earning a spot on the field. For the University of Minnesota women's soccer program this year Delaney Stekr, Makenzie Langdok and Megan Plaschko have been chosen to wear that captain armband.
"A lot of captains will probably have a pretty similar journey," Landok explained. "Coming from high school and playing all the minutes and being your high school captain to then being a freshman and not playing a ton of minutes in college and then having to grow into your role as a player and leader on that team. For me, that transition happened going into my junior year and then senior year I was able to take on more of a leadership role."
"In high school I was always in a leadership role and then I got here freshman year and it was just a lot of learning my freshman year," Plaschko said. "I didn't see any minutes and so it was about learning how to put the team first when I got here. Watching and learning was extremely important for me, going from playing every minute to none at all gives a great perspective that all three of us can speak on."
"One big difference for me regarding high school is I wasn't the star player," Stekr said. "Having that experience, and not being on the field immediately when I got here was probably one of the best things that happened to me as a leader because now I can relate more and understand the importance of those roles on a team and now I feel like I can communicate even better with those members on our team."
Captains often are thought of as vocal, outspoken individuals, who speak inspiring words on a daily basis, but for Stekr it isn't and wasn't about that when it comes to her leadership style.
"Seeing myself as a captain was something I had to grow into because I was pretty shy when I was younger," Stekr said. "As a center-back you have to talk and I wasn't super comfortable with that when I was young. Luckily I had the same club coach while growing up and he told me that I had to get out of my comfort zone and that I had to start talking more and that I was a leader whether I saw myself as one or not. So over time I was able to improve on not just leading by example but also leading vocally on the field."
Plaschko, who says she sees herself as more of a vocal leader, says it's not just about what you say but how you back that up as a leader.
"A big thing I have learned here is that I need to respect the example that a leader has set before I can listen to what they say. So for example, I can't respect someone who says something but then doesn't follow that advice on the field themselves. You can't lead vocally without leading by example and you can't lead by example unless you are pushing to bring the other people around you vocally. They go hand-in-hand for me in regards to good leadership."
Langdok, who is the only graduate student on the team, says her journey from freshman to captain with the Gophers was about finding ways to help the team even if that doesn't mean you are on the field playing every minute.
"I feel like coming here I learned how I can bring value when I am not on the field," Langodk said. "When I wasn't getting minutes, I was thinking, 'how can I still add value?' When I was younger I didn't really have that perspective and I just led by a lot of emotion as opposed to now I try to analyze what's going on and then give my feedback instead."
"Looking back at where I started freshman year, I had a hard time even leading myself and showing up to do the things I needed to do for me to play well," Langdok added.
"I think it is really cool to look back and see how far I've come in the four or five years I've been fortunate enough to be here in Minnesota." - Makenzie Langdok
Minnesota's next test comes on Thursday, Sept. 9, on the road against the University of Nebraska - Omaha. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start with the match being streamed on OMavs.com.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota women's soccer on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherSoccer) and on Facebook so you do not miss out on any content during the 2021 season.
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