A Tough Mentality
September 01, 2011 01:08 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Often times, when looking at the makeup of an athlete, one must simply delve into where the individual grew up, their family’s composition or their past athletic experiences.
For defender Erica Henderson, it is a combination of all three that made her the athlete she is today.
However, the most important of those three may be the redshirt senior’s past athletic experiences.
You see, Henderson boxed for four years while attending the Aquinas Institute of Rochester.
“I had four official fights and four official wins,” said Henderson.
The tradition of Henderson’s family boxing while at Aquinas runs deep, as both her brother and grandfather participated in the school’s boxing program.
“My grandfather did it in what would be 51 years ago now, and my brother was even a boxer for four years,” Henderson said. “Whenever I knew I was going to Aquinas, I knew I was going to box. It is a big part of me.”
Henderson’s four victories came in the school’s annual Mission Bouts showcase, which has been a tradition for the past 79 years.
“Over my few years there, we would have what is called the Mission Bouts,” Henderson said. “We would sell tickets, and it would be 17 fights. It is one night, usually the first Friday in March, and it raises money for our mission overseas. You fight one person who has qualified with you.”
With just one other school in the country allowing boxing as a varsity sport, challengers for Henderson were hard to come by, but she made due with what was available.
“You would fight people within the school because there is only one other school in Cincinnati that had boxing, but they only had boys,” Henderson said. “I didn’t really get to fight then because they didn’t want to put me against a boy. I fought a couple of guys from our school every now and again.”
After her boxing career came to a close following her senior year, Henderson made her way to West Virginia to play soccer, but that boxer’s mentality never left her.
Henderson is considered one of the toughest players on the team along with possessing a motor that is constantly running.
“One thing that I learned from boxing from the coaches is that hard work will pay off no matter what,” Henderson said. “The heart that you give and the fight for anything is something that has carried over not just here on the field, but it is also the mentality that this team has.”
A good portion of the team’s overall toughness comes from coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, who like Henderson hails from Rochester.
“It brings me back home sometimes,” Henderson said. “We talk about Rochester and the people that we know. Her husband’s brother actually works with my uncle, and my biology teacher coached her back in the day. It is the small connections such as those that make being here more like home.”
With the 2011 season now in full swing, Henderson is looking to close out her Mountaineer career the same way that she started it – as a champion.
Henderson was a member of the 2007 women’s soccer team that won the BIG EAST championship, as well as last year’s squad that won a conference title.
“The 2007 team was a great team - to be a part of that was amazing,” Henderson said. “To be able to fight for it one more time isn’t something that a lot of people get to say.”
Henderson and the Mountaineers face No. 18 Ohio State tonight at 7 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The match is a “Dollar Night” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products available for purchase for just one dollar each. It’s also a “Gold Rush” night where fans who wear the official 2011 WVU fan shirt can enter for a chance to win a year’s supply of Papa John's pizza.
For defender Erica Henderson, it is a combination of all three that made her the athlete she is today.
However, the most important of those three may be the redshirt senior’s past athletic experiences.
You see, Henderson boxed for four years while attending the Aquinas Institute of Rochester.
“I had four official fights and four official wins,” said Henderson.
The tradition of Henderson’s family boxing while at Aquinas runs deep, as both her brother and grandfather participated in the school’s boxing program.
“My grandfather did it in what would be 51 years ago now, and my brother was even a boxer for four years,” Henderson said. “Whenever I knew I was going to Aquinas, I knew I was going to box. It is a big part of me.”
Henderson’s four victories came in the school’s annual Mission Bouts showcase, which has been a tradition for the past 79 years.
“Over my few years there, we would have what is called the Mission Bouts,” Henderson said. “We would sell tickets, and it would be 17 fights. It is one night, usually the first Friday in March, and it raises money for our mission overseas. You fight one person who has qualified with you.”
With just one other school in the country allowing boxing as a varsity sport, challengers for Henderson were hard to come by, but she made due with what was available.
“You would fight people within the school because there is only one other school in Cincinnati that had boxing, but they only had boys,” Henderson said. “I didn’t really get to fight then because they didn’t want to put me against a boy. I fought a couple of guys from our school every now and again.”
After her boxing career came to a close following her senior year, Henderson made her way to West Virginia to play soccer, but that boxer’s mentality never left her.
Henderson is considered one of the toughest players on the team along with possessing a motor that is constantly running.
“One thing that I learned from boxing from the coaches is that hard work will pay off no matter what,” Henderson said. “The heart that you give and the fight for anything is something that has carried over not just here on the field, but it is also the mentality that this team has.”
A good portion of the team’s overall toughness comes from coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, who like Henderson hails from Rochester.
“It brings me back home sometimes,” Henderson said. “We talk about Rochester and the people that we know. Her husband’s brother actually works with my uncle, and my biology teacher coached her back in the day. It is the small connections such as those that make being here more like home.”
With the 2011 season now in full swing, Henderson is looking to close out her Mountaineer career the same way that she started it – as a champion.
Henderson was a member of the 2007 women’s soccer team that won the BIG EAST championship, as well as last year’s squad that won a conference title.
“The 2007 team was a great team - to be a part of that was amazing,” Henderson said. “To be able to fight for it one more time isn’t something that a lot of people get to say.”
Henderson and the Mountaineers face No. 18 Ohio State tonight at 7 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The match is a “Dollar Night” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products available for purchase for just one dollar each. It’s also a “Gold Rush” night where fans who wear the official 2011 WVU fan shirt can enter for a chance to win a year’s supply of Papa John's pizza.
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