Featured Athlete: Emma Burden

Freshmen Emma Burden is one of three field players that are on the girl’s Varsity soccer team.Q: How long have you been playing soccer?

A: I’ve been playing soccer since I was three. When I was really little I played in the Johnson County League, or something like that, for really little people. Once I got into kindergarten and stuff like that then I played with my dad until sixth grade. In sixth grade I guest played with Chad Edward’s KC Legends. But then seventh grade I played for Puma, eighth grade I played for Legends, and then this year I playing for Legends.

Q: What was your initial reaction to making Varsity?

A: I was really excited. I saw my name on the [Varsity roster] list and I was like “Woah! Well that’s cool!”

Q: Were you nervous about playing with the upperclassmen?

A: No cause they were really kind and inviting to me, even during tryouts. They kept giving me positive encouragement during the whole tryout week. That just made it a lot easier.

Q: What is it like being one of only three freshmen on the team?

A: It’s a little weird because everyone around you is an upperclassmen, and there’s eleven of them graduating this year, which I still haven’t like wrapped my head around. Obviously, since you’re a freshmen you have to go do all this stuff. Like we have to wear a specific warm up shirt just because we’re freshmen, no one else is wearing it. We always have to go and get [equipment] out of Kelly’s car and take [equipment] back to his car. I mean it’s pretty easy but it’s not stuff the upperclassmen have to do.  

Q: What has been your favorite memory this season?

A: I really liked [the Iowa tournament], that was a lot of fun…Probably my favorite part was the bus [ride] we took up there. Bria Foley brought a bluetooth speaker, so she would play these old songs that everyone knew the words to, so we would just be screaming songs on the bus everywhere we went, it was so fun.

Q: What are your plans for next year?

A: I don’t really know currently, because it kind of depends if my coach stops coaching our 2002 [age group] team, and then depending on that I would have to go to Sporting or FCKC [soccer club] or something like that. I’m going to try and play high school [next year] because it’s so much fun.