KSU soccer’s current roster is equipped with many talented young athletes, but no athlete stands out quite like Julia Nelson.
Nelson, a sophomore midfielder from Marietta, Ga., competed in the second World Deaf Football Championships in Ankara, Turkey, July 16- 28 this summer. Nelson not only had the privilege of representing her country as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Deaf Team, but was also able to bring home a gold medal. Nelson described the experience as “unreal.”
“I never imagined that I would travel to Turkey,” Nelson said. “The best part was meeting people from other countries and knowing that I was there to represent the United States. I really felt honored to be chosen.”
To add to Nelson’s accomplishments, she won the Golden Boot Award, an honor given to the tournament’s leading scorer. Nelson was even able to score the winning goal against Russia. The U.S. and Russia had a big rivalry coming into this tournament, with the U.S. winning in its previous meeting in Taiwan.
“The night before the Russia game, I was pretty nervous, I’ll admit,” Nelson said. “The way they talked about them I was expecting giant Amazonians who would try to crush me and break my legs! Scoring that goal was a great rush.”
As far as getting to know other people, Nelson said she enjoyed that she had so much in common with her teammates, immediately feeling part of the group.
“I was surprised to see that I had so much in common with them,” Nelson said. “Growing up, I never knew anyone other than my sister who had hearing loss, so it didn’t occur to me that there were others in the world that faced the same challenges as me.”
Experiencing the different cultures of Turkey and socializing with other athletes at the opening ceremonies were some perks that Nelson enjoyed as well. She said she even had the chance to get a picture with one of the players from the men’s National Team for Greece, whom she called her “counterpart.”
KSU women’s soccer head coach Rob King said he is pleased with Nelson’s recent accomplishments. King has been able to watch Nelson’s development as a soccer player since she was playing for the North Atlanta Soccer Association in high school. King immediately recognized the boost in Nelson’s confidence upon her return.
“Obviously that is tremendous for her, a great life experience and a great soccer experience,” King said. “She is developing all the time as a player and those sorts of things just add to that development.”
As far back as she can remember, Nelson has suffered from hearing loss. But to Nelson, that sort of limitation never got the best of her when it came to athletics. To Nelson, soccer has always been “in her blood,” regardless of her circumstances.
“I’ve had a hearing loss ever since I can remember, really,” Nelson said. “So I guess it’s hard to recognize a challenge when you think everyone else is just like you; you know what I mean?”
Coach King, like Nelson’s teammates, sees Nelson as a talented player and a valued member of the team. They look past the fact that she is hearing impaired and recognize her for the athlete she is.
I don’t see Julia as any different from anybody else, you know, other than the fact she is hearing impaired, King said. “We expect the same things from her as we do from anybody else, and she delivers all the way around. She is great in the classroom, she is a great teammate and she works very hard and does well on the field.”
Nelson has enjoyed playing soccer for KSU and appreciates her teammates. To Nelson, the team dinners, long bus rides and daily practices with 18 of her closest friends make her feel like she is part of a family.
“My past year and a half with this team has been an absolute blast,” Nelson said. “I love every single one of the girls on the team and the coaches make it that much more enjoyable. I feel so lucky to be with such a great group of girls.”
KSU will be returning from a weekend road trip after facing Northern Kentucky and Lipscomb. The team’s next match will be at home against the University of North Florida on Oct. 12.
