Name: Karter HaugSport: Women's Soccer
Class: Senior
Major: Communications (Minor in Advertising)
GPA: 3.36
Jordan Moore (JM): You grew up in Colorado in an ice hockey family. Did you ever put on the skates and mix it up?
Karter Haug (KH): Definitely! I started ice skating when I was very young. While not exactly ice hockey, my brother and I would go out into our cul-de-sac all the time and pretend to be the Mighty Ducks. I would play the goalie will all the pads and everything, while he imitated different players while shooting on me. We would have some serious competitions. I would always win (not that my brother would necessarily agree with that statement). I now leave the ice hockey to my brother, while I take the hockey mentality over to the soccer field.
JM: Best hockey player: Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin?KH: No doubt, Sidney Crosby! (I mean you are asking a die-hard Pittsburgh Penguins fan with Penguins memorabilia decorating her entire room.) He is my all time favorite athlete in any sport. I always try to emulate his leadership and dedication in my soccer play.
JM: Greatest hockey movie: Slap Shot or Mighty Ducks?
KH: Between those two, Mighty Ducks, no question. But the greatest hockey movie of all time would have to be Miracle, the story about the 1980 Olympic hockey team. I watch that movie for motivation all the time.
JM: You lived out your own underdog story on the Trojans' NCAA championship run in 2007. What was that feeling like?
KH: Unbelievable! I cannot describe it any other way. The feeling was one that could not be matched. The immense joy and excitement along with the astonishment at winning the National Championship were all overwhelming. We had worked so hard and to see all that time, dedication, and sacrifice pay off was incredible and having my family there to experience the entire journey with me was even more amazing. They were there supporting me and going through the entire emotional roller-coaster I was. It was unbelievable to share that with both my family and teammates.JM: Winning right away, did you get suckered into thinking that winning was easy and you would do it every year?
KH: Absolutely not! We were always told that "winning a National Championship is hard, but winning back-to-back National Championships was even harder because of the huge targets on our backs" and that was proven to us that next year. I have always been taught to never be satisfied with where I am at, but always strive to get better as well.
JM: Coach K said the difference between coaching women and men is that women need to know why he wants them to do something before they do it. Does that sound about right? KH: I think that sounds pretty spot on. I'm not as familiar with the questions men may ask about things coaches want you to do, but I know that as women we definitely analyze every situation and are constantly trying to figure out why we are doing whatever we are supposed to be doing at that time. We always try to figure out the reasoning behind everything the coaches are having us do.
JM: What field of Communications do you want to practice?
KH: My dream career would be for an NHL team doing event planning for their charity and marketing events. I love working with people as well, so anything dealing with the relationships with clients would also be a great fit.
JM: I heard you recently studied abroad with Annenberg. How was it?
KH: I went on the International Communications Studies Program with Annenberg to London, Paris, Rome, and Prague. It was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I think the funniest story occurred while wearing my Netherlands soccer jersey around for the World Cup. The Dutch speakers kept coming up and trying to talk to me, the Americans asked me when I am heading home to the Netherlands, and the German fans yelled stuff at me because of the huge rivalry between the two teams. Also, in Italy it was hard to contain ourselves from eating gelato for every meal everyday.
JM: You are an advertising minor. Give me a slogan to sell people on coming to the "Break the Record" game at the Coliseum Friday night.KH: "Collision in the Coliseum, Taking the Rivalry to the Fans."
JM: I love it! You are the next Don Draper...
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