South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Youngsters crave stability and continuity. Being in one place and having a set routine provides the comfort and familiarity that young people need to succeed. Lowndes High School senior soccer player Nicole Falcon had a different life. When she moved to Valdosta halfway through her sophomore year, it was her eighth move in 15 years. Because of his job, Falcon’s father had to move around quite a bit. She was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, but has lived in Ohio, Illinois and Texas. She was in Texas when her family learned they were moving to Valdosta.

Of her seven previous moves, this one was toughest. In the past, her older siblings, sister Ashley and brother Cory, were still at home and moved with the family. This time, both had moved out and it was just Falcon and her parents. One thing made the transition a little easier: soccer.

Falcon started playing soccer about the time she learned to walk. Her brother was a soccer player and she watched him learn the game. “He played, and I wanted to as well. I loved going to his games,” she says. The fast pace and unpredictable nature of soccer really appealed to her. “There is lots of movement and it’s really an exciting game. You never know what will happen next,” she says.

Falcon tried other sports – dance, gymnastics and volleyball – but she always came back to soccer. As she grew older, it became harder and harder to play multiple sports. One by one, she stopped participating in the other sports until only soccer was left. “Soccer was the one sport I really wanted to play. So I stuck with it,” she says.

When the Falcon family learned they would be moving to Valdosta, soccer dictated several details of the move. Falcon contacted Lowndes women’s soccer coach Chris Willis to find out about tryouts and to let him know she would be enrolling in the school. Having students transfer in during the school year is nothing new to Willis, but it’s unusual for him to have transfers with Falcon’s skill. “I get a lot of calls from parents about letting their kids try out. But Nikki is the first player who turned out as advertised,” says Willis, who had never seen her play.

From the first day of practice, Willis knew Falcon would be good. “I knew her background and knew she was an all-around athlete,” he says. “When I first saw her, she wasn’t very big and didn’t have a hulking presence. But she scored the highest on our fitness test before practice started. So before she ever did anything with a soccer ball, I knew she was good.”

Things may have been going well on the soccer pitch but at home, the situation was difficult. Because of the timing of the move, the Falcons’ house wasn’t ready yet, and it wouldn’t be for two months. During that time, the Falcons lived at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, located just a few blocks from the school. “My parents and I lived in that hotel room together. We ate fast food or restaurant food the whole time,” she laughs.

Moving from place to place taught Falcon perseverance. As tough as it was, she knew it would get better. She concentrated on her schoolwork and getting better on the pitch. If the transition was hard, Willis didn’t notice. “She made the adjustment very well,” he says.  “She’s a pleasant person to be around and the other players respected her. Within a few weeks, it was like she had been here all along.”

Falcon, who has played soccer all over the United States, made the Vikettes a better team almost instantly. She feels the opportunities available at Lowndes are the best she has ever encountered. “My best experiences have been here,” she says. Falcon is a member of the South Georgia United’s U17 squad, which won the President’s Cup to earn the team a berth in Regionals in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Last season, the Vikettes placed second in the region and made the state playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The opportunities might be there for Falcon, but she’s been able to take advantage of them because of her tremendous soccer skills. Her conditioning is excellent and she manages to keep her emotions in check no matter how big the game. She sees the field well and can make decisions very quickly. Falcon has great anticipation and can see the play unfold before it happens. As a sweeper, such anticipation is necessary for her to keep Lowndes’ opponents from finding the back of the net. “She never gets rattled in big games. She cleans up anything that gets through and is basically in charge of the whole defense,” says Willis.

Last season, the Vikettes had one of the best defenses in Region 1-AAAAA. In the first round of the state tournament, the Vikettes faced Chapel Hill, a team featuring Kelsey Barr, a South Carolina signee. Falcon shut down Barr for the entire game and the first overtime period. Chapel Hill eventually won on penalty kicks in double overtime. It was a tough defeat but Falcon and her teammates were very happy to see Lowndes return to postseason play.

With Falcon facing her senior season, she knew she would have a decision to make. Would she move again for a ninth time or would she remain near her new home? She wanted to play soccer in college but she had her doubts. “There was a time when I wasn’t sure I would play,” she says. “I wasn’t sure I was good enough. I had always been confident in my abilities but there are lots of girls out there looking for just a few scholarships.” She was still unsure about what she would do when Melissa Heinz, head coach of Valdosta State’s new women’s soccer team, approached her about playing for the Lady Blazers. Not only would Falcon’s dream of playing soccer in college come true, but she wouldn’t have to move. She readily accepted the offer and will join the VSU squad next season.

Falcon’s athletic ability was a big reason why Heinz wanted her at VSU, but it wasn’t the only reason. Falcon is an exemplary student, a feat made even more incredible because of all the moves she has endured. No matter how many times she’s been uprooted or where she’s attended school, her grades have never suffered. Currently, she is 36th in a class of nearly 700 students. She says that school has always come fairly easily for her. “I’m a quick learner and I’ve always done well. School hasn’t been a big problem for me when I’ve moved. I never got behind,” she says.

Falcon understands the importance of time management and has mastered the art of balancing year-round soccer with academic success. “I always schedule time for my chores, schoolwork and soccer. I make time for each activity and make sure I get everything done,” she says.

Falcon would like to pursue a career as a biomedical engineer. She will major in engineering at VSU, then transfer to either Mercer or Georgia Tech to pursue a master’s in biomedical engineering. “I had looked at VSU when we first moved here. I really didn’t want to move again. I just wasn’t ready to start over again. VSU offered the degree I wanted and I had a chance to play soccer. Everything just fell into place,” she says. •

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