Westfield girls soccer has built a strong program off of success and developing talented players who have gone on to compete at the collegiate level. In this feature, we’ll dive into United States Air Force Academy player Ashley Yenawine.
As a member of the WHS girls team since her freshman year, Yenawine tallied 17 goals and 20 assists for the Blue Devils. Continuing her contributions, she has had one assist so far in her first season with the Air Force, which came against their rivals, the Naval Academy.
Since committing to a military school, Yenawine has had to face many different challenges other than being a collegiate athlete, including basic training, which is six weeks of intense conditioning.
She said, “Basic training was the hardest thing I have done in my life. It was exhausting both physically and mentally. I underestimated the amount of military knowledge we had to memorize during the six weeks, which was one of the most difficult aspects of basic training for me.”
Although basic training was challenging for Yenawine, the physical aspect was always something she excelled in. She won Big Bad Basic, which is the final pugil stick combat competition that ends Basic Cadet Training at the USAFA. However, through the physical challenges, her demanding schedule at the Academy required her to develop discipline in her everyday life.
Yenawine said, “An average day for me starts at around 6:00 a.m. and leaves at 6:40 for morning announcements. After mandatory breakfast, I have class every day from 7:30-11:30 a.m. We then have noon meal formation, which involves marching in formation to lunch by squadron. After lunch, we usually practice from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and get back to my room at around 7:30, and I have the rest of the night to myself.”
Despite the challenges, Yenawine said, “The girls on the team make life at the Academy so much better. The team culture that they have fostered has made the transition to a new school and new team a world easier for me.”
In addition, after receiving her phone following the six weeks of basic training, Yenawine was able to reconnect with her friends and family. She said, “Being a social person, this was one of the hardest aspects of basic training for me.” However, she looks forward to seeing all of her friends back home after not seeing them for four months during her fall break.
