Tori Bowman is much more than #12 on the field. Getting the chance to play with her has been an experience like no other. Check out this senior spotlight on Tori Bowman, our incredible teammate. Ask me to define a perfect teammate and I would tell you "Tori Bowman." Tori, in her four years as a Sooner has left some big shoes to fill both on and off the field. On the field, Tori has recorded three goals, but also some vital assists, two of which being critical balls to be played to go on to win important games (SMU first round of NCAA Tournament in 2016 and Kansas State with two assists on free kicks in 2017). Tori was part of the group that led this program to it’s greatest season in history in 2016 where they reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She has been named to First-Team Academic All-Big 12 for three years. Tori has been an impact player for the Sooners whenever she steps on the field, but more importantly, off the field Tori shines as being a great teammate and friend. Before I begin with the questions that Tori answered for me, I would like to share a story in that Tori touched my life personally. At the very beginning of the season, before the first game, I was sitting in the locker room very nervous. Tori walked over to me, hugged me, and said “You can do this. I believe in you. Let’s go get it tonight.” And although the result didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to that night, those words resinated with me before every game and gave me confidence to go out there. So Tori I am forever grateful to you for this. I think that story says something about the kind of person Tori is right off the bat. She is wise and extremely kind. Tori leaves behind this piece of advise to future soccer players: “Find a core group of people to get you through the good, the bad and the ugly. All will come and it is so much better and easier if you can go through it with at least one other person who knows you fully.” I have looked up to Tori all season, and reading this piece of advise just makes me think even higher of her, and I advice you to do the same. Things will get hard in life, but having a good core group is important to success. Your teammates are those you grow a strong bond with because you’re spending so much time with them, so appreciate them and get to know them truly. But Tori also says that soccer at a collegiate level has changed her. She says she has “learned so many valuable principles: time management, prioritizing what’s important, never getting too high or too low and controlling the controllable.” I think all of these are so critical to your success, but not just as an athlete, but in all aspects of life. Sports are a way to teach us these important lessons of life for sure. Learning how to apply these lessons of sports to our lives beyond the sports realm is the task we must all learn to accomplish. Tori also remembered some of her favorite moments as a Sooner. For this season in particular, she says her favorite memory is “beating Kansas State because all our efforts finally came through and that team win was awesome. It put us through to the Big XII tournament and it was the last game us seniors would ever play on our OU field.” This game was critical for us, and Tori provided two assists in this game to send us on to win it and advance to the Big 12 Tournament. But something I want to point out that Tori mentioned is that it was the last game for the seniors on the OU field. This is something you have to play for from day one. Your seniors have been working hard for four years…play for them, and your whole team. If you are playing for each other, instead of working as individuals you are going to accomplish so much more. “The sum of the whole is better than the individuals” to paraphrase our coach. I also asked Tori to reflect on her entire time here as a Sooner. She responded, “Gahlee this is a tough question. I would have to say that my favorite part was getting to play with my sister for a year. My freshman year she was a senior and that was one of the coolest experiences of my life. But, adding to that, my favorite part is meeting lifelong friends. People who I have been through so much with.” Once again, we go back to how important your teammates are. You are spending extreme amounts of time with them, therefore you are bound to become close to them. But these friendships you make on a sports team are so much more than just a normal friendship because they have been with you through all the thick and thin of it. They are friendships to cherish for a lifetime. Although Tori has finished her time wearing the OU jersey, she says “Heck yes, I still plan on coming back to games, going to watch all my babies win some freaking games!!!!!” It’s so cool to see that seniors and previous players want to come back and watch games. This is once again showing how sports can build relationships for a lifetime. What she says she will miss the most though is “The summers. Where all the hard work goes in and you get to enjoy playing at night with no pressures. Team chemistry and bonding always happens in the summers and I always really enjoyed growing closer with the team both on and off the field.” This quote by Tori just exhibits how much of a true teammate she was. Lastly, but not least, Tori says that she wants to be remembered as “A relatable friend. Really, I just want to be remembered as someone who cared about the person before the player. In this result based world, it is so easy to lose who you are and what you believe in. I want to be someone who always encouraged people to shine their true colors. Because a team only works if everyone is their best self, not trying to be someone they aren’t.” Tori, I think it’s safe to say you will be remembered as this and so so so much more. Tori you are going to be missed so much on the field, but even more off the field. Thank you for everything you have done.
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GoalTo keep girls involved in sports for longer Archives
October 2021
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