Soccer
Favorite athlete/team: Julie Ertz plays professional soccer as a midfielder on the United States Women’s National Team and plays on her club team of the Chicago Red Stars.
Favorite memory competing in sports: Junior year when we played Wissahickon and I scored a goal on my birthday.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: The funniest moment was playing a game in the rain against CR South, and we were slipping everywhere all over the field the entire game.
Music on playlist: Favorite artists are Drake, Justin Beiber, and Juice WRLD.
Future plans: I plan to attend a four-year university majoring in Nursing. Penn State, University of Delaware, and West Chester University are colleges of interest.
Words to live by: “Take a risk or lose the chance.”
One goal before turning 30: Have a stable career as a Registered Nurse.
One thing people don’t know about me: I come from a family of soccer players, and my grandfather helped start the Warminster Soccer Club.
By Craig Ostroff
For Jackie Kubala, it’s all about having a positive effect on others. It’s apparent in her participation in Athletes for Athletes and Unified Track.
And it was on display leading up to her senior season on the soccer pitch for William Tennent High School, where Kubala willingly put the needs of the team above any potential personal glory.
“Jackie came to me in the beginning of the season and told me she would play any position that would help the team,” said Panthers’ coach Bill Hontz. “We moved her to the back line to help shore up the defense, which is the most important area of the field.”
Kubala, who played most of her high school career in the midfield, welcomed the change and the challenge.
“I like to be a player who can be played anywhere,” she said. “I try to be flexible so I can be put at whatever position they need me.
“Team effort is important. At the end of the day, we work as a unit to win games. It’s not about individual statistics, I want the team to win, so wherever they think I can most help the team to win, I’m willing to play wherever they need me.”
The move paid dividends, as the Panthers posted four shutouts en route to a perfect 8-0 league record and were crowned the first-ever champions of the newly re-established Suburban One Freedom Division.
“Jackie was a big part of that,” Hontz said. “She was a large part in going undefeated in our new division and was a big part of the starting back line.”
“We accomplished a lot as a team,” Kubala said. “I’m really proud of us going undefeated in the division. We strived to get into the playoffs and we did that. I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
But while this William Tennent team—whose season ended in the first round of the District One Playoffs and a final record of 9-3—boasted plenty of experience, that doesn’t mean that the veteran leadership wasn’t crucial in a season that was in jeopardy of never even starting.
“The summer was difficult,” she said. “Each week, things would get pushed back or postponed until further notice. It was tough not knowing, not knowing if we had a season to look forward to.”
But even when the decision was made to move forward with the fall sports seasons, the COVID-19 era brought about a host of new challenges—most notably, pasta parties and other team bonding experiences were all but impossible.
“The only chances we really had to be together as a team were during practices, so we did team bonding drills, tried to get to know the underclassmen and get them involved and participating as much as possible,” Kubala said.
A Tennent tradition of seniors taking a group of Cubbies under their wing also helped get the newcomers involved.
“The seniors have a long tradition of being senior soccer moms to their ‘Cubbies’ and they look over 5 to 6 underclassmen for guidance and questions they have,” Hontz said. “Jackie’s Cubbies were very lucky to have her for guidance, especially in this time of COVID.”
Adapting and adjusting to her circumstances is nothing new for Kubala. After battling for playing time as a freshman and splitting time between junior varsity and a very strong varsity squad, she finally cracked the starting lineup in the Panthers’ District playoff game. But soon after, she suffered a torn ACL while playing for her club team, and suddenly what was supposed to be a sophomore season where she had secured a starting spot was over before it had even begun.
Kubala worked hard through rehab, and dedicated herself to becoming a smarter player in order to overcome any potential speed or agility loss she might face once she was able to return. And she spent as much time with the team as well. Just because she couldn’t contribute on the field didn’t mean she was no longer a part of the team. It was important for Kubala to show that, both for herself and for her teammates.
“It’s important for me to be out there and have fun with my teammates and make memories on the field and play game I really enjoy,” Kubala said. “So to lose my sophomore season, it was heartbreaking. But it’s important for people to know that injuries don’t define you. I found it important to be there for support. Since I couldn’t play, I’d film some of the games, kept some stats as well.
“I lost some speed, so I have to anticipate more. It increased my game smarts. I had to learn to understand movement of the ball better, use more physicality. My whole game changed for the better. It goes back to not letting your injury define you. I became a better player and smarter on the field as a result of being injured.”
Kubala triumphantly returned for her junior season, and in the Panthers’ fifth game of the season, which also happened to be her birthday, Kubala put an exclamation point on her recovery by netting the game-winning goal in Tennent’s 3-2 win over a very strong Wissahickon team.
“That was a great day for her,” Hontz said. “She knew she was back … and it was her birthday!”
And though she quickly set about putting her injury behind her, her experiences affected Kubala in profound ways. In fact, they helped her decide on her future.
Not surprisingly, it’s a career plan that will see Kubala helping others. Though she hasn’t come to a decision just yet as to where she’ll spend her next four years, she will be pursuing a major and a career in the nursing field, possibly in anesthesiology or in the NCIU.
“My ACL injury was one of those experience where I saw what the nurses and the doctors were doing, and I just felt like I belonged in a hospital,” she said. “I felt like I saw something and experienced something I knew I wanted to be involved in.”
Kubala said she’d like to play soccer in college, though her college choices and the rigorous nursing courseload will likely mean playing at the club level.
And though her high school soccer career has come to a close, Kubala is still extremely involved in the goings on at William Tennent. She is a member of the National Honor Society, and participates in Athletes Helping Athletes and Modified Track, working with classmates and students with special needs.
“It really makes me happy being involved in things like that,” she said. “I’ve always thought it was important to get kids involved in sports, and I wanted to devote my time to kids with special needs, to get them introduced to sports and have fun while participating.
“I love being able to show them the satisfaction of how much sports can have a role in your life, and it’s fun to spend time with them and see how they improve and enjoy themselves. I enjoy every minute of it.”
In the virtual classroom, Kubala is making the most of her senior year. She’s got a good mix of AP classes sprinkled in her schedule, primarily in subjects that will benefit her college major.
“There are pros and cons to being strictly virtual,” she said. “I feel like it’s different for everyone. I can make my schedule more selective because we’re at home, but I miss the social aspect of school—seeing friends, hanging out in the cafeteria, getting to know my teachers. I miss that a lot.”
The legacy that she and her classmates leave is undeniable, and will stretch on into the future. The lessons they’ve taught will be vital for what will be a much younger Panther team next season.
Kubala hopes one of the main lessons she’s taught the underclassmen is simply to have fun out there.
“I’ve always been someone who tries to shake off mistakes and focus on having fun during games,” she said. “I hope they remember me as a fun-loving player who’s out there to have fun and get to know everyone and help the team be the best it can be.”
Hontz said that he—and the team—will sorely miss the presence of an athlete he has known for four years, but who goes way back with her family.
“I went to school with her mom back in the day at William Tennent so I knew the family very well,” Hontz said. “I first met Jackie her freshman year at tryouts. She is a very caring person, and her parents should be very proud of who I have seen grow and develop into a great overall person. It’s sad to have to say goodbye to someone like Jackie.”
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