By Charlotte Tannenbaum, Duke Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM –
Nobody would have blamed Sophie Jones for taking a summer off. Following a successful three years of working tirelessly on the soccer field, the captain is entering her senior year poised to lead the Blue Devils to another standout season. That being said, slacking off just isn't Jone's style, and her summer was as busy as ever.Jones worked for Gatorade over the summer as their Player of the Year intern, where she helped create a community for the ever-growing group of athletes designated as Gatorade Players of the Year. A 2018-19 recipient of the honor herself, Jones worked on bringing together thousands of the most talented athletes in the country.
"I've gotten to see the behind the scenes of how they select the athletes as well as all of the media that goes into it. It's been super interesting to see the other side of things."
One perk of the internship was the opportunity to attend the ESPYS, the legendary annual award ceremony honoring athletic achievement. Hosted this year by Stephen Curry, Jones was surrounded by some of the biggest names in sports.
"It was cool to be with so many incredible athletes who I've looked up to my whole life," she said. "While I was walking around getting my food, Katie Ledecky was in front of me, Odell (Beckham, Jr.) was behind me… just being in the same room as those people was super inspiring."
In addition to her work with Gatorade, Jones also attended the NIL Summit, where she and other student-athletes from around the country came together to learn more about the emerging opportunities that NIL provides. The summit also gave athletes a platform to share their own thoughts and successes with NIL.
"I loved seeing other peers and how they've taken advantage of NIL, and it was definitely super inspiring to see some strong women up there," says Jones.
Jones's own NIL partners include Just Women's Sports, an organization working to shine the spotlight on female athletes to get them the recognition that they have earned.
"They actually flew us out to New York where we had a watch party for the NCAA Final Four for women's basketball," says Jones. "Seeing female athletes supporting other female athletes was an exciting side of NIL that I wasn't expecting."
Jones also reconnected with former teammate Mia Gyau while training in San Diego with the new NWSL team, San Diego Wave FC. "Hanging out with Mia and seeing that professional environment was a really cool experience."
Finally back in Durham, Jones is now training with the Blue Devils at the start of another promising season. This year, Duke secured the No. 2 spot in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll and was picked first in the ACC by the league head coaches. Never one to rest on her laurels, Jones wants the team to stay hungry and prove the polls right.
"We haven't done anything to earn that ranking yet, so we have to take it game by game, one day at a time. I don't think we should focus on those external things, I think we should just focus on what we can control."
As hard as it is to imagine the team without Jones, Duke wasn't a natural first choice for the California native. It wasn't until her mom insisted on visiting Durham that Jones began to see herself as a Blue Devil.
"I instantly connected with the coaching staff. Then I went to a basketball game and I knew this is where I had to be." From there, the stars aligned. "It was the culture, the love for sports, the fact that blue is my favorite color, the cafeteria…" Clearly, Jones was always meant to be a Blue Devil. In her three years at Duke, she has found even more to love: most importantly, the people surrounding her.
"Your teammates are such a big factor of whether you enjoy your time here, and I'm so lucky to have the best teammates ever."
Jones believes that this positive team dynamic has also contributed to their success.
"I think having that strong team culture off the field really resonates and creates a stronger team on the field. I'm so thankful… we honestly are a family."
This year, Jones's role in the family comes with a bit more responsibility. Alongside Emmy Duerr and Ruthie Jones, she was voted to be one of the captains for the season.
"Of course, with that comes more expectations, and I may need to do some things that don't come completely naturally to me. I usually like to lead by example, but now I'm trying to become a more vocal leader," says Jones. "If that's what the team needs, then that's what I need to work on doing."
With exhibition play over and the start of the regular season taking place Thursday at ECU, which included the midfielder netting the game-winning goal,, Jones is excited to see what the rest of her senior season will bring. Amidst inevitable questions about her future after Duke, Jones remains determined to stay true to herself.
"I'm really just trying to focus on this season and enjoy it. I like to take it day by day," she says. "As long as I'm having a good time, I want to play soccer as long as I possibly can. So, we'll see what that looks like."
As proven by the work that she dedicates herself to both on and off the field, Jones is undoubtedly a star in the making. No matter where she ends up, Sophie Jones's future is incredibly promising, and she will surely continue to make the Blue Devils proud to call her their own.
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August 20, 2022 at 01:00AM
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