By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

FRYEBURG — Jamie Gullikson is a physical presence on the soccer field, yet she also has a soft side.

A major scoring threat a year ago, Jamie was moved back to the defensive side of the ball this year to strengthen the Fryeburg Academy back end against tough Western Class B foes.

“Jamie has proven herself to be an invaluable asset in the defensive line. She has played every minute of every game this season, which includes six overtimes,” FA varsity girls’ soccer coach Terry MacGillivray said. “She is one of the toughest competitors on our team.”

Still, Jamie has another side that coaches like to see.

“I have also noticed that she is the first player to reach down and help up an opponent who has fallen,” Coach MacGillivray said, “and that’s why Jamie has been named this week’s ‘Player of the Week.’”

The Gullikson File

Name: Jamie Gullikson

Hometown: Denmark

Year in School: Junior

Parents: Michael and Kimberly Gullikson

School groups/Sports: Soccer, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, National Honor Society.

Q. Why did you choose soccer? JG. I chose soccer because I have been playing it since kindergarten. I love the smell of the grass and the sound of kicking a ball. I love the competitiveness of the sport and how if you slip in one second it can change the game. Soccer is exciting and exhilarating. I can’t imagine a September when I’m not playing.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish this season? JG. This season, I hope to reach the playoffs. The rules of the league were changed this year, allowing more teams in. Our team is currently ranked ninth, and we are looking strong. I think that we have a definite chance of making it to the playoffs.

Q. What do you enjoy the most? JG. It’s hard to say exactly what I love the most because there are many things. However, when I’m running down the field in a game and I’m beating my opponent, that feeling of strength, is something I really enjoy. I remember in the Gray-New Gloucester game, I was running my heart out and I never seemed to get tired. I just felt so strong and I wish everyone could feel this because it’s truly amazing.

Q. What do enjoy the least? JG. Practices. Maxis. As much as I love feeling strong, working out is no fun at all. My coach, during preseason, made us run two to three miles every morning. We work out in the gym and we run suicides on the field. The whole team hates this, but we can appreciate it. It makes us stronger.

Q. What makes you successful? JG. Again, I would have to say that it’s the strength and endurance that makes the team successful. However, the team possesses so much more than that. The other day, my coach said that soccer requires three things — brains, speed and skill. He said that anyone could play a good soccer game and only engage two out of the three of those things. I think that we use all of them. All of us have speed and endurance, we have good ball skills and we have the brains to know what to do. Our hard work has made us good, but it’s our effort and desire to win that has made us successful.

Q. What would your dream moment be? JG. My dream moment would be to get into playoffs and to advance, not necessarily to state championship, but far up the ladder. I think that the team definitely has the skill, we just have to keep our heads in it and be the best we can be. I think that the team deserves to go to the playoffs, together we work so hard and together we will succeed.

Q. What has sports taught you? Sports have taught me so much. Soccer, in particular, has taught me to be a team player, and to trust the other girls.

Q. What do you like most about your team? JG. I like how much effort and passion everyone on the team has for the sport and to win. I think that if we lacked this, we wouldn’t be ranked ninth right now. The team has worked hard to get where we are and I admire this about all of us. On the field, everyone puts everything they have, plus some, into the game.

Q. Who has inspired you? JG. My parents, Mike and Kim Gullikson, have inspired me to do sports. Ever since a young age, they were driving me all over the state for this tournament and that game, and they didn’t complain. They said as long as I put my heart into the sport, the driving was worth it. They’ve also kept me going when I get frustrated, at myself, at the other team, at the referees; they don’t let me give up even when I want to. During off-seasons, they encourage me; make me run. My parents know I don’t want to fail, so they do their best to keep me from that, and for that, I love them and thank them. I don’t know if I would be who I am today, athletics or otherwise, without them.