Dec. 7, 2011
CHICAGO -Sophomore outfielder, Courtney Heeley (Glendale, Ariz./Greenway) sat down with UICFlames.com for the third segment of the "Fireside Chat", which features members from the 2011-12 roster.
UICFlames.com: Why did you choose UIC?
CH: The UIC coaches had a lot of really good ideas. The program was strong and definitely was becoming even stronger. After talking with the coaches, I made a pro and con list of Chicago. I was excited about having four seasons, my brother does improv comedy here in the city, and I wanted to get away from Arizona for a while. I thought about walking on at Arizona State, but receiving a scholarship was a better choice for me, plus, I really wanted something different.
UICFlames.com: What is your major?
CH: Right now, I am undecided, but I am going to declare business administration. I would like to do fashion marketing.
UICFlames.com:Have you had any broken bones?
CH:When I was born, I broke my collar bone.
UICFlames.com:Have you been on any exciting vacations?
CH:I have been on a cruise with my family, and we went to Mexico.
UICFlames.com:Do you have siblings?
CH: I have three sisters and one brother. I am the youngest, and we are all separated by two and a half years.
UICFlames.com: Do you have any sports figures you look up to?
CH: When I was younger, I loved Jenny Finch. Other than that, being from Arizona, I really liked all of the Arizona State softball players, and I knew some of the girls on the team. I also really looked up to my sister's softball team because I was around them so much.
UICFlames.com: How did you get started in softball?
CH: We were kind of a "softball family" because our dad was the coach and my sisters played. My oldest two sisters started out playing softball and then, changed to soccer, but my sister Natalie and I were the softball girls. My brother, Buddy, loved basketball.
UICFlames.com: What is your greatest athletic thrill?
CH: I thought our game against Ohio State was really fun. It was cold, they had an awesome stadium with good music and hecklers, which was terrifying, but it was my first time experiencing that. We played amazing against them and only lost 1-0. Also, making it to Regionals for the first time in a while was a great accomplishment.
UICFlames.com: What are your thoughts on this season?
CH: This year we are going to surprise some people. We can compete with the big schools. Last year, I felt like we were a little school and playing with those larger schools was fun, but this year, we should be playing those schools and we should be beating them.
UICFlames.com: How is the team chemistry?
CH: I've always felt I've been on teams with good chemistry, but this season is even better. We get along so well.
--UIC—
