The many faces of Vivien Valles, captured in a photo collage she created.
The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, which brings together players from all three Island high schools, returns to action in December. This is one in a series of articles on the girls who proudly wear the jersey.
Vivien Valles has been on a lot of soccer teams. A lot.
“I’ve always played high school, recreational and select soccer. Every year,” Valles said. “I’ve been on so many different teams, I can’t even remember all the team names!”
The Oak Harbor High School junior first picked up the sport when she was five, playing rec soccer until joining an academy team, the NWSC “Breakers,” at eight.
After that came select soccer play with the Islanders, but, regardless of the team jersey she’s wearing, one thing is certain for the outside midfielder. She’ll always be in the middle of the action, a huge smile on her face as she dazzles opponents.
“What I enjoy about soccer is every bit of it!,” Valles said. “The sport in general and the people you meet along the way. You make lifetime friends and memories.”
She plays the game with an aggressive, attacking style, which can be both a huge positive and a slight negative. Not that she plans to slow down any time soon.
“My strengths as a player … hmm … I’m very aggressive; sometimes it’s too much,” Valles said. “But I love running. I think I’m a pretty good runner. I can cross the ball with my left and right foot quite well.
“I would like to work on my foot work a little bit more!,” she added. “I would like to feel comfortable to do certain types of tricks during the game and be certain that I won’t mess up doing them.”
A strong student as well — Valles is currently juggling Running Start classes at Skagit Valley College with time at OHHS — she particularly enjoys her Composition 101 class “because I enjoy writing.”
In her free time, she loves music (“I listen to it the minute I wake up”), with Drake being her first choice, and spending time with friends.
And, each time she takes the field, she enjoys her time on the pitch in a way only a select few can. Having rebounded from a potentially devastating ankle injury during her freshman year, she now embraces every moment as a soccer player.
“I couldn’t play for the rest of the year. At all. No high school. No select. No recreational. I went to physical therapy instead. It was my first year of not playing soccer,” Valles said. “The next year I tried playing and I couldn’t. Every little thing would affect my ankle. I couldn’t even kick the ball at one point until I felt comfortable again.
“I was literally heart broken. Some games that I would try to play I would get hurt so easily and my teammates didn’t understand,” she added. “I felt like I lost everything I had. The knowledge was there, but I couldn’t physically do what I wanted. I felt like I wasn’t contributing to the team like I should have, so I decided to quit.”
With no plans to continue playing, she downplayed her parents and friends suggestions to try again, before finally giving in and trying out for the Islanders. The result changed everything.
“My dad says I can’t give up on something that I love so easily; he told me to try one more time,” Valles said. “So I did. I was super nervous. I didn’t know any of the girls, just like one or two of them and I was scared on how my ankle was going to take it.
“Tryouts ended up being great and I made the team. Coach Sean (LeVine) and Coach Scott (Rosenkranz) knew I was hurt and they worked with me. They made me want to play again,” she added. “They gave me a chance and showed me I could do it. I look up to them both. Because of them I feel like I have become a even better player and I improved so much.
“I’ve never been so happy playing soccer.”
With a new team, she also found a new family.
“My team, I love them all,” Valles said. “They’re all so different. We’re friends on and off the field; there’s no pretending, we just love each other.
“I don’t know what I would do without them. They’re a big inspiration!,” she added. “They’re all strong, beautiful young ladies and I know they will all go far in life!”
Coupeville Sports 
Leave a comment