Izzy Severns
Severns (9) with some of her Klahowya teammates, including big-time goal scorer McKenzie Cook (3).
With Coupeville having left the 1A/2A Cascade Conference, joining Port Townsend, Chimacum and Klahowya in the 1A Olympic League, now is a great time to learn a bit about some of the players who will face off with the Wolves.
Soccer has been very, very good to Izzy Severns.
The Klahowya senior also plays hoops (“I always call basketball my Hawaii, it’s my get away sport! I love being able to clear my mind and learn new things every year”), but life on the pitch has shaped her, both as an athlete and a young woman with big plans for the future.
“Soccer will always be my favorite sport,” Severns said. “I’m so blessed to have such a good team every year I have played soccer. My team is my family and I really enjoy having the opportunity to do that and be in that position every year!
“I really enjoy being a part of something that makes me grow not only as a player but also as a person,” she added. “It has taught me life lessons I could never learn from my everyday lifestyle. I have been so lucky to have my team also be my best friends.”
Severns and her friends have been very successful, helping lead the Eagles to the 2A state tourney last season.
While the school’s lone girls’ soccer title came in 1999, long before she was near a field, she would love to go on a similar run.
But it’s the journey, and not the destination, which matters most to her.
“My athletic goal is, of course, to help lead my team to state,” Severns said. “But my goal as a leader on the team is to help each player become the best soccer player they can be. To influence my teammates to work hard and love the sport they play.”
That attitude permeates her mindset day in and day out.
As she strives to improve her skills every day, she always does it with an eye to how she can help her teammates.
“There will always be things I need to work on; overcoming my smallness has been a big weakness of mine,” Severns said. “As a center mid I need to be able to win the ball in the air, but this has also helped me become a better player because it means I had to work harder and jump higher then my opponents.
“My team has helped me push myself to become the player they know I can be,” she added. “I would much rather assist my teammates then score; I love being able to slot my teammates the balls that they put in for a goal.”
Severns has had offers from Central Washington and Corban College, but hasn’t made a decision yet on where she’ll take her talents. Wherever she lands, she wants to major in business and communications.
She’s preparing for that by participating in DECA, and also devotes some of her time to studying American Sign Language, for which she has “a passion.”
When she’s not hard at work on the pitch and hardwood or in the classroom, Severns can often be found watching her favorite TV show.
“I love watching SNL with my friends,” she said. “We always laugh and have such a great time.”
No matter where she is, or what she’s doing, Severns is grateful for those who have entered her life and helped shape and guide her through the years.
“Every coach has impacted me in great ways, but, in particular, Krista Oelschlager has impacted me the most,” Severns said. “She has always given me the encouragement I need to make me a better player and she has taught me how to believe in myself.
“Every time we have a conversation she has taught me something not only about soccer but about myself and others around me,” she added. “I’m so glad I have her in my life.”
But her influences are not limited merely to sports.
“Mrs. Campbell is another teacher that has influenced me greatly. She is a role model in my life and she helped me become a better student and woman,” Severns said. “She has given me the opportunity to become a better leader and help shape my personality as it is today.
“I am so blessed to have such a great teacher in my life who makes me a better person. I’m also so grateful to have wonderful friends in my life. They make every day so much better!”
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