By Laura Clark

Published: April 30, 2008

Senior Megan Campbell runs cross country and track for the Govs. This spring she is starting at center midfield for the girls’ soccer team.

On switching from softball to soccer:
We’ve just been struggling a lot with softball, just getting a team that worked. I just decided that it wasn’t going to make me happy this year. I needed to do something for me and that was being out here with my friends, playing soccer.
(It’s) definitely a whole different sport out here. It’s been a blast though. These girls are my best friends. We’ve been running cross country, indoor track…we’ve been doing everything together all year.

On her aggressiveness:
We kind of discovered that when I was little. I played soccer for a long time, from the time I was old enough to play until eighth grade.
I’ve had different parents actually run out on the field during (recreation) and scream at me for knocking their kid down. Actually, several of the guys that play on the varsity team, I played against during rec.

On playing center mid:
It’s just something coach Kerl’s wanted me to do since I came out here. (He said) you have the leadership. You talk out there and that’s important for midfield because you have to be going to back to defend, but also know where your forwards are and distribute.
Everything’s starting to come together. Offense has started to score more and that’s always important.

On running:
(In outdoor track) I’m supposed to be running the 800 (April 26) at the Dogwood Track Classic. I’ll probably do the mile at some point. I was doing high jump in indoor, but I’d like to work on the discus some. They (the team) have a lot of throwers, so I’m not sure what I’m going to end up doing.
I do running just with my friends and stuff. I don’t want to sound wimpy, but it’s not something everybody wants to do, and you just kind of do it to be out with your friends and try to take the titles.

On her plans after graduation:
I’m going to school in Vermont at Norwich University. So when we went up and toured over spring break I talked with the soccer coach there, and he wants me to play soccer for them and maybe even play lacrosse (which she’s never played). He sees where I’m an all-around athlete and the game’s kind of similar to soccer. Really what it is is he’s the head coach for both sports. He’s looking to recruit anyone he can.
I got a Navy ROTC scholarship, and you can go to any school in the country and they’ll pay for it as long as (the school) has an ROTC program. It was one of the smaller schools, and it was really similar to home. I’m going to be a nursing major.

On the Miss Nelson pageant:
This was the first year in five years that I hadn’t done it. I missed it. I still have that competitive edge where I like competing in everything. My mom put me in some when I was little. For the Miss Nelson pageant, because it’s such a small local pageant, you don’t actually have to have a talent.

On what she loves about playing sports:
Just the competitiveness. I always have to have something to do, and just being out here, being able to be with my friends and it’s something that I love…I wouldn’t trade it for anything.