XI with… Kinsley Coleman

Welcome to XI with… where I ask the same 11 questions to high school soccer players from across the state. Today it’s XI with… Kinsley Coleman of Elkhorn.

*The following has been edited for clarity.*

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1. Of course, in Nebraska, we have all sorts of weather in the spring. Do you have a least favorite element to play in, whether that’s rain, snow or wind?

Being a goalie, I would say playing in the wind is the hardest because with the wind, you have to track the ball differently, especially when you flip sides on the field. So I would just say it’s harder for me in that aspect. 

2. Outside of soccer, what’s something you’ve gotten way too competitive about?

I would say card games with my friends and family, I’ve gone way too competitive about. 

What’s your favorite card game? 

With my family, I like playing Nertz, and then with my friends, like UNO or Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. 

3. What usually is a good indicator that it’s going to be a good night for you?

I would say my warm-up, especially when I’m quick to the ball, and I’m reading balls correctly. Then also if my teammates have good energy, I think I feed off of that, and that tells me it’s gonna be a good game. 

4. What’s something you do differently than most people?

One thing I do differently, like as a goalie with my gloves to get more moisture in them, I don’t put water on them, but instead I lick them because it gives me more grip, even though. It might sound gross, but it works. 

I haven’t heard that one before. So you just lick them before – How often do you lick them? 

It depends. Usually when the ball’s close to the side of like on art, like close to the goal I do it, but if it’s not, then not really much. 

5. What’s just a player team you actually got your way to watch, and what do you like about them?

I’m pretty new to soccer, so I don’t really have a team that I go out of my way to watch, but I do like watching good goalies. Like especially last year at Morrison, I liked watching the Skutt vs. Blair game. I thought those were two pretty good goalies, so I thought it was fun to watch. 

So you say you’re pretty new to soccer. How did you find the sport? 

I decided to come out two days before freshman year, before soccer tryouts. So that was my mom’s goal. It started off with I couldn’t do track, so then I wanted to do something in the spring, so soccer it was, and I heard they needed a goalie, so I thought it’d be fun to go out. 

6. What’s something special about high school soccer in Nebraska that people outside of the state wouldn’t expect?

I would say the atmosphere, especially in Morrison, like the fans get really into it, and I think it creates a fun environment to play in.

7. What’s a game or moment from your time playing soccer that you’re probably going to remember for a long, long time?

I would say that game at Morrison, even though we lost, it was a really fun experience. But then we came into our first game this season, and we ended up beating them, which was really big.

8. Over the last couple of years, what’s something you’ve changed your mind about?

My whole perspective of soccer has actually changed. I used to have no interest in the game or no understanding of it, but now that I play it, I do have a bigger understanding, and it’s a really fun thing to do for me, and I’ve created a lot of new friendships in it. So I would say just that whole perspective of it has changed. 

9. Typically, with these all spring long, we’ll be asking 11 questions. Nine of them will be exactly the same. One of them I picked specifically for you. What’s going through your mind in the seconds before facing the shot?

Probably, like, don’t mess up, but you gotta, like, I’ve seen most of these shots in practice, so I know I can make the save, make the save in the game. 

10. What is the best school lunch that Elkhorn has to offer?

I usually bring my lunch, so I really don’t know, but I would maybe say the French toast sticks from what I’ve had. 

What is the best school lunch Kinsley Coleman brings to lunch?

I bring gyro meat to lunch with tzatziki sauce, which I found is really good.

11. Finally, this is what I call the pass-along question. This one comes from Vanna Reitsma of Bellevue West, and she wants to know, if you could play another position on the field, what would it be?

I would say center forward. I think it would be fun to score a goal, ’cause I don’t get to do that.

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I want to thank all of you for checking out the latest edition of XI with… Be sure to give us a follow on social media. Until next time, have a great day, and I’ll catch up with you on Thursday for the next edition of XI with… Mason Mercer of Elkhorn North.