Emotions flowed and the crowd cheered when Mia Fowler returned to the soccer pitch for the first match of her senior season.
The Mount Si High captain and center midfielder missed most of her junior year after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament five matches into the season. She would not be denied getting back into the action, so after her surgery, the Wildcat inhabited the weight room five days a week, ran two miles on weekends, worked out with the football team and did speed and agility training.
And then, she was back where she belongs.
“It was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve had,” Fowler said of her returning night. “My team rallied around me. All the parents stood up when I was on the field. It was really cool.”
Fowler also praised her coaches for pushing her, noting that it was what she needed to rebound from the injury.
“I learned so much about myself — personally, mentally and my physical strength,” said the three-year starter who was voted her team’s most inspirational player for two years, won the squad’s Praise Award, was an all-4A KingCo honorable mention as a senior and also was one of many players featured on the KingCo posters.
There’s more on Fowler’s soccer docket as she recently signed a letter of intent to play at Chapman University in Orange, California, next season. The big “X factor” in Fowler making her decision to choose Chapman was the welcoming atmosphere from those she met on her visit. She’s also bonded with head coach Courtney Calderon, who possesses a straight-forward coaching style that strikes a chord with Fowler.
When Fowler is not playing soccer for Eastside FC, she can be found logging copious community service hours for the National Honors Society (454 hours in three years, to be exact) and she’s also a member of the Mount Si ASB executive board and LINK Crew, a freshman advisory group. She works at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge and coaches soccer at Twins Falls Middle School, the latter as part of her community service.
The Reporter asked Fowler a series of questions for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her life.
Reporter: What is your favorite restaurant in the area?
Fowler: The North Bend Bar and Grill.
Reporter: What is your biggest pet peeve?
Fowler: Walking behind slow people.
Reporter: What is your dream vacation spot?
Fowler: The Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Reporter: What is something unique about you that nobody would know?
Fowler: My favorite sport is soccer, but if it came down to it, I’d rather watch a football game than a soccer game.
Reporter: What is your favorite hobby?
Fowler: I like painting. I might major in journalism, I like writing.
Reporter: Who was your idol growing up?
Fowler: My grandma — my mom’s mom. I always told myself that I’d have success in life if I could be even half the person she is.
Reporter: What’s your favorite kind of music?
Fowler: It’s hard to say, I’m very diverse with music. If I’m going to a soccer game, it’s hip hop or rap. If the sun’s out and I’m driving, I always listen to country.
