THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 22, 1994 TAG: 9407200171
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY XIAOHONG ZHANG SWAIN, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Anger turned to love for Chesapeake's Christy Reccord, but an illness has developed a new kind of commitment for the 18-year-old.
Though she was initially angry with her mother, Cheryl, for signing her up on a boys soccer team during her first-grade year, Reccord couldn't help falling in love with the sport.
``I loved it the first time I played it,'' Reccord recalled.
``I knew she was going to be a soccer player,'' said her mother. ``At 2, she could kick a ball and imitate (soccer players) well.''
By the time she was 7, Reccord was already a tough player who wouldn't let any boys put her down. One time when a boy called her a name, she turned around and punched him.
``He was shocked,'' Reccord remembered with an amusing smile. ``He never called me a name again. But I never do that now.''
Reccord played on boys soccer teams until she was 14 and then switched to a girls league and played sweeper for the Brandon Cosmos Select Soccer Team near Tampa, Fla. Her Bloomingdale High School team placed second in Florida one year.
Her family moved to Chesapeake in 1992 when her father, Bob, became pastor of First Baptist Church of Norfolk. Leaving the soccer teams and friends in Tampa was a harsh experience for Reccord.
``It was scary,'' said Reccord. ``I had no clues.
``I didn't have any friends. It was the hardest thing I've ever done.''
After she arrived, Reccord started school at Norfolk Christian and then transferred to Great Bridge High. And during her junior year, she contributed to the Wildcats' winning the 1993 Southeastern District soccer championship.
Reccord also was chosen on All-Tidewater and All-State teams. And it looked like her senior year was going to be a great one for the strong-willed soccer player.
However, the Texas-born athlete was suddenly struck with an unexpected setback. She came down with mononucleosis - a disease characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes that makes one home bound out of constant fatigue. That same summer, Reccord's best friend - her grandfather - passed away.
``I thought (my senior year) was supposed to be the best year of my life,'' recalled Reccord. ``But it turned out to be the worst.''
Reccord began fading away from the soccer field and from the classroom. She missed practices and classes because of doctor's appointments and having to lie down to rest during the day.
``I got really mad,'' Reccord said. ``The disease makes you very, very tired. You get depressed. I don't want to eat. I cry about anything.''
In February, despite her illness, Reccord tried out for soccer's Olympic Development Program. The next day, she was so exhausted that she couldn't walk down the stairs, her mother said.
Reccord was accepted. But because of her health, she decided not to play.
With support from her parents, brother Bryan, 15, and sister, Ashley, 10, Reccord learned to cope with her illness.
``I learned to have faith in God,'' she said. ``I learned to be patient.''
Reccord also grew closer to her brother, who often came to sit at her bedside and chat with her.
``We used to fight all the time,'' Reccord said. ``Now, he's my friend. We open hearts to each other.''
Besides her family, Reccord received support from her teachers, who worked to meet her special needs to catch up with academics.
Thus, she has become an even stronger person. Reccord was selected on All-Southeastern District again this past spring, and she was graduated in June with honors.
Reccord has been accepted by Virginia Wesleyan College on a presidential scholarship. Although she is still recovering from mononucleosis, Reccord is certain that she will play soccer on the college's team.
However, she looks at the sport from a different perspective now.
``Soccer has been God for me,'' Reccord said. ``It's time for God to be God.''
It's not that soccer isn't important for her anymore, but she just wants to focus on her pre-law school study in college, with a possible double major in education.
Reccord was offered scholarships by other Division I universities, but she chose to go Virginia Wesleyan, a Division III school.
``Division III soccer isn't as intense as Division I,'' said Reccord. ``I can spend more time on education.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Christy Reccord missed most of the soccer season in her senior year
at Great Bridge High after she became ill.
by CNB