Name: Vicky Bruce
Hometown: Originally from NYC, but now lives in Cornelius, that is 12 minutes away Davidson at Exit 28.
Year: 2016
Major: Sociology
Eating House: Connor
Relationship Status: Single
Favorite Candy Bar: Reese’s and Sneakers
Siblings: One older brother working in Seattle for Amazon
Celebrity Crush: Zac Efron
You might know this week’s Campus Celebrity from her excellent performance in the past week’s soccer games. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Vicky Bruce!
Before the interview, a little birdie told me that Vicky dreamed of going on Broadway after graduation, although she denied the idea, she said that she wouldn’t mind being a backup dancer or singing part of a line on Broadway if the opportunity presents itself. But even if she doesn’t, the show biz is a big part of her life. She loves movies of all kind, except for scary ones, and her favorite movie is She’s The Man, which is a movie about a female soccer player.
Vicky’s adorable dog, Cooper, who can be seen on campus sometimes, is the wining prize Vicky got from a bet with her mom. Vicky’s mom has always been somewhat allergic to animal fur, but with Vicky’s rigorous sports life and her brother’s academic focus, her mom just figured it would be impossible for them to have a pet and exaggerated the allergy so that they couldn’t get a pet. But when Vicky found out about this, she made a bet with her parents that if she could make the national team, she can have a dog. With the hope of getting a puppy, Vicky entered the Olympic Develop Program, and made it on the roster of the North Carolina 94′ states team (top 40 players in the state), the 94′ regional team (top 40 players in the region), national pool (top 100 players in the country), then finally one of the best 36 players of her birth year throughout the country.
Vicky actually studied at UNC Chapel Hill for two years before she transferred to Davidson. Before that, she’s been going to super small schools almost her entire life with a class of less than 15 students through out elementary and middle school and a graduating high school class of 85. Going to a huge school like UNC was a drastic change from what she’s experienced before. Since Vicky has always enjoyed the intimacy of a small school, she decided to transfer to a smaller school. Her favorite memory at Davidson is the team party last year at the end of the season, when the soccer team rented out a space on campus and dressed up in different themes. It’s a time when they just celebrate within the team and dance and take pictures and just enjoy.
One of Vicky’s favorite classes as a sociology major is Gender and Sports (SOC 310). She said that most of the students in the class are also athletes, and that they would talk about their experiences of gender disparity and discrimination that’s goes on within their respective sport.
Vicky is predominantly a center forward and center midfielder on the soccer team. Because she is in the middle of the field, most attacking opportunities start with her. During the game against Wofford a couple weeks ago, Vicky netted the game-winner with just one second remaining in the second overtime period breaking a tie of 1-1. When I asked her what she was thinking about at that very moment, she said that she knew there were only a few seconds left of the game and it was all up to her to make a difference. So she followed her gut and what she’s been taught at practice and shot the ball low and across frame into the back of the net. Having played almost 110 minutes of soccer she was completely exhausted. Her teammates stormed the field and they took pictures of the scoreboard.
Their next home game is next Sunday, so if you’re staying on campus for fall break, get out and support our Wildcats!