April 22, 2009

BERKELEY - CalBears.com recently spoke with senior attacker/midfielder Elizabeth T Jahp, who leads California in draw controls with a career-high 29. The Lake Forest, Ill., product has also posted careers highs in goals (10), assists (8) and points (18) this season. T, as she's known, is preparing to enter MPSF Tournament play against Saint Mary's this Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Stanford. Jahp, a mass communications major, will graduate next month.

CalBears.com: How does it feel to be almost done with your final season as a Golden Bear? Are you ready to graduate?
Elizabeth T Jahp: "It's definitely been an amazing, indescribable experience during the past four years. I am ready for the MPSF Conference Tournament. We've had a tough season and a hard schedule and we are out to prove ourselves. It's going to be hard to part with, but I definitely feel like we've left our legacy, and I have to move on at this point."

CalBears.com: Do you have a most memorable moment from your career as a Golden Bear lacrosse player?
ETJ: "My freshman year when we beat Stanford. It introduced to me the longstanding tradition of rivalry, and it was the first game I played in. I saw the raw emotion and how no matter who's better or what the ranking is, both teams are going to play up and it is just going to be a constant battle. We were down at half and came back and won it on our own field. As a freshman it was the greatest experience."

CalBears.com: What are your plans for next year?
ETJ: "I will probably return to Chicago after graduation, and I'm hoping to travel in South America."

CalBears.com: You played field hockey in high school in addition to lacrosse. How did you end up playing lacrosse in college?
ETJ: "I had more of a passion for lacrosse. It was something that I loved to do. My brothers and all three of my sisters played. It became a family thing. In any minute of free time it's what I wanted to be doing, and I always had my stick in my hand."

CalBears.com: How do you prepare on game day?
ETJ: "I am not really a crazy, excited, out-there type of person. I really like to just focus. Game day usually involves me being really strict about when I am getting up and what I am eating. It's also a lot of visualization for me, which I have found helps curb nervousness. It prepares you for what you are going to see in the game and your opponent. After watching a lot of film and talking days ahead about teams and every detail of every player, visualization really helps you see the game and expect what is going to happen. Game day has a pretty routine schedule of going to the training room, reading the scouting report and just preparing myself for the game."

CalBears.com: Does the team have any game-day traditions?
ETJ: "We psych each other up. We usually do quotes or make t-shirts. It really helps bring everyone together. We do this a lot on away trips. It gets everyone thinking about the game and pumped up. We also have tailgates after games, which our parents put on. It's a way for our team to reflect on the game no matter what the outcome was."

CalBears.com: What is the story behind your nickname, T?
ETJ: "My uncle called me `teetlebugs' when I was two-years old. I am not sure about the story behind it' but it was just a family nickname, kind of an inside joke. That quickly shortened to T, which I think it had a lot to do with sports because Elizabeth is a mouthful to yell when I'm on the field. The name has stuck since then."

CalBears.com: Do you ever miss Illinois?
ETJ: "There are certain elements of Chicago that are indescribable. The city is great and my whole family is there and I am really close to them' but ultimately California has persuaded me to ultimately come back and move here. Every day it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful it is: the weather, the people; every day is interesting. I don't feel like I have finished my time here. Although I am moving to Chicago, I plan on coming back here after I travel and supporting the team as an alumna."

CalBears.com: What is the one item you must have with you when you are on the road with the team?
ETJ: "I would probably say my water bottle; it's a running joke on the team. It's something that I sleep with and always have with me. I always have to be hydrated and if I am not it's not a good situation. It's like my other right hand -- I always have it with me, always full of water."

CalBears.com: What do you like to do on your free time?
ETJ: "I really like to paint, which is something people don't really know about me. It has become one of my passions. My sister is an artist and she really got me into it. I am able to just focus on myself when I paint. I like to do anything that is creative to which I can apply things I see and ideas I get during the day."

CalBears.com: Why have you decided to travel around South America after you graduate?
ETJ: "I'm a Spanish minor. I have always loved the Spanish language and the culture. I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a summer after my freshman year. I absolutely loved it. I didn't get to experience much outside of that immediate city, so I plan on making my way throughout all the countries in South America. My brother just returned from Guatemala; he was there for about a year. He loves Central America, and he wants to go to Nicaragua, so I am actually going to go with him, and then we will make our way throughout South America, ultimately to Patagonia where we will hopefully ski."