Sooner Profile: Ashley Bolden

Ashley Bolden \| Sophomore \| Soccer \| 5-5
	Birthdate: April 29, 1989 Parents: Richard and Petra Bolden Hometown: Lewisville, Texas High School: Hockaday School Major: Computer Engineering Multimedia View Interview \| Photo Gallery \| Bio

NORMAN, Okla. -- Though she stands only 5' 5", Ashley Bolden has anything but small aspirations.

She has started all but two games through her first two seasons in the physical Big 12 Conference, a tall order for anyone. Even more impressive, Bolden is majoring in computer science, certainly not a slack subject by any means.

Taking on so much has inevitably come with its rough stretches, but Bolden has persevered and excelled in both areas, a credit to her determination, work ethic and ever-positive demeanor.

And with the second half of her college career still ahead of her, one can only expect even bigger things from Bolden in the future.

On the biggest difference difference between this year and last:
"Mainly I just know what to expect now. Coming in as a freshman, you're thrown into the Big 12 which is by reputation a really tough, physical conference. You're just kind of thrown into the whirlwind and try to deal with it. Now I know what to expect, I know how to handle it and what it's going to take to get through it. It's a lot easier for me this year."

On the difficulty of balancing school and sports:
"Balance is really hard. I'm a computer science major so there's a lot of studying involved. You just have to really commit to it. If you set out the time and actually do it, especially with the resources we have here, it's totally possible and totally manageable. You just have to commit to doing it and want to succeed in both."

On what sparked her interest in computer science:
"My dad and brother both did computer science so I've been dealing with computers since I can remember. My dad and I used to go to computer fairs on Saturday mornings (laughs). I just love computers and to be able to program them and get them to do what I want is really fascinating to me."

On the influence her parents have had on her life:
"I live with my mom and she's been my biggest supporter throughout everything. No matter what, she drives up to every home game. I couldn't do it without her. She's gotten me through so many hard times when I wanted to just give up and try something new. She's definitely my biggest inspiration raising two kids by herself. I love my mom."

On how much it means to have her mom at every game:
"It means the world. She's adopted one of my other teammates who's from Houston. Her family can't come up every weekend so she's there for both of us. It means a lot to know that she's at every game cheering for me. I always have someone I can talk to after the game or someone to yell at me if I mess up to get me back in the game. She's awesome."

On the biggest lesson she has learned in her first two seasons:
"Just knowing that we're a young team and have the ability to grow together. We have the ability to build on that foundation every year and keep getting better and better with the same core players."

On the team's camaraderie and how she sees it expanding:
"It's awesome. We're all like each other's best friends which is a really big part of soccer. You have to have team unity to play. You can't have bickering and arguments. Everyone gets along and we all hang out on the weekends. Everyone lives with someone else on the team, so it's a great environment. It's going to be the same group of friends for four years so we'll be like sisters by the end of this. It's just a really good environment to be in."

On the overall student-athlete community at OU:
"One of my best friends is on the women's gymnastics team. We always make it a point to go out and support everyone. Everyone's there to support everyone because we want to see each other succeed because we're all friends. Especially living in the dorms with each other, you develop a bond with everyone on every team. It's such a tight, close-knit friendly group of athletes that everyone wants to help each other out.

"It adds another element to it. You're not just a part of OU, you're a part of OU Athletics. You know each person who's competing and you know what they're going through and you can share in that. Each victory for them is almost like a victory for you."

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