thedrifter
04-27-08, 07:21 AM
Staying in uniform: Goehl to join U.S. Marines after season
BY JOSH HOUCHINS
Herald-Whig Sports Writer
CANTON, Mo. -- She was told not to do it. Friends and teammates said she was crazy.
But when something feels right deep down in the bottom of her stomach, and most importantly her heart, Melissa Goehl knew it was the right decision.
After spending last summer in the United States Marine Corps' Officer Candidates School, the four-year Culver-Stockton College softball player and Quincy High School alum will take the biggest step of her young life next month. She will become one of the Few, the Proud.
And she's caught in the middle emotionally.
"I'm scared, but yet really excited," Goehl said. "I am very nervous, but understand a lot is in front of me."
On May 9, the 22-year-old will earn the rank of 2nd Lieutenant before moving on to The Basic School in Quantico, Va., in late May.
There she will spend six months "developing the professional knowledge and skills necessary to effectively lead Marines," according to the official Web site of the Marines.
But until then, the C-SC senior just wants to play softball.
With six Heart of America Athletic Conference regular-season games remaining, Goehl is looking to end her career on a high note.
"I took a big step forward my sophomore year and I have made a lot of adjustments the past couple of years to get here," said Goehl, who went from a Herald-Whig all-area high school pitcher to collegiate starting right fielder. "I can't complain about my college years at all."
Entering this weekend, Goehl, who also carries a 4.0 GPA, ranks 10th in school history in both hits (143) and stolen bases (63).
"She made the transformation from a pitcher to outfielder look easy at this level," C-SC head coach Michelle Krassinger said. "I don't think I could have done it when I was that age."
A career .313 hitter, she batted .343 and led the team with 58 hits and 22 stolen bases while being named to the All-HAAC second team her first year as a starter in 2006.
She moved to the top of the HAAC last year, garnering a first team bid with a .329 average to go along with 48 hits and 15 stolen bases.
But with softball soon to be in the review mirror, Goehl will be forced to don a different uniform for eight more years.
She has already seen a change in herself as a result of OCS.
"I have calmed down a lot," said Goehl, who her teammates gave the nickname "Gomez" as a freshman due to being left handed like Lefty Gomez and also a tad zany. "Nothing seems nearly as hard. Things don't stress me out as much anymore and I can handle things."
But joining the military never crossed her mind early in life.
Looking to major in education at C-SC to become a social studies teacher at the high school level, Goehl took a step back after just a few classes.
"I realized as I got further and further into my education classes that I had never been anywhere or done anything to help become a teacher," she said. "I needed to go out and see the world before I tried to teach about it."
She went to a recruiter following a school visit, where she learned about what the Marine Corps had to offer.
"I had to call my parents and tell them first," Goehl said with a laugh. "But they told me I had to just do what I needed to do."
Said Krassinger, "I thought she was biting off a lot and maybe even too much. But then she started training and taking it serious. She was extremely locked in and that said a lot. It said she could do it."
Following a 10-week course at OCS, where she went through a grueling test of physical and mental tasks alongside Division I athletes, she is now set to fully experience life as a Marine.
Her coach knows it's a chance to do something very few will ever have.
"It's such a huge opportunity for her," Krassinger said. "The doors are just wide open. Most want to get to college and then get out. She has a whole new chapter starting."
That chapter starts May 28, when the softball diamond drops out of sight and she reports back to Quantico.
-- sports@whig.com/221-3365
Ellie
BY JOSH HOUCHINS
Herald-Whig Sports Writer
CANTON, Mo. -- She was told not to do it. Friends and teammates said she was crazy.
But when something feels right deep down in the bottom of her stomach, and most importantly her heart, Melissa Goehl knew it was the right decision.
After spending last summer in the United States Marine Corps' Officer Candidates School, the four-year Culver-Stockton College softball player and Quincy High School alum will take the biggest step of her young life next month. She will become one of the Few, the Proud.
And she's caught in the middle emotionally.
"I'm scared, but yet really excited," Goehl said. "I am very nervous, but understand a lot is in front of me."
On May 9, the 22-year-old will earn the rank of 2nd Lieutenant before moving on to The Basic School in Quantico, Va., in late May.
There she will spend six months "developing the professional knowledge and skills necessary to effectively lead Marines," according to the official Web site of the Marines.
But until then, the C-SC senior just wants to play softball.
With six Heart of America Athletic Conference regular-season games remaining, Goehl is looking to end her career on a high note.
"I took a big step forward my sophomore year and I have made a lot of adjustments the past couple of years to get here," said Goehl, who went from a Herald-Whig all-area high school pitcher to collegiate starting right fielder. "I can't complain about my college years at all."
Entering this weekend, Goehl, who also carries a 4.0 GPA, ranks 10th in school history in both hits (143) and stolen bases (63).
"She made the transformation from a pitcher to outfielder look easy at this level," C-SC head coach Michelle Krassinger said. "I don't think I could have done it when I was that age."
A career .313 hitter, she batted .343 and led the team with 58 hits and 22 stolen bases while being named to the All-HAAC second team her first year as a starter in 2006.
She moved to the top of the HAAC last year, garnering a first team bid with a .329 average to go along with 48 hits and 15 stolen bases.
But with softball soon to be in the review mirror, Goehl will be forced to don a different uniform for eight more years.
She has already seen a change in herself as a result of OCS.
"I have calmed down a lot," said Goehl, who her teammates gave the nickname "Gomez" as a freshman due to being left handed like Lefty Gomez and also a tad zany. "Nothing seems nearly as hard. Things don't stress me out as much anymore and I can handle things."
But joining the military never crossed her mind early in life.
Looking to major in education at C-SC to become a social studies teacher at the high school level, Goehl took a step back after just a few classes.
"I realized as I got further and further into my education classes that I had never been anywhere or done anything to help become a teacher," she said. "I needed to go out and see the world before I tried to teach about it."
She went to a recruiter following a school visit, where she learned about what the Marine Corps had to offer.
"I had to call my parents and tell them first," Goehl said with a laugh. "But they told me I had to just do what I needed to do."
Said Krassinger, "I thought she was biting off a lot and maybe even too much. But then she started training and taking it serious. She was extremely locked in and that said a lot. It said she could do it."
Following a 10-week course at OCS, where she went through a grueling test of physical and mental tasks alongside Division I athletes, she is now set to fully experience life as a Marine.
Her coach knows it's a chance to do something very few will ever have.
"It's such a huge opportunity for her," Krassinger said. "The doors are just wide open. Most want to get to college and then get out. She has a whole new chapter starting."
That chapter starts May 28, when the softball diamond drops out of sight and she reports back to Quantico.
-- sports@whig.com/221-3365
Ellie