Daviess County goalie Emily Baughn is taking big steps towards improving her game with a trip to London, England this April, while continuing to overcome her hearing loss and anxiety on and off the pitch.
The sophomore for the Lady Panthers is coming off a season in which she played behind standout goalie Emma Patterson, but recorded 12 saves and a shutout in her limited action of 15 games. Putting those across the Commonwealth on notice, she had recently been selected to participate in Kentucky’s Olympic Development Program—a national program that was created to identify and develop boy and girl soccer players to represent the state.
During the season, players within the program practice with experienced coaches and travel throughout Kentucky and surrounding states competing against fellow ODP programs in order to bolster their skills. When it came time for the program to decide who to send to an overseas event, Baughn made the cut.
“The purpose of ODP is to help me learn advanced skills and techniques as well as play with elite athletes from around KY as well as play against elite athletes from other states,” Baughn said. “With the exception of 2020 and 2021, each year a select group of athletes from the ODP program is selected to attend an overseas event. In year’s pats, the annual trip has been at Dortmund, Germany, and Liverpool, England. For 2022, we are traveling to London, England.”
Leaving for England on April 2 and returning on April 10, Baughn and the team will participate in training sessions at local soccer fields led by their coaching staff. Following these practices, they’ll get to compete against some international clubs and even get to experience some English Premier League soccer matches in their off time.
“We will participate in several training sessions and what is really exciting is we will get to play several soccer International Matches against soccer clubs as well as Academy Teams in London and the greater London area,” Baughn said. “We will get to participate in a professional coaching clinic in London led by guest coaches and players from London. Also, we will get to see a Manchester United soccer game. During our time off from practicing and playing, and as time permits, we will have the opportunity to visit some of the local sites.”
Baughn is grateful for the opportunity, noting that her hard work over the years mentally and physically is putting her in a position to help her become the best goalie she could possibly be. Not to mention, the Daviess County goalie is proud to have the opportunity to represent the United States as a soccer player and citizen as well.
“I am most looking forward to better developing my soccer skills and learning new techniques and ways of playing from the coaches and players in England,” Baughn said. “The people I meet will be really elite players and coaching staff. I look forward to just soaking up as much as I can. I am also looking forward to this once in a lifetime trip as a whole, while getting to grow closer with my ODP teammates, as well as getting to see a country that I never thought I would be able to visit on such exciting terms.”
While Baughn is absolutely thrilled for this opportunity in a month, working her way to her current ability as a soccer player hasn’t been easy by any means for Baughn.
The Daviess County sophomore has suffered hearing loss since she was two years old, having her first surgery at that age and a plethora of procedures as she has grown up. She also battles with anxiety, something that kicks in specifically on the pitch as well.
“I face these challenges on the soccer field by not being able to hear all aspects of the game,” Baughn said. “That can come as quite a challenge when I can’t hear what players are saying or even what the ref’s calls are. My anxiety comes into play on the field with the pressure I give myself to do my absolute best. I am my own worst enemy and I am working to give myself more grace on and off of the field and to not be so hard on myself.”
Baughn said that communication is the biggest key for her to succeed on the field. Dealing with these issues in the classroom as well, she has managed to keep a 4.0 GPA while using the same philosophy.
“I have asked to have preferential seating so that I can be at the front of the class so that I can hear the teacher as well as extended time on tests and large assignments so as to not cause overwhelming test anxiety,” Bauhgn said. “I also communicate with my teachers and we work through potential issues to help me be the most successful in the classroom that I can be. I’ve learned that being upfront with issues and as proactive as possible is always the best way forward. I have found that people really want to help you, but they can’t help if they don’t know what’s wrong.”
Baughn hopes that she can encourage other athletes with impairments to be their best with her story. Her advice to them— to not let your impairments define you and to not be unsuccessful because of them, but to be successful in spite of them.
On top of the physical challenges she has faced, making this trip happen financially has been a big obstacle as well for Baughn. She has taken on a number of jobs over the past year after coming to an agreement with her parents that if she paid for the trip she could go.
“I have my referee license and in-between soccer practice and school, I referee games in the spring and summer,” Baughn said. “By doing so I have saved nearly half of the cost of the trip. I’ve also babysit and do odd jobs for my family to help earn more income. I have also sold raffle tickets through the travel agency we are using for the trip to help cover the cost. I still have a balance left for the trip. When I return, I will continue to work until the trip is paid for.”
For anyone interested in supporting Baughn and her upcoming adventure overseas for soccer, she has a GoFundme set up that you can find here.
