{"id":733,"date":"2018-10-09T11:11:01","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T18:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/?p=733"},"modified":"2018-10-17T22:40:45","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T05:40:45","slug":"spotlight-on-aly-wagner-94","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/2018\/10\/spotlight-on-aly-wagner-94\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on Aly Wagner (’94)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When millions of Americans tuned in to see Spain vs. Russia, and Colombia vs. England during the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup of soccer this past summer in Russia, they heard a Hillbrook alumna making history behind the microphone. Aly Wagner, who graduated from Hillbrook in 1994, became the first female analyst of the men\u2019s World Cup of soccer on U.S. television. The achievement is one of many in her illustrious career. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner is one of the best women in the world to ever play the game of soccer. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, a two-time FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup veteran, and a former member of the U.S. Women\u2019s National Team. She is also an accomplished sports analyst. After retiring from playing soccer in 2010, Wagner says she took some time away from the sport, but after listening to her analyze televised soccer games from her living room couch, her family encouraged her to try sports broadcasting. She started by volunteering to call games for her alma mater, Santa Clara University, before she was scooped up by Fox Sports to be part of the broadcast team for the 2015 Women\u2019s World Cup. Wagner is also an analyst for the National Women\u2019s Soccer League. She first broke the male-only barrier when she was picked to be in the broadcast booth for the 2016 COPA America games, but the 2018 men\u2019s World Cup was the ultimate gig. Says Wagner, \u201c<\/span>It was exciting. I went through intense preparation because I knew that as a woman calling a men\u2019s game I would be more scrutinized, and rightfully so. I think anyone calling a World Cup game should be prepared for that responsibility.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner says she wanted the job not to break a barrier, but because of her love of the sport. \u201c<\/span>I never got into it to break a glass ceiling, I wanted to call the biggest sporting event in the world in the sport that I love. But once I got into it, I realized how important it was for other women and for the sport to have a different voice out there. It didn\u2019t happen overnight for me. I had to push to get involved, but once I did and proved a woman could do it, I think it\u2019s having a domino effect in the sport, which puts a big smile on my face.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner speaks from experience when she\u2019s calling a game. As a midfielder, she led Santa Clara University to its first ever national title in 2001. She was also a key member of the U.S. Women\u2019s National Team from 1999 to 2008, scoring 21 goals and recording 42 assists in 131 international matches. Wagner says playing soccer is her first love, but analyzing the game for viewers is a close second, \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful sport. I love the artistry in it. I think a lot of it for me is geometry, the spatial reasoning and problem solving involved. When I was playing on the field, I didn\u2019t think about the calculations I was making, but I can see it now as a broadcaster and communicate what the players are doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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With 5 year old triplet boys and a two year old daughter, every day involves calculations of time and attention for Wagner. Though her work schedule allows time to be home with her little ones, things get complicated when Wagner\u2019s on the road, like she was for the World Cup. Wagner says she tends to give every endeavor 100%, so finding a work\/life balance is key to her sanity. She says setting a schedule, prioritizing her day, being efficient, and not procrastinating help her manage the demands of work and family. Her children are not in organized sports yet and Wagner seems in no hurry to get them started. Asked what advice she has for parents raising young soccer players today, Wagner says to take it slow, \u201cListen to your kids, keep a good balance of what\u2019s best for them and listen to what they want to do. If your child is naturally gifted, you really don\u2019t need to push them. In fact you may need to hold back the reins. My parents had to stop me from doing too much, not push me. Don\u2019t try to raise a champion, focus on raising a good kid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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One key to Wagner\u2019s happy childhood was her years at Hillbrook School, which she attended from 1st-8th grade. She describes the years as magical, \u201cI think it was because of the freedom and the creativity I felt at Hillbrook, where the campus was our world and we could explore it all.\u201d Wagner says key takeaways from her years at Hillbrook include confidence, as well as communication and problem-solving skills, \u201cI think back to woodshop and the way we had to think three steps ahead before cutting a piece of wood, how it helped me to think spatially and to problem solve.\u201d Wagner still has the wooden table with a ceramic top that she made at Hillbrook. Not surprisingly, Wagner also enjoyed athletics at Hillbrook and played on as many teams as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she was 10 years old, Wagner won a contest juggling a soccer ball. They had to stop her and declared her a winner at 1500 touches, but who knows how much further she could have gone? Those juggling skills no doubt come in handy as she deftly handles a demanding work schedule and a busy home life. Just like the contest, with Wagner giving 100%, who knows how far she\u2019ll go? <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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