Norman has life-long love of basketball
By MOLLY McVOY
Saint Mary's Editor
When Julie Norman gets tired from juggling her internship, basketball practice and a full class load, she thinks of the last line of a poem her friend gave to her: "We are what few can claim — college athletes."
"That poem just means a lot to me; it fits me," said Norman, the lone senior on the Belles' basketball team. "I mean, I'm not out there for the recognition or because I'm trying to move on or because I'm here on full scholarship. I'm out there because I love the game."
For Norman, basketball has always been one of the things that she focuses on. In her earliest basketball days, Norman and her best friend were the only two girls in a YMCA league. They played together on the same team during the first grade.
"One of my friends still remembers pushing me down from that league," she said. "He still apologizes because he thought I hated him."
With three sisters and a father who played basketball, Norman was bound to be involved in the sport.
"My dad always jokes around about having four girls and how he turned us all into athletes," Norman said.
That love of the game carries on to the court where Norman plays with intensity and drive, according to Susan Smith, Norman's coach.
"Julie is definitely a leader," Smith said. "She brings a lot of intensity to the court. She's very focused."
"My style of play is to be aggressive," Norman said. "I like to make things happen by being aggressive and taking it to the other team. There's no sense in just sitting there."
For four years, Norman has been an integral part of the Saint Mary's basketball team. For the past two years, she has been looked on to carry the leadership role on the team. Last season, she was the only junior on a team without any senior members.
"I feel like I've been in this position for two years," Norman said. "It can be hard at times, because you have to deal with your senior year and there are academic and social issues that come with that. There's really no one there who is going through the same things."
She feels a strong bond to her teammates, even with the difficulties that come with leading alone.
"So many of the juniors came in as recruits and they stayed on campus with me," she said. "They're not only my teammates, they're some of my closest friends."
Playing for four years in an athletic program that has undergone enormous changes has brought both difficulties and rewards for Norman. A new athletic director, coaching staff and countless new staff members have given Saint Mary's athletics a new face.
"I have been fortunate to be here during a time of such change," she said. "When I was a freshman, we were playing with 12-year-old uniforms, and playing on a rubber floor that gave me bad shin splints. Lynn [Kachamarik, the Belles' new Athletic Director] has been the driving force to all these changes. She lives and breathes Belles athletics."
Norman leads on the court for more reasons than her age. Her skills on the court have been looked on for four years, offensively and defensively. She was an All-MIAA Team Honorable Mention during the 98-99 and 99-00 seasons.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 16, 2001
