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Sophomore and soccer player Pip Pattison talks about her winning goal and life at BC.

Emily Sears

November 8, 2011

If you asked Cortney “Pip” Pattison what her favorite moment at BC was, she surprisingly would not respond with scoring the winning goal in overtime at a game against Southern Virginia College.

“I was really nervous when I was about to shoot the ball because it was really windy,” said Pattison, a sophomore from Radford, Va. “I didn’t really know if it was going to go in or not. I prayed to Jesus the whole time for the ball to go in, and when it did I was shocked and relieved that we finished the game with a win.”

Her favorite memory involves the people who have impacted her the most at BC, the close friends she has made.

	BC sophomore Pip Patterson

“I loved how last year ended,” said Pattison. “I was friends with a lot of seniors, and it was sad to see them graduate. But after graduation, we headed to the beach to relax after a stressful year. Bonding with them like that helped us stay close even though they aren’t here anymore.”

Pattison has made friends off the soccer field, but her heart belongs to the sport. At first, she didn’t want to come to Bluefield because she thought the school was too small. When she found out she could play a collegiate sport here, she had to come even though she had to red-shirt her first year because of test scores. From playing sports year-round in high school to not playing anything was really hard for her, but she is grateful to play this year.

“Getting to play has really showed me how hard it is to actually be a student athlete,” said Pattison. “I love my team and we’ve had a few struggles this year but we are getting through them. When we have won, it’s a great feeling.”

Pattison’s soccer skills have earned her awards, including being co-captain of her team, and most recently, Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Offensive Player of the Week. She has scored seven goals this season and plays multiple positions including goalkeeper, midfield, and forward.

Not only has Pattison gained athletic success from soccer, it has influenced her relationship with Christ as well.

“I became a Christian when I was 15, but I struggled with the same things other Christians struggled with,” said Pattison. “One of my struggles was cussing. When I started pre-season training my freshman year, Katie Warren heard me cussing. She asked me why I did it, and I didn’t know why I did it. I guess it’s just what I had always done with my teammates. When I saw that she didn’t do it, it made me want to stop, too.”

Warren, a 2011 alumna of BC, has always served as a spiritual mentor and friend to Pattison.

“Calling Katie a best friend is an understatement,” said Pattison. “She is my sister, and she is constantly challenging me to be a better person. Even though I don’t see her every day since she is in grad school, we talk often.”

Pattison’s relationship with God started at a Young Life camp. Young Life is an organization with a purpose to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to adolescents across the country. College students volunteer and mentor high school students to help them grow in their faith.

“Young Life gave me many opportunities,” said Pattison. “It gave me the confidence to be myself and not worry about what others thought about me. When I was in high school, it was a place to hang out and be crazy and act like yourself while having fun with a group of friends who accepted you for who you were. The most awesome thing Young Life did for me, though, was teach me to open my heart to the Lord, and it showed me that I was created to be in a relationship with Him.”

Pattison wants to have the same positive influence on others, whether it is her teammates, classmates, friends, or girls she lives in the dorm with.

“I think it’s a miracle that we got to be roommates because it turns out we get along like sisters,” said Missy Hubert, a sophomore from Smyrna, Del. “We fight and bicker sometimes, but at the end of the day we love each other. We have so much in common and we go on adventures together. She’s got a funny personality and a sweet heart, and I’m glad to call her my teammate, roommate, and best friend.”

Pattison wants to continue her leadership by pursuing a career in coaching. She wants to influence children positively with sports, compassion, and love for Christ.

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