Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Honor Dold, New Trier soccer

Honor Dold is a four-year defender for the Trevians varsity team. She is headed to the University of Virginia next year to pursue academics.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

I don’t necessarily have any pregame rituals, other than to hype up my teammates. We always dance, so I guess it’s to dance. But I’m definitely superstitious. Whenever someone says something about losing, or something like that, I knock on wood three times.

2. Why did you choose the University of Virginia?

I’ve always been a very academic-focused person and wanted a work-hard-play-hard environment, and Virginia ended up being the top choice after visiting a ton of schools. I was looking at early decision at Vanderbilt and Michigan.

3. What is your dream job?

I’m likely going to go into business in college but a dream job, eventually, would be working for a nonprofit organization after being in business for a while, so I can give back to the larger community.

4. What is your favorite thing to do off the field?

I love to spend time with my friends and family, obviously, but something fun about me is in the summer I love the lake, and I love going on our family’s boat.

5. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

Lacrosse. If I didn’t play soccer, I would play lacrosse. I was a serious player before high school.

6. Who is your favorite athlete?

Probably Naomi Girma (Center back — U.S. Women’s Soccer). I think she’s just an awesome defender and someone I look up to as a defensive player.

7. What makes you a successful defender?

I’d definitely say I’m a very different player than I was freshman year, and that comes from players who came before me. We’ve been a tight-knit unit. Our coaches (Molly Lombardi, Jim Burnside) stress that defense wins games. … I’ve grown a lot under them and just soaking in as much information as I could from players above me.

8. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

Probably a newer snack called TruFru; it’s like chocolate-covered raspberries.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

That I am very good at water skiing. I can slalom pretty well. I’ve been getting up on one ski since I was 10.

10. What will it take for this team to return to state?

We definitely have a lot of talent. We’re a young team. We’re a very close-knit group already. We have a great group of returners and new players. What it’s going to take is focusing on the small details on the field and being able to connect in space on the field. … If we can learn to connect, like any new group, we’re going to be very successful.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.