North Carolina State University Athletics
Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC
#PackPros – Catching Up With Ricci Walkling
12/17/2020 11:08:00 AM | Women's Soccer
GoPack.com recently caught up with women's soccer #PackPro Ricci Walkling (2016-19) to see what life has been like since she graduated NC State. The following is a Q&A series about her experience since she signed a contract with Werder Bremen and moved back home to Germany.
Q: December 2019/January 2020 were two pretty big months for you. You graduated from college and signed a professional contract with Werder Bremen. How proud are you and your family knowing that you accomplished two big goals within such a short time span?
A: "Graduating from NC State has probably been one of the biggest accomplishments in my life so far. It's not just that I got a degree, but more so that I took advantage of a chance that was given me at a pretty young age. Being able to continue playing soccer has been a privilege as well."
Q: The professional soccer life, what has it been like? I'm sure it's not been normal with COVID, but what major differences have you noticed between collegiate and professional soccer?
A: "Obviously it hasn't been completely normal, but I think our country does a pretty good job of dealing with the ongoing pandemic.
"The biggest difference for me was that we don't train in the morning, but at 7 p.m. Most of the girls go to work throughout the day and then we meet up for practice at night. Another difference is the age range of the girls. We do have some younger girls, kind of like the freshmen in college, but there's also multiple girls over 30 on my team.
"Our season is broken up in two parts, starting in September and finishing at the end of May, and we play every team twice. There's just one game a week, usually on Sundays. I think it gives us more time to prepare for the next opponent and be ready for the game, instead of always playing twice a week from August-December. Even though I do miss the atmosphere and playing at Dail Soccer Stadium, I'd say a lot of things are actually pretty similar. "
Q: Prior to NC State, you had extensive experience playing at an elite level with the German national team and Bayern Munich. How do you think that helped in your transition to Werder Bremen?
A: "Playing at Bayern Munich for six years gave me the chance to gain some professional experience at a pretty young age. Most of the things I do as a player now I probably learned during that time and age. However, I think looking back to when I played in Germany is too far. I truly believe that my time at NC state has helped me with my transition to Werder Bremen. Playing at NC State really gave me back the joy of playing soccer, which prepared me mentally to be ready for whatever was coming next."
Q: After you moved back to Germany and started training with Werder Bremen, everything shut down for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It obviously wasn't the rookie season you had imagined. What was that like and what did you do to stay ready for whenever your team was able to train/play again?
A: "The timing was pretty bad, however there's probably never a good timing for such a pandemic. I moved to a new city within a week and started training with the team. We trained for four weeks until the big lockdown in Germany started. It really wasn't easy but being able to spend some time at home with my family has helped me get through this. After the rest of the season got canceled, we got a little break and then started our home workouts. I tried to put as much work and effort into those as possible to be ready when we started preseason for the Bundesliga."
Q: Looks like you're in the midst of your second season with Werder Bremen and have been a contributor to the team, playing in all 10 matches so far and starting in eight of them. Now that you're finally playing what has that experience been like?
A: "I just enjoy playing at this level. We have to fight for one or three points every weekend which makes this competition so much fun. All of us know that we have to give 100 percent every day at practice and in the game. I just like to work on myself and get better everyday, and I appreciate every minute I get to be on the field."
Q: You recently gained a new teammate, one with NC State and German ties, Franziska Jaser. How excited are you to play with Jas on a professional level after knowing her for several years?
A: "I'm super excited that Jas joined our team. We were able to stay in contact throughout the years even though I was on the other side of the world. That's the fun part about playing soccer - you meet so many people and make friends for a lifetime."
Q: How do you think your experience at NC State, on and off the field, has helped mold you into who you are today?
A: "There's so many things I learned during my time at NC State that I can't even put into words. I think I really learned to always see situations from a different perspective and be thankful for whatever I have and can do, because there's always people who have it worse than I do.
"Tim always told me that 'time will take care of everything', and even though I never really believed it then, I remember that sentence in a lot of situations now when things aren't going the way I would want them to go. At NC State, I met so many amazing people and I just try to work on being a better me every single day."
Q: Do you have any short-term or long-term goals set out?
A: "In 2021, I'd like to start my master's in international studies of tourism management. Another goal I have for the next couple of years is to learn a third language. Soccer wise, our goal is to stay in the league so we can compete in the Bundesliga for the upcoming 2021/2022 season."
Q: What's your favorite memory from your time at NC State?
A: "Well, I have a lot to be honest. I think one of my favorite memories is probably when we beat North Carolina at their stadium my freshman year. I also think it was pretty cool to play in the NCAA Tournament at Stanford (in 2016). Making it to the tournament has never been boring! Even our trip to Louisville my senior year to advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament was super fun. There are just too many good memories.
"I do also miss tanning at the pool."
Q: Any updates not related to soccer?
A: "I work part time at a company called Melitta. The job has nothing to do with soccer or sports in general; it really just helps me to create an outlet outside of Werder Bremen and prepares me for my career after soccer.
"During my three and-a-half years at NC State I learned the importance of mental health, especially in college or professional sports. Ever since I graduated, I really try to spend my time wisely - I like doing yoga sessions, going on walks or bike rides. Bremen has very nice sunsets, so I just enjoy being able to spend some time for myself."
*Photos courtesy of Werder Bremen/Olli Baumgart
Q: December 2019/January 2020 were two pretty big months for you. You graduated from college and signed a professional contract with Werder Bremen. How proud are you and your family knowing that you accomplished two big goals within such a short time span?
A: "Graduating from NC State has probably been one of the biggest accomplishments in my life so far. It's not just that I got a degree, but more so that I took advantage of a chance that was given me at a pretty young age. Being able to continue playing soccer has been a privilege as well."
Q: The professional soccer life, what has it been like? I'm sure it's not been normal with COVID, but what major differences have you noticed between collegiate and professional soccer?
A: "Obviously it hasn't been completely normal, but I think our country does a pretty good job of dealing with the ongoing pandemic.
"The biggest difference for me was that we don't train in the morning, but at 7 p.m. Most of the girls go to work throughout the day and then we meet up for practice at night. Another difference is the age range of the girls. We do have some younger girls, kind of like the freshmen in college, but there's also multiple girls over 30 on my team.
"Our season is broken up in two parts, starting in September and finishing at the end of May, and we play every team twice. There's just one game a week, usually on Sundays. I think it gives us more time to prepare for the next opponent and be ready for the game, instead of always playing twice a week from August-December. Even though I do miss the atmosphere and playing at Dail Soccer Stadium, I'd say a lot of things are actually pretty similar. "
Q: Prior to NC State, you had extensive experience playing at an elite level with the German national team and Bayern Munich. How do you think that helped in your transition to Werder Bremen?
A: "Playing at Bayern Munich for six years gave me the chance to gain some professional experience at a pretty young age. Most of the things I do as a player now I probably learned during that time and age. However, I think looking back to when I played in Germany is too far. I truly believe that my time at NC state has helped me with my transition to Werder Bremen. Playing at NC State really gave me back the joy of playing soccer, which prepared me mentally to be ready for whatever was coming next."
Q: After you moved back to Germany and started training with Werder Bremen, everything shut down for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It obviously wasn't the rookie season you had imagined. What was that like and what did you do to stay ready for whenever your team was able to train/play again?
A: "The timing was pretty bad, however there's probably never a good timing for such a pandemic. I moved to a new city within a week and started training with the team. We trained for four weeks until the big lockdown in Germany started. It really wasn't easy but being able to spend some time at home with my family has helped me get through this. After the rest of the season got canceled, we got a little break and then started our home workouts. I tried to put as much work and effort into those as possible to be ready when we started preseason for the Bundesliga."
Q: Looks like you're in the midst of your second season with Werder Bremen and have been a contributor to the team, playing in all 10 matches so far and starting in eight of them. Now that you're finally playing what has that experience been like?
A: "I just enjoy playing at this level. We have to fight for one or three points every weekend which makes this competition so much fun. All of us know that we have to give 100 percent every day at practice and in the game. I just like to work on myself and get better everyday, and I appreciate every minute I get to be on the field."
Q: You recently gained a new teammate, one with NC State and German ties, Franziska Jaser. How excited are you to play with Jas on a professional level after knowing her for several years?
A: "I'm super excited that Jas joined our team. We were able to stay in contact throughout the years even though I was on the other side of the world. That's the fun part about playing soccer - you meet so many people and make friends for a lifetime."
Q: How do you think your experience at NC State, on and off the field, has helped mold you into who you are today?
A: "There's so many things I learned during my time at NC State that I can't even put into words. I think I really learned to always see situations from a different perspective and be thankful for whatever I have and can do, because there's always people who have it worse than I do.
"Tim always told me that 'time will take care of everything', and even though I never really believed it then, I remember that sentence in a lot of situations now when things aren't going the way I would want them to go. At NC State, I met so many amazing people and I just try to work on being a better me every single day."
Q: Do you have any short-term or long-term goals set out?
A: "In 2021, I'd like to start my master's in international studies of tourism management. Another goal I have for the next couple of years is to learn a third language. Soccer wise, our goal is to stay in the league so we can compete in the Bundesliga for the upcoming 2021/2022 season."
Q: What's your favorite memory from your time at NC State?
A: "Well, I have a lot to be honest. I think one of my favorite memories is probably when we beat North Carolina at their stadium my freshman year. I also think it was pretty cool to play in the NCAA Tournament at Stanford (in 2016). Making it to the tournament has never been boring! Even our trip to Louisville my senior year to advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament was super fun. There are just too many good memories.
"I do also miss tanning at the pool."
Q: Any updates not related to soccer?
A: "I work part time at a company called Melitta. The job has nothing to do with soccer or sports in general; it really just helps me to create an outlet outside of Werder Bremen and prepares me for my career after soccer.
"During my three and-a-half years at NC State I learned the importance of mental health, especially in college or professional sports. Ever since I graduated, I really try to spend my time wisely - I like doing yoga sessions, going on walks or bike rides. Bremen has very nice sunsets, so I just enjoy being able to spend some time for myself."
*Photos courtesy of Werder Bremen/Olli Baumgart
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