University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Jessie Denney
August 22, 2019 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
One of the highlights of Jessie Denney's summer was, if you can believe it, working out for 20 hours straight. The Georgia women's soccer junior was at a camp in Colorado, voluntarily putting herself through a demanding and ultimately rewarding physical and mental challenge.
Denney started 11 games last season for the Bulldogs, who open their season Thursday night at Purdue. During a Quick Chat before practice Tuesday, Denney, from Naperville, Ill., talked about her summer, playing club soccer when she was younger and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What was the best or most interesting part of your summer?
Denney: I did a camp out in Colorado, in Fort Collins, called Ultimate Training Camp, and it combines your faith and sport. It was a four-day and I think on the second night we started what they called The Special. You worked out for 20 hours straight and it was different — they wanted you to completely lean into your faith and rely on God through your sport and apply all the principles they taught us there.
So that was probably the most interesting thing I did because I learned a lot of things there and met a lot of other athletes from Georgia there, too, that I've been growing closer to, so that was pretty neat.
Frierson: What do you do for 20 hours straight?
Denney: There were a bunch of different things we did: there was an obstacle course, we swam, we played basketball, we played volleyball, ultimate frisbee. It was all different kinds of sports and things that were physical activities.
Frierson: What are you like physically at the end of that?
Denney: Completely exhausted. I think the whole point was to push us to complete exhaustion. It was a really neat experience — I don't know if I would do it again but I learned a lot from it.
Frierson: What movie have you watched more than any other?
Denney: Probably "The Proposal" with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. It's just a goofy movie and I have a really big crush on Ryan Reynolds. [Laughs.]
Frierson: That's completely understandable. Is there a good soccer movie?
Denney: "She's the Man" — I actually just watched that the other night. Yeah, "She's the Man" is a good one.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Denney: Probably mac and cheese.
Frierson: Do you make that yourself here ever?
Denney: Just like the typical college dorm room mac and cheese. [Laughs.] I like all kinds.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite fancy mac and cheese?
Denney: My sister makes the best mac and cheese, with Gouda and all these different kinds of cheeses. It's really good.
Frierson: When you first realize that not only did you love soccer but you had a real talent and passion for it that could take you beyond club and high school ball?
Denney: I've been playing soccer since I was 4, and I was part of a club called Blue Fire.
Frierson: That's a good name.
Denney: Yeah, that's quite the name. [Laughs.] My coach there coached me up there until I was 12, and then he pushed us into to different clubs that could help us grow. That's when I chose Eclipse, and I was coached there by Rory Dames, who is now the coach of the Chicago Red Stars (of the NWSL).
I think when I was around 12 I was like, this is really fun and I want to keep doing this for a while. Then high school hit and that was really when the choice of playing high school soccer and club soccer really makes you a certain kind of player, in the north that is, since I was growing up in Illinois.
Frierson: Did you play any other sports growing up? Were you good at anything else or not so good at anything?
Denney: In middle school I played basketball but I couldn't shoot at all, I could only dribble.
Frierson: If you could go anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go and who would you take with you?
Denney: I'd probably take my family, my parents and my sister, and I'd probably go to Bora Bora. I just like the clear waters and the tiki huts and all that. I'd also like to do an African safari, to go and see the animals. I don't know, that's a tough question.
Frierson: Is there a teammate or fellow Georgia Bulldog that you kind of marvel at because of his or her abilities?
Denney: There are actually two people that stand out the most. One is Katie Higgins, she does both academics and soccer so incredibly well and I look up to her and admire her so much for that. She's a great leader, too, and a great person. She's just all-around a great role model.
And also my roommate, Cecily (Stoute), she just takes off on the field and can go anywhere in like 2 seconds. It's just like I don't know how anyone can be that fast.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do, or something creative you wish you could do?
Denney: I wish I could play an instrument, guitar probably or piano. I played trumpet in the fifth grade and my mom was like, "You've got to throw that thing out." [Laughs.] And I've never played an instrument since then.
Frierson: What was it like watching the Women's World Cup this summer? How inspiring is it to see that as you prepare for another season?
Denney: It was definitely inspiring, to say the least, and also just a lot of fun. We're all approaching that age and they've been role models for us for quite a while. For me, Julie Ertz is somebody I look to play like, so watching her play and seeing other athletes that I've been able to get to know personally, too, like Christen Press, Julie, all of them played on the Red Stars when I was still playing club. Some of them would come to our practices and it was really neat to see them in action.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
