Quick Chat: Kayla Bruster
September 17, 2019 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Kayla Bruster had a brief stretch of playing basketball alongside soccer when she was young, but the Georgia junior decided pretty quickly that her future was on the grass and not the hardwood.
A defender from Atlanta, Bruster has started every game she's entered but one since she joined the Bulldogs in 2017. She's a consistent force on Georgia's back line, helping the Bulldogs hold opponents to just five goals in seven games so far this season.
Last week Bruster sat down for a Quick Chat before practice and talked about her early soccer days, what she watches on Netflix, visiting the Bahamas and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What was the best or most interesting part of your summer?
Bruster: I had a pretty chill summer — I guess the best part was I went to the Bahamas with my best friend and it was just the two of us this time, because we usually go with our families. They just let us go alone and it was really fun.
Frierson: That's a moment where you really feel like a grownup, being able to travel out of the country on your own.
Bruster: Yeah, it was really fun. We had been there a few times so I think that's why they trusted us to go.
Frierson: How closely did you follow the World Cup over the summer?
Bruster: I was watching every single day; I would wake up and watch in the morning, basically every single game that there was. That was very exciting, the U.S. was fun to watch.
Frierson: When you're training in the summer and gearing up for a season, how inspiring is it to see the best players in the world playing on TV?
Bruster: It was kind of cool to watch it as a team and just be motivated by that. There are people on the National Team who played on the same club teams as some of our players, so it's kind of cool to see how that ties together.
Frierson: When did soccer become your primary sport and something that you not only enjoyed but also had a future in beyond club or high school?
Bruster: I started playing when I was younger, like 7, but I didn't really start taking things seriously until I was 11 or 12. Once I got to 15 I knew that it was something that I actually wanted to do in college.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?
Bruster: I played basketball for a little bit but it was too much with soccer, so I just kind of gave up on that one. Pretty much soccer is the only sport that I've focused on.
Frierson: If you could trade places with any other Georgia student-athlete for a day, just to experience what she or he does, who would it be?
Bruster: It's not specifically one person, but I think being a gymnast is pretty cool. I used to do little tumbling things when I was little but I never took it seriously. I think it would be cool to be in their place; it's just a different kind of atmosphere.
Frierson: What movie have you watched more than any other?
Bruster: I have to think about this one — I actually watch a lot of Netflix shows and not a lot of movies.
Frierson: What show have you watched over and over and keep coming back to?
Bruster: I've watched "Gossip Girl" over and over again and I've also watched "How to Get Away with Murder" — they're two different shows, two completely different shows, but I like the drama and I like the suspense.
Frierson: You can keep going back and never get tired of them?
Bruster: Yes, and it's interesting every single time.
Frierson: How tough is it to be efficient with your time when you're traveling? Are you studying on road trips or do you watch Netflix or catch up on sleep?
Bruster: I guess I've been doing it since high school but college is a very different atmosphere and it's a lot more intense, so I guess on the road it's easier to study sometimes because you're forced to sit on the bus. It's like, I can't do anything else so I'll just read over this and that. Honestly, I don't think it's that hard but I've had to get adapted to it.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Bruster: I'm not creative at all. [Laughs.] My sister is but I'm not. I do wish that I could write, where it was just flowing and easy and I was a good writer. I think it would be really cool to be a sports analyst and go to games and be involved in the sports world but also journalism.
Frierson: When you think of home, what comes to mind?
Bruster: I'm from Atlanta, so I think I just think of my family. I don't really think of one town because I lived in Smyrna but school was in College Park, so I was pretty much all over the place. I think about my family and my dog.
When my parents know I'm coming home they'll just be waiting in the kitchen for me to walk in and my dog will be waiting at the door.
(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.
