Wednesday, November 11, 1998
Fire stopper
Hampton extinguishes rivaling offense and kindles team
spirit
By A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
Sacrifice is the ultimate symbol of respect and honor. Often,
what is good for the individual is not good for the collective, and
therefore the individual must make adjustments if the team is to be
successful.
And sometimes just doing one’s own job is not enough.
In firefighting, there are many components involved in attaining
success by saving lives and property.
The same holds true in soccer. Forwards, midfielders, keepers
and defenders depend on one another to play in sync for the team to
be victorious.
Additionally, in firefighting, as well as in soccer, sacrifices
sometimes have to be made for the good of the group.
Karissa Hampton, a 19-year-old soccer defender and future
firefighter knows much about sacrifice, for she was raised in a
single-parent home. Hampton was raised in Tacoma, Wash., and has
played soccer since age 5.
Hampton’s mother, Ann Prevost, always did without extras so that
Hampton would not have to do without them. Prevost made those
sacrifices because she felt that was the right thing to do.
"She sacrifices everything for me to have the best," Hampton
said of her mother. "She always wants me to have the best
opportunities, and she always supports my decisions."
Prevost is so supportive because she feels that her only child’s
happiness is the most important thing in her life.
Prevost said, "I’ve always felt that I should do everything I
could to make Karissa happy.
"She’s the apple of my eye, and everything she does makes me
proud."
Both women agree, however, that their relationship has come a
long way.
Hampton realized that when she was younger and would argue with
her mother, it was only because she thought she "knew everything."
She would soon discover otherwise.
As time progressed, Hampton began to realize that when Prevost
disagreed with something she did, it was out of pure concern. It
was mainly about a mother not wanting her daughter to go astray and
hang out with the wrong crowds. Prevost just wanted her daughter to
have life easier than she had it.
"My mom’s such a strong person," Hampton said. "I’m so grateful
for her. I realize and appreciate everything she does for me.
"And she really raised me well even though she was a single
mother."
Both Hampton and Prevost agree that they are each other’s best
friends, and Prevost loves expressing how glad she is about how
Hampton turned out.
"I am very happy and very pleased with Karissa," Prevost said.
"She’s turned out to be a very beautiful person, and she’s
definitely my best friend."
Hampton feels that she can make a lot of important connections
by being a Bruin. And if the unthinkable ever happened  if
she could not play soccer anymore  Hampton would still get
the "whole college experience" at UCLA that she might not have
gotten at other places.
Actually, the unthinkable almost did happen. Following a
freshman season in which she played in only 11 games for only about
20 minutes per game, Hampton pondered a return home to Washington,
mainly because she felt homesick.
Nonetheless, she was able to weather the storm and realize the
breaks she could get by staying at UCLA.
And not only has her staying power paid off in the sense that
she is one of only six players to start every game this season for
the Bruins, but Hampton also has been able to mature while in
Westwood.
"(By) being away from home," Hampton said, "I feel I’m able to
grow up. This is better for me because I can’t depend on that
comfort zone of home.
"Being in L.A. has helped me deal with my problems and become
more mature."
The distance has also brought mother and daughter even closer
together.
"It seems like we’ve gotten closer since she’s moved away,"
Provost said. "And I’m so glad that we are close because she is my
all.
"I’ve always wanted her to excel, and I’m proud of what she’s
accomplished in school and in sports."
Hampton has excelled this season on the 17-3-1 Bruin squad.
The sophomore is a major part of the Bruin back line, which has
posted a school-record 11 shutouts and has given up only 16 goals
through 21 contests this season.
Hampton feels that head coach Todd Saldaña, in his first
season at the Bruin helm, has a lot to do with her success this
season.
"I was ready to give up last year because of my situation but I
was determined to play. I feel that anything you want to do is
possible if you put your heart and mind into it. Now we have a new
coach, and I’m glad I came back.
"Todd is so awesome. I just love being here. It’s just so great
to be playing at UCLA."
Though Hampton has known success in sports, she never has felt
like she would want to deal in an individual sport. She wants to be
part of a team.
She wants to feel the reciprocity between members trying to
achieve the same end.
"We’re a unit back there," Hampton said of the Bruin back line.
"And it’s our job as a team to stop the other team from scoring. We
all have to work together to be successful and we work together
well.
"Our whole team works together well. It’s an honor to be a part
of it."
And her teammates feel her passion. They feel that Hampton is a
motivator and someone who can always be depended on.
"Karissa’s really hardworking and she always gives 100 percent,"
midfielder Venus James, a fellow sophomore said.
"She’s really focused and just helps the team. She really
motivates me."
"Karissa has goals for herself and for the team, and she just
knows she is going to achieve them."
One of those personal goals James mentioned is Hampton’s
aspirations to be a firefighter. She has wanted to be a firefighter
ever since she can remember. With two uncles who work for the
Tacoma Fire Department, Hampton’s inspiration to fight fires came
from within the family. Hampton feels that her uncles’ profession
is valiant, and she respects them for what they do.
Everything Hampton does in some way relates back to family ties,
because to the Tacoma native, family is everything.
"My family is just important to me overall," Hampton said. "I’ve
been greatly influenced by my family. We’re all really close.
There’s just so much love there.
"Everyone’s always helping each other, having each other’s
backs. My family would always be there for me.
"We’re like a team. If one person’s not there, then someone else
will step up."
Prevost believes that Hampton is a very warm and caring
individual and attributes those traits to what Hampton picked up
from her mother while growing up.
And Hampton’s kind heart is a major part of her motivation for
joining her uncles in firefighting.
"The reason I want to be a firefighter is that I want to save
people’s lives," Hampton said. "I want to help people that are in
danger.
"Being a firefighter is such a team thing and I love being part
of a team."
Speaking of teams, if Hampton becomes as good at neutralizing
fires as she is at neutralizing forwards, then Tacoma blazes have
no chance at all.GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Soccer defender Karissa Hampton dreams of becoming a firefighter
after she graduates.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]