Ready for the world

Vo-Tech soccer star all set to continue her education and playing days in Florida

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With a wide variety of interests including soccer, gymnastics and cosmetology, Vo-Tech's Tori Temple is truly a versatile young woman.

After being a rock on the Roadrunners' soccer team for four years, where she led Vo-Tech in scoring every year, Temple is getting ready to head to Winter Park, Fla. to play for Polk Community College, where she received a full-ride scholarship.

Temple, a forward who became the first player at Vo-Tech to be selected All-City, All-Region and All-State, said she had a lot of thinking to do before deciding to head to the Sunshine State.

"Actually I received a little over 60 letters and I narrowed it down to five, which were Polk, Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.), (University of) St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.), Lyons College in Arkansas and (University of Texas at) Dallas. I did an attendee trip and looked at all five campuses and then when I came back I made my decision and it was Florida (Polk Community College)."

The senior, who sports a 3.1 grade-point average, said she thinks starting out by proving herself at a junior college is the best plan of attack.

"Going from high school to college I think this will be an easier transition," said Temple. "And not only that, I'm hoping after my first two years I can go off to Florida State (University) or to the top schools in Florida."

Temple, who has played club soccer for the Dynomites her whole life, said it was hard to decide on attending Vo-Tech. But after four years there, she's very happy with her decision.

"It was an awesome experience," she said. "It was a little bit different just because Vo-Tech is not a very athletic school so it was hard going from my club team and playing with girls that have some experience to going to a vocational school that doesn't have much experience.

"But I've got to say with Josh Jones being my coach and even different girls coming in this year we had a strong team and it was fun. I enjoyed playing there all four years."

Jones, a UNLV graduate who is also Vo-Tech's boys coach, had high praise for Temple.

"Tori is simply the best female soccer player or female athlete I've ever coached," Jones said. "Plus, (she's) a great kid."

Temple -- whose sister Taren earned a soccer scholarship to Division III Mars Hill College in North Carolina two years ago -- said she probably wouldn't be in her position without the help of Jones.

"He is an awesome coach. He knows so much about soccer. I came in freshman year and I think he improved a little bit of my skills just because he knows so much on and off the field," Temple said. "And he's a great coach. Skill-wise, he's helped me a lot. And he's helped me in finding the school and gave me his input, what he thought. He also got word of mouth out for me."

Temple decided to attend Vo-Tech because it offers a cosmetology program.

"I'm finishing up my last eight days doing cosmetology," Temple said. "I plan to pursue cosmetology through college part-time to keep the money coming in and to also give me something to do."

Temple also is a talented gymnast who finished 48th in the country in her age group in 2003 in the United States Gymnastics Association.

"I am a Level 10 gymnast and I attend Fern Adair (Conservatory of the Arts)," she said. "It's actually a dance and gymnastics school and they have competitive gymnastics and competitive dance.

"Technically, I pretty much retired, which is so hard to this day because I've done it since age 2. It was so hard giving that up but actually I'm going to coach it for a couple hours a week in college. My soccer coach in college just called me the other day and told me he has a job lined up for me to coach gymnastics a couple hours a week."

Temple admitted that despite looking forward to attending Polk, she will miss high school a great deal.

"I'm going to miss it a lot ... my friends, my coaches, my teachers, everyone else surrounding you the last four years," she said. "But also, it's moving on to the next chapter of your life so I'm really excited to move on and go to a higher level. But it is going to be sad. I love Vo-Tech."