Abby Carchio - Athlete Ambassador

Have you always been into sport?

Yes! From a very young age I was always playing some sort of sport. Alongside football I played baseball, basketball and Tae Kwon Do. I think I fell in love with competition and sports was a healthy way to channel that competitive drive. 

How did you first get into football?

When I was young, my parents kind of threw me into a bunch of recreational sports and from the moment I stepped on the pitch I knew football was the sport for me. My siblings also played football so our family was always around the game. 

If you're interested in starting your own fitness journey, Sundried's Activewear is suitable for people of all abilities. 

What has been your favourite competition to date and why?

I have quite a few games that I thoroughly enjoyed, but my all time favourite game would have to be the one that won my university team the championship. We were playing against our biggest conference rival and it was senior night. We had a huge crowd and we were playing under the lights, so the atmosphere was great. I was a senior captain at the time and was feeling the pressure as the clock was ticking down. We ended up getting a Penalty Kick called in our favour with thirty seconds left to play in overtime and I was the one who had to step up to the spot. Luckily, I put it past the keeper and we ended up winning the title. I think that game was just an amazing way to end my collegiate career and one I will never forget.

What is your proudest achievement?

I think the achievement I am most proud of is when my university team won our conference championship. Our program had not won a title in 25 years and the whole team poured everything into that season. To see our squad achieve that goal knowing every single member of the team contributed is something that I am really proud of.

How do you overcome setbacks?

I have had a few setbacks throughout my career as most of us do. Injury is probably the biggest hurdle I have had to deal with and it really does take a mental toll. In order to overcome injury type setbacks I looked to my close family and friends for support. We also hear this all the time, but it really is important to try and extract some sort of lesson from our setbacks. I try to live by this quote from Tobin Heath that says, “Setbacks are just setups for comebacks.” I think by focusing on my return to play, I was able to push through those injuries and come back stronger. 

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

I think one piece of advice that I wish I had received earlier on in my career has to do with this idea of never ending ascension to greatness. I was always caught up with the idea of winning this award and that award and believed that one day I would finally achieve the optimal award and that would be it. Where, in reality, we can always do better, always achieve more. So my football journey is not so much about achieving materialistic trophies, it is about constantly improving every single day. I guess this can be summed up into- it is not purely about the destination, but truly about the journey.

What are your goals?

My short term goal is to just become the best footballer that I can possibly be. My long term goals have a lot to do with improving the women’s game in general. There is a lot of work to be done in terms of ensuring visibility, equality, and equity within the game and my goal is to rectify this inequality. 

Who inspires you?

My family and trainer from home are the people that inspire me to pursue greatness. I try to make them proud everyday. My football inspiration would have to be Tobin Heath. Her play inspires me to be an entertaining footballer.

Why work with Sundried?

I am thrilled to work with Sundried because it is an organization that blends two things I am genuinely passionate about- sport and sustainability. My company, Trainsolo Soccer, was looking for a clothing supplier that ethically produced quality sports apparel and Sundried did just that!

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