Sister act: Flynns fuel each other on the field
For the first time in five years, sisters Jennifer and Katie Flynn shared a practice field, a bench, and a team this season. The last time the two did this, they won a championship for Juan Diego High School in 2008.
That was Jennifer’s senior year. Now she’s is in her senior year again, only this time with the Aggies, and right by her side is her younger sister Katie. The only snag: Katie wasn’t allowed to play this year.
Upon graduating high school, Katie went to Idaho State for a year. However, she found herself drawn to Logan for numerous reasons. So when she transferred to USU, she had to sit out a season because of NCAA transfer rules.
“I just wanted to be closer to my family and I love Logan, I think it’s beautiful,” Katie said. “It’s been fun to be able to practice with my sister and be closer to her because she is my best friend.”
Jennifer had a suspicion that she might have influenced her sister’s decision to transfer.
“She was thinking about coming here a couple of years ago, but I hope I had some influence,” Jennifer said. “I was just like, ‘Katie, you should come hang out with me, you should come live with me,’ and so I hope I had some influence. I never made her choose though.”
Whatever the reason, Katie found her way to USU – just in time to practice and support her sister through her senior season with the Aggies.
Jennifer was second team all-WAC in her junior season and earned first team all-Mountain West Conference this year. With Jennifer leaving after this season, the other Flynn will seemingly have big shoes to fill.
However, USU head coach Heather Cairns doesn’t see it that way.
“They are very different players,” Cairns said. “I expect different things out of them. It’ll be great to have her in preseason and see where she fits in. They are sisters, but they are different players, so we treat them as individuals.”
Jennifer echoed Cairns’ observation about the types of players they both are.
“We’re have a very different style of play,” Jennifer said. “She’s very calm and I’m kind of spastic and aggressive. I think she’ll do great stuff next year.”
Jennifer’s senior season was one plagued by injuries, and she lost significant playing time because of it. She still had a stellar year despite the injuries, but she said the presence of her sister was a large part of her keeping composure.
“She was my constant support,” Jennifer said. “She was always there to pick me up and be my support. I relied on her a lot.”
The sisters call each other their best friends and even shared a room together this year. Despite never seeing game time together, they both enjoyed their time on the practice field with each other.
“We read each other very well, so it’s a lot of fun when we get to play together,” Katie said. “It’s been fun.”
“I loved practicing with her,” Jennifer said. “She compliments me very well, so it was really fun to see that we can still play together, even though we haven’t really played together in a while.”
Katie attributes much of her development as a soccer player to her older sister.
“She has been a big influence in my career,” Katie said. “She has taught me a lot and has been very motivating and helpful. She teaches me and always pushes me.”
Jennifer has noticed a difference in how her younger sister plays since the last time they were on the same team.
“She has developed a lot more,” Jennifer said. “She is more confident in how she plays now.”
It has been refreshing for both Jennifer and Katie to wear the same colors for one more year, but next year Katie will be playing without her sister again. However, Katie is prepared.
“I’ve made a lot of friends and I’ve learned a lot from everybody. We’ve gotten close like a family, we’re like sisters,” Katie said about the rest of the team. “I wish I could play with Jenn one more year, but it will be fun, and we’ll do well.”
Jennifer has been a staple of the women’s soccer team for the last four years, and soon she will have to step back and watch her sister and former teammates take over.
“I’ll come watch every game that I can,” Jennifer said. “It’s going to be very weird to not play, but I’m going to enjoy it. I love watching the team play. It is cool to see how they develop and play with each other.”
However, the Flynns still have some time to enjoy each others company before Jennifer leaves Logan.
They still have the remainder of this season to be teammates and the remainder of the school year to be roommates. Although Aggie soccer fans may be saddened to watch one Flynn go, they can be excited to have another one to watch for a few years to come.
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