Katie Lepkowski always has a positive attitude and she knows exactly why.
When she was little, her pop would often say “never a bad day,” and that attitude stuck with her ever since.
It’s also why the St. Hubert High School senior has always done whatever makes her happy. Even when it’s not exactly what makes her mom happy.
Her mom is Kristen Lepkowski, and for the last 21 years, she’s been an assistant field hockey coach at her alma mater. She’s run camps at the school that she brought her daughter to, and while she enjoyed her time with the sport, she’s not a field hockey player.
She’s a soccer goalie.
“I’ve always been around field hockey, but it’s never interested me as much as soccer,” said Lepkowski, who grew up in Somerton but now lives in Huntingdon Valley. “My mom wanted me to play, and I did the camps to make her happy, but they were fun. We did drills and I liked it, but I never played the sport for real. I’m a soccer player.
“I actually did play one game, my sophomore year, our season ended early and the field hockey team didn’t have a set goalie, so I volunteered. It was fun, but I didn’t do very good. I definitely belong in a soccer net.”
That’s for sure.
This year, the Bambies didn’t have much of a soccer season due to coronavirus, but they did play some games, finishing 2-3 in Catholic League play. But it wasn’t really about the record, although Lepkowski is very happy with the way the team performed, it was more about playing a sport she loves for the school she loves.
“It was pretty crazy because we had to decide if we wanted to play on Saturday and then we started playing on Monday,” Lepkowski said. “It was hard because we only had four seniors, so we wanted to have a season. We could have waited until the spring, but we decided to play in the fall.
“I’m happy we did. Last year was tough because it was our first year with a new coach (Nettie Graziosi-Hibbs) so it was a new system. I think it was easier for the new players than the players who played (for Mickey McGroarty), but it was great. Nettie is great, she taught us a lot about soccer and even better, life lessons.
“I think we were much better this year. We knew what we were doing in the system and we played better as a team.”
Lepkowski can take a lot of credit for that.
Not only was she an improved goalie, but she was selected as a team captain this year. It was a role she took very seriously.
“I never really thought about being a leader, but I think I was one this year because I tried to help the other girls,” Lepkowski said. “The biggest thing I could help with was helping people if they made a mistake. That was something I struggled with before, but instead I worried about the next thing. I just tried to do better instead of worrying about something I couldn’t change after it happened.
“That was a problem I had. It’s hard when you’re a goalie, your mistakes show up on the scoreboard, but when someone else makes a mistake, it doesn’t always show up. But I got better with that this year.”
That’s something she can take with her in the spring. She’s also on the lacrosse team where she plays forward. There, she does get a chance to play for her mom, who is also an assistant coach in the spring sport.
“I like lacrosse a lot and it’s fun to play for my mom,” Lepkowsi said. “Soccer is my main sport, but I like lacrosse, too.”
Lepkowsi is also starting to think about what she’ll do next year and she is keeping her options open. She would like to be a teacher, helping younger kids enjoy school, but she’s also leaning toward becoming a beautician.
Either way, she thinks she’ll love whatever career she chooses.
“I’m not too sure yet if I want to do college, but I would try to play if I did,” Lepkowski said. “If I don’t go to school, I would like to be a beautician. I like making people happy with how they look. I always do my friends’ hair and I like seeing people happy. I’m definitely a girly girl, but in sports, I can become aggressive when I need to.
“I also would want to be a teacher because I would like to help kids have fun. I’m an average student, and I learn better when a teacher is making school fun. Grades are important, but that’s not who you are. You’re way more than your grades, and I would like to teach kids that it’s important to study, but it’s most important to be happy, and grades shouldn’t determine that.”
Lepkowski is great about making people feel better about themselves, and her biggest accomplishment this year might have been before a game.
During Hubert’s final game of the season, a victory over Hallahan, the Bambies showed their support for their opponents, whose school is closing at the end of the year.
“It was kind of sprouted from our coaches, we used their colors to tape our socks and used blue prewrap to let them know we’re with them,” Lepkowski said. “I thought of flowers. I talked to my other captains and we put little notes in them. I wrote it.
“It said from one sisterhood to another, our hearts are with you.”
That’s something mom has to be proud of. Even if it wasn’t in field hockey.
