Presented by Providence Health & Services—Oregon, Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods, Coca-Cola and Toyota
The Bilingual Reporter program is designed to encourage Hispanic youth to be proud of their heritage and language. Students are nominated by their teachers and then apply to have the opportunity to interview a Timbers player, Thorns player, or a member of the coaching staff. Following the interview, the selected students are required to write a report about the experience in English and Spanish. With a professional interview, the students are able to further develop their bilingual speaking and writing skills while exhibiting a passion for the sport.
Never in my eight years of playing the beautiful sport of soccer, have I ever met a professional soccer player or coach. When my principal from Woodburn AIS mentioned that interviewing one of the Portland Timbers would be a great experience, I did not hesitate and applied right away. A few months later, I got the big news that I was selected to be one of the four bilingual reporters to interview one of the Portland Timbers. I was so anxious and excited because for the first time in eight years, I was finally able to meet a professional soccer player; and one of my favorite players as well!
The opportunity of being a Somos Timbers Reportero Bilingüe was a once in a lifetime experience! Everything felt so unreal, I was watching the Timbers practice! Although, the best highlight of my day was being able to hug and meet the defender for the Portland Timbers, Nat Borchers. Getting to know more about Borchers made me realize that he still has a great future to look forward to. I learned so much from him as a soccer player, but I also learned his roles off of the soccer field. His words were very inspiring to me when it came down to soccer. Borchers is such an amazing, unique, and friendly guy, never had I thought that I would experience this. I am blessed to have been able to be one of the Somos Timbers Reporters.
Below are the following questions I asked during our interview.
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Reportero Bilingüe
es un programa comunitario diseñado para animar a los jóvenes de estar orgullosos de su herencia Hispana y su idioma. Los estudiantes serán nominados por sus maestros y necesitarán solicitar para tener la oportunidad de entrevistar a un jugador de los Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns, o uno de los entrenadores del Cuerpo Técnico. Después de la entrevista, los estudiantes necesitarán escribir un reportaje sobre la experiencia en inglés y español que será publicado en el sitio web de los Portland Timbers y sus redes sociales. Con una entrevista profesional, los estudiantes desarrollaran sus habilidades de escritura y lenguaje en español a la vez se estarán conectando con el deporte que les apasiona.
Nunca en mis ocho años de jugar el deporte hermoso de fútbol, tuve la oportunidad de conocer a un jugador de fútbol profesional o un entrenador profesional. Cuando mi director de Woodburn AIS mencionó que había una oportunidad para entrevistar a uno de los de Portland Timbers no vacilé y aplique enseguida. Pocos meses después, recibí la gran noticia que fui seleccionada para ser uno de los cuatro reporteros bilingües para entrevistar a uno de los Portland Timbers. Estaba tan ansiosa porque por primera vez en ocho años, fui finalmente capaz de conocer y entrevistar a un jugador de fútbol profesional. Y uno de mis jugadores favoritos también.
¡Esta oportunidad, de ser una de las reporteras para Somos Timbers, fue una de las mejores experiencias de toda mi vida! Todo parecía tan irreal, mientras estaba mirando la práctica de los Portland Timbers. Aunque, lo mejor de todo fue abrazar y entrevistar al defensor de los Portland Timbers, Nat Borchers. Llegar a conocer más sobre Borchers me hizo comprender que él todavía tiene mucho futuro para seguir triunfando. Aprendí tanto de él como un jugador de fútbol, así como también de sus trabajo fuera del campo de fútbol. Sus palabras fueron muy inspiradoras. Borchers es un tipo tan asombroso, único, y amistoso y nunca pensé que yo experimentaría esto. Soy muy bendecida de haber sido seleccionada para ser uno de los reporteros de Somos Timbers.
Aquí abajo están las siguientes preguntas que le hice a Borchers durante la entrevista.
Q: Where did you grow up?
Nat: Pueblo, Colorado.
Q: At what age did you start playing soccer?
Nat: When I was three years old. But I began to play competitive soccer when I was 8 or 9 years old.
Q: What do you like most about soccer?
Nat: I like to compete, that’s my favorite thing. To go out on the field and just play to win.
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career?
Nat: Good question. I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is that you have to work with a lot of different kinds of people in soccer. You have to make them all work together. So you have to learn how to work with any kind of people and that’s very important because we have players from Colombia, we got players from England. We have players from Jamaica, we have players from Canada. So it’s really important to know how their personality’s work and get them to work together.
Q: How has been your experience with the Portland Timbers?
Nat: It’s been great. This is a very good group and it’s been easy to work with these guys.
Q: When did your soccer career start?
Nat: Okay, I started playing in 2003. So I’ve been playing now for 14 years. I started with the Colorado Rapids.
Q: Do you ever get tired of playing soccer?
Nat: Never. It’s probably my favorite thing to do.
Q: Ever since you became a soccer player, why did you decide to be a defender?
Nat: Well, probably because it was what I was best at. And I couldn’t score any goals, so it was better that I sit in the back and defend.
Q: Have you ever played any other position? If so, how was that experience?
Nat: I started as a midfielder. It was tough, it wasn’t my best position. So when I moved to the back because of injuries, that’s when I found my best position.
Q: How has your life changed ever since you became professional?
Nat: That’s a good question. Well, I’m doing what I love to do, so I come to work everyday excited and ready to get better. So I enjoy it, and I’ve always had soccer so it really didn’t change anything.
Q: Have you ever played any other sport besides soccer?
Nat: Yeah, I grew up playing basketball and I ran track as well.
Q: How did it feel to become a champion once again with the Timbers?
Nat: Oh man, great feeling. It’s the best feeling in the world to win a championship and to see all that hard work that’s come together. To win it with the Timbers is very special.
Q: What's your opinion on the Portland Timber fans?
Nat: They call it soccer city USA for a reason because everyone in this town loves soccer. Our fans are just so excited to watch us play and to give us so many energy in our home game matches.
Q: If you were to give advice to any captain in any soccer team, what advice would you give them?
Nat: I would say that you have to be able to talk the talk and walk the walk, so you have to be able to lead by example and you have to tell players what to do and you have to be able to do those same things and expect very high level of yourself.
Q: How do you feel knowing that there are children in this world that look up to you as an idol?
Nat: I think it’s a great opportunity as a professional athlete to be an example for kids growing up and show them that you can exceed if you do certain thing and if you work hard. That you have great sportsmanship, that’s important.
Q: How do you prepare before a game?
Nat: Well it always starts off early in the week. Thinking about the competition you have and thinking about what they can do, what their strengths are. Throughout the week you’re executing training and trying to get those things right so that you can perform well in the game.
Q: What’s your daily routine?
Nat: I spend a lot of time with my family. I got a wife and a son, so I go to them and we spend a lot of time at the park. We like to go Downtown Portland, we like to eat out. We like to mostly eat in. We cook a lot of dinners at home. We’re very relaxed.
Q: Just of curiosity, but is there any special meaning regarding your beard?
Nat: Well yes and no. I started it a few years back. I didn’t know I could grow such a good beard. My wife was giving me the green light to keep growing it, which is important and then I think the fans liked it so I just kept it going.
Q: Who is your favorite professional soccer player?
Nat: Of all time, probably a guy named Dennis Bergkamp. He used to play for Holland and Arsenal.
Q: What would you call the most important goal in your soccer career?
Nat: Most important goal I’ve scored? I scored a goal in the final in the first league of the CONCACAF Champions League against Monterrey. I think that was a very important goal. It was the equalizer, so to score on the final was very special.
