Daily Pilot College Athlete of the Month: Jaycee Mahler

Steve Virgen

It’s little wonder why Jaycee Mahler decided to play for the Orange

Coast College women’s soccer team instead of Cypress. Her personality

never meshed with the Chargers, and so after three months of playing with

them she chose to play for the Pirates.

A quest for the state title is always on the Chargers’ minds and they

take their winning serious, Mahler said.

Mahler, on the other hand, is an easygoing admitted goofball who has

no idea of a game face. But, her lighthearted approach toward soccer is

actually the reason for her success.

She has scored 13 goals, leading the Pirates to a great start, 9-3,

5-1 in the Orange Empire Conference. Mahler, a Corona del Mar High

product who starred in soccer and track, scored her seventh goal of the

season in a 2-1 over Saddleback, Sept. 5, two goals in a 3-1 win over

Santa Ana Sept. 11, and two goals in a 6-1 win over Fullerton, Sept. 14.

Mahler, the Daily Pilot College Athlete of the Month, shows no signs

of slowing down as she maintains her sense of humor each day and in each

practice.

“I can be pretty bad at practice,” Mahler said of her resistance to be

serious. “I’m not really serious ever. Everyone tells me to get serious

and to concentrate, but I don’t want to. I goof around a lot, I think it

makes me better. It makes me happy. And everyone else laughs so everyone

is having fun.”

Mahler’s game involves mental strength, but it’s nontraditional

competitive juices that get her flowing. She believes if she applies a

serious mindframe, her game will fail. She will fall into a funk.

If she’s laughing, making jokes or even talking about anything besides

the game, during the game, the opposition is in trouble. And, perhaps,

appropriately her preparation before each game also involves a little bit

of the zany and a lot of superstition.

Her fuel before a game? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and

Gatorade. She also has to have her shoes clean before each game, “because

they make me run faster,” she said. She also believes she plays better

because of snacking on the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Her mental preparation is geared toward laughter and humor. What she

lacks in seriousness, she can make up with her blazing speed, the most

obvious facet of her game.

“She has more speed than anyone in the (Orange Empire Conference),”

OCC Coach Barbara Bond said. “For once we have a better offense than we

had in a long time. She definitely contributes in that because she’s

definitely a standout.”

Mahler’s quick pace and superstar moves have made her a valuable

product in the Pirates’ young season, so Bond does not want to jinx any

part of where Mahler will stand in OCC’s history of great soccer players.

“She’s definitely the fastest girl we’ve ever had,” Bond said. “I

don’t want to jinx her at all. She has a lot of pressure on her and

people expect her to deliver. She handles it really well and she gets

along with her teammates. She’s just a casual kind of gal and she’s not

really serious about anything. She’s very kickback, even during the

games. She’ll talk to you on the sidelines.”

To say Mahler is unique would be an understatement. She definitely

appears to have a style all to herself, yet, as Bond said, she is able to

build friendships on the team.