SNU BOUND: BHS soccer player inks college letter
Playing sports does not define who Millie Butler is.
Her soccer skills and competitive stirrings are only extensions of her character and desire to excel in life's pursuits.
She'll have an opportunity in both areas as a soccer player at Southern Nazarene University, starting the next school year.
"I was raised having a lot of the same morals and values that SNU has provided for their students for many years," Butler said. "This will benefit me both on and off the field."
She wants to be a credit to SNU -- with whom she's signed a letter of intent -- in both the academic and soccer areas.
"I love that the game of soccer is creative,"Butler said. "Each player has to make individual decisions that affect the team as a whole. … Every game brings a new challenge that you have to quickly evaluate and overcome."
That kind of adaptability to changing conditions is more a matter of attitude for Butler, who adopted the center back position by serendipity and not choice.
During a competitive match, her coach switched her to that spot -- which she had never played -- and she found an aptitude for that position, which she continues to line up at.
When Butler lines up for the first time with SNU team, she'll have a least one friend in the group -- her Bartlesville High classmate and teammate Jessica Carithers also has inked a soccer letter of intent with SNU.
"We've played together since we were 10 years old, so getting to enter this next challenge of our lives together is super special," Butler said.
Butler's appearance in a soccer uniform for SNU also will be the fulfillment of her quest since she was in middle school to compete on the college level.
"I knew that I did not want my soccer career to end once I graduated (from high school),' Butler explained.
Coaches have been important in Butler's enjoyment and development in the game.
She believes new Bartlesville head girls soccer coach Cedric Muteshi will "challenge us to become better individual players and an overall stronger team."
She also expressed gratitude to OKWU/competitive team coach Jamie Peterson, "and the other coaches who have not only encouraged me but also helped me develop into the player i am today."
Butler also looks forward to playing for SNU head women's soccer coach John Smith. Prior to earning the job at SNU, Smith coached for two seasons at Rogers State.
"I am looking forward to playing for coach Smith," she said. "Having a coach with the same morals and values as mine will benefit me greatly," Butler explained.
The foundation of her progress has been "my family, for being my biggest supporters throughout my entire soccer career," Butler said. "Without them, I would not be the person or player I am today."
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville High girls' soccer player set to compete for SNU
