Strength, Faith and Shim

Who is Ashleigh Shim? Who is the 5-foot-4 Jamaican star who scurries around any soccer field at a pace unlike her adversary?

On the surface, she’s the type of player who can lay down amongst thousands of rain drops during pregame warmups and make her own version of a snow angel. She dances, she smiles, she laughs and plays ukulele. But who is the soul behind all of this?

“I’m just a person that tries to do what I’m supposed to do. I’m a really relaxed person and nonchalant about things,” said Shim. “I just kinda go with the flow and hope life takes me somewhere.”

A serene sense of balance was found in that answer. The response was akin to her playing style and resembles years of good upbringing as a child.

“I grew up in a single parent household,” said Shim. “My mom is my hero. She’s done and sacrificed everything for me. So, I love her a lot for that.”

During Shim’s childhood, obstacles were constructed at a young age. Shim’s parents were divorced before she turned ten years old. Her father, Mark Shim, still lives in Jamaica to this day. When asked about her father, there didn’t seem to be anger, nor was their sadness. The answer was just that: an answer. The strength of Tracy Shim, Shim’s mother, has rubbed off on her daughter and it was evident.

A gentleman by the name of Andrew has played a nice role in Shim’s life as a friend of the family and somebody who can be counted on to attend home games right alongside Tracy Shim.

“That’s my uncle! Well, that’s not my real uncle, but in Jamaican we call older people ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle,’” said Shim. “It’s funny you said Andrew. I’m used to calling him ‘Uncle Bigs’ because he’s a big guy.”

Uncle Bigs has been, according to Shim’s mother, a “big help.”

“I just try and be here for [Ashleigh],” said Andrew. “Her mother lives in Jacksonville and father in Jamaica. So, I’m a surrogate uncle.”

At the age of five, Shim moved to Jacksonville, FL, from Jamaica. Her 18-year-old brother, Nick, has always provided a bit of friendly competition in the household.

“We get along sometimes. It’s a sibling thing,” said Shim. “[Life at home] was good.”

As a child, Shim aspired to be a woman who has made her mark on American soccer: Mia Hamm.

“When I read Mia Hamm’s biography, I wanted to be Mia Hamm,” said Shim, chuckling at the memory. “But that may or may not have been realistic.”

An aspiration she later described was just as adventurous. Shim always wanted to travel, living a lifestyle of being on-the-move from one scenic location to the next.

“Ever since I was a child, I wanted to do as many things as possible. I wanted to travel everywhere,” said Shim. “When I was 10, or 11, my mom put me on a plane with my little brother by ourselves to go visit my father in Jamaica. Of course, the stewardess was there to help us along the way.”

As the sixth grade came near, Shim got a bit closer to being Mia Hamm. Fletcher Middle School in Jacksonville, FL, was where she played basketball and soccer. Besides being an athlete, Shim was using these middle school years to develop her unique personality.

“Honestly, at those stages, I was just trying to find out who I [was] and who I liked to hang out with” said Shim. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, in the nicest way possible, there were certain people I shouldn’t have hung out with in middle school…”

Eighth grade was the year that really solidified her character and served as the life lesson learned through the growing process.

“People used to take advantage of me and want my homework,” said Shim. “I grew a backbone in eighth grade. Before an algebra test, these freakin’ kids wanted my homework. I said, ‘No, you haven’t done anything all year. No, you’re not getting my homework.’”

With that moment began the early stages of who Ashleigh Shim truly wanted to mold into as a person and athlete.

The main focus was soccer during the transition to Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville.

“I played other sports for fun in my free time, but soccer was my thing,” said Shim.

Her high school resume was lengthy with accolades that can fill pages. Shim was a two-time captain for Sandalwood and a four-year letterwinner. Her senior year was capitalized by 21 goals and 18 assists, numbers that surely warranted looks by universities.

Playing on a big stage was never unfamiliar for Shim, as her time with the U17 Cayman Islands National Team allowed her to play against various levels of competition and primed her for soccer in high school and beyond.

“They were down 1-0 [against the Bahamas],” said Tracy Shim. “She scored to equalize and then they went on to win the game.”

That was Shim’s first international goal and a moment held close to her heart.

“It was a very interesting spot to be in,” said Shim. “We got to play a lot of other teams that were better than us, so we took away a lot at the end of games. It was a growing process. I was 15 years old when I played for that team.”

No student throughout high school goes without challenges, though, and Shim found hers to be balancing the ever-growing list of priorities.

“I had to really find a balance between all of the things I wanted to do,” said Shim. “School, soccer, friends, church time, this and that.”

Faced with plenty of decisions once the end of her senior year came nearer, Shim’s toughest choice boiled down to one question: Where do you want to go to college? Most students decide based on location, comfort and if the universities have their major. Shim took all of that into consideration, but moved this factor closer to the top of her list: food courts.

Taking a tour of Central Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of North Florida and Florida International University, Shim looked for what their food courts offered.

Uncle Bigs said Ashleigh “would always ask, ‘What does the food court have?’”

“Well, the thing is, Pollo Tropical is the easiest way to get fresh, hot chicken,” said Shim. “It’s so vital to a person’s life—fresh, hot chicken.”

The only school to have a Pollo Tropical was FIU. Thus, the decision was solidified. The trip south to Miami, to attend school and play soccer for the Panthers, began. At the time of writing, Shim holds a 3.5 grade point average in her fourth and final year at the University, is a Senior CLASS Award candidate for the 2014-2015 season among NCAA Division One athletes and is majoring in Kinesiology.

“I would like to end my academic year with something better than a 3.5,” said Shim. “That’s just not good to me.”

Most students strive for that GPA, but the determination and dedication to aim higher never ceases to exist within Shim.

“When she sets her mind on something, she follows through,” said Tracy Shim.

Once the end of the regular season ends for soccer players, many would say they want to play overseas or play for clubs that can get them on a national scale. It’s every soccer athletes’ dream. When asked what her foreseeable future had in store, Shim didn’t mention soccer. Yet, she mentioned goals that were sure to brighten the face of any person.

“Something that has always interested me was business and finance,” said Shim. “My goal is to be an independent business owner that can open an indoor soccer complex and, also, train athletes.”

Shim wants to pass her tutelage onto children that may not have the privilege of getting good coaching. She went on to mention another goal that is the most heartfelt and sincere one of them all.

“I hope to build churches in different areas of the world that don’t have [them],” said Shim, with a sense of confidence that became contagious throughout the room. “In places like India and Africa there’s lots of human trafficking and these churches can serve as safe houses for women and children.”

After many moments of reflection, Ashleigh Shim took a deep breath and laid out three things the world should know about her.

One, she loves Jesus Christ.

Two, she wants to be a very successful, wealthy person because “money can do a lot of good things for people.”

And the third thing the world should know about Shim?

“I try,” said Shim. “I just ‘try.’ That’s it.”