Q&A with Christopher Grey
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Education: Currently enrolled in the Data Science major at UC Berkeley
Former Teams: Sunnyvale Alliance, De Anza Force, San Jose Earthquakes Academy
Passions & Hobbies: Jazz Music, Mathematics, Making Egg Frittatas
On 5/18/20, Oakland Genesis teamed up with America Scores Bay Area to host another Instagram Live Q&A session! This time Leah sat down with Bay Area native and Division 1 student-athlete, Christopher ‘CJ’ Grey.
Below you can find some of CJ’s Town favorites, formative moments in his life, advice for young athletes aspiring to play soccer in college, and more! If you missed the session, you can catch the full unedited version below.
Enjoy!
Full Q&A
CJ’s Town Favorites
Damian Lillard
“I can’t even explain how proud I am of Damian … All of the things that he does, all of the people that he helps, all of the things that he’s accomplished. … They retired his number [at Oakland High].”
- Gina Johnson (Damian’s mom)
Toss Noodle Bar
“Garlic noodles with Shrimp”
2272 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
RECENT WATCH
“The Last Dance” - A ten part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the 98’ Chicago Bulls.
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.” - MJ
Advice for the Aspiring College Athlete
CJ recounts the chaotic day he had a big game against a rival university at 3 pm followed by an important midterm exam at 6 pm. He shared this story to highlight the importance of managing time as a student athlete. Student-athletes have to be masters at setting boundaries for themselves, knowing that certain times are for doing classwork, for reading data science literature, for socializing with friends and family, or for practicing their craft. For CJ, time management is critical for him to keep up with his studies, his athletics, his participation in extracurricular programs, and his social life.
So how has CJ, a left back, become so good with using both feet when he is also balancing the many demands of being a university student? He told Leah:
“Getting better at both feet is just about training both sides and getting comfortable on the ball with both feet. In order to grow and progress with both feet, to become a total footballer, you should be training both feet everyday.”
Thoughts and Reflections
One idea from this conversation that we would like to highlight is what CJ called demystifying the process. For CJ, being on a club soccer team where all his teammates had the goal of attending a four-year university opened his mind to what he thought was possible. It demystified what can often seem like a daunting and scary process to navigate: becoming eligible, completing applications, applying for student loans and then attending higher education.
Playing club soccer is becoming more inaccessible due to the rising costs of participation, causing many young Americans to miss out on joining a team and community that could help them demystify this process. It is absurd to us at Oakland Genesis that the pay-to-play system for youth soccer in this country works against this. Incredibly, according to data, over 90% of youth who play soccer in college played club soccer in their high school years. Oakland Genesis will stand firmly against this trend and will strive to demystify this process for all of its participants.
We were excited to have our first conversation with a current student and Division 1 athlete, CJ Grey. Thank you to CJ and Leah for sharing this time with our audience, and best of luck to CJ as he enters his senior year!
In Community,
Oakland Genesis Soccer Club