Annie Warren does more than just defend opposing soccer players.
She defends, with equal force, individual liberty and fiscally conservative principles.
Soon after the junior defender arrived at ASU soccer practice on Tuesday, one of her coaches instructed her to go grab a few training opponent mannequins from the equipment shed.
Using all of her relatively small, 5'7" frame, Warren lugged the TOMs over to her teammates and began another day of practice.
This simple task was a perfect metaphor for everything that Warren has to balance in her life. No matter how many commitments may hang on her shoulders, Warren manages to carry it all.
"She's a unique individual," ASU head coach Kevin Boyd said. "She's got a whole lot of brain power and she applies it in lots of different directions."
Warren's most active forms of involvement outside of soccer include, to name a few:
- ASU College Republicans, where she was once named interim Vice President.
- Student Athlete Activities Committee, where she served as President.
- Her own personal blog called "Annie's Adventurous Autobiography".
- "The Power of I", an anti-domestic violence initiative partnered with ASU athletics.
- "Healing Fields", a 9/11 memorial event held at Tempe Beach Park.
- Arizona Saint Bernard Rescue, a foundation that rescues stray dogs.
Finding a way to balance
Student athletes already have a lot on their plate, but Warren goes a step (or two or three) further with her activism on and off the ASU campus.
"(Warren) is just one of those people who has to be going at all moments," Boyd said. "She certainly gets that from her parents —they're wonderful people."
Parental guidance had a lot to do with Warren's decision to pursue a double major in economics and political science, which are two areas that she believes are intertwined.
Warren said her dad's job as a political consultant and lobbyist influenced her as a child.
"My whole life I was thrown into the political arena," Warren said. "It was something that always thrilled me."
Warren explained that fiscal policy was always the area of politics that interested her the most, hence the economics major.
"The economy seems to be something that can relate to everyone," Warren said. "You don't have to be a foreign diplomat to grasp that the economy effects everyone."
Although she said she would never want to run for office, Warren could see herself working as an adviser to a politician on issues such as foreign or fiscal policy.
"I would never want to be the face of something because I feel like that can put you and your family in the spotlight," Warren said. "I like that (behind the scenes) you can make a difference, but you don't have to stand up there and take the heat."
A self-described libertarian and feminist, Warren decided to join ASU College Republicans after she transferred to ASU from BYU-Hawaii.
Warren said that the political spectrum of the club varies greatly, but that it's great to be around so many people with varying perspectives who align with the same party.
"You have very socially conservative people (in the club), and you have people that are libertarians like myself," Warren said. "It's a really cool thing to do if you're a policy nerd."
Warren expressed excitement over Thursday's Republican presidential debate on CNN, which drew more than 20 million viewers. A candidate she kept her eye on was businessman Donald Trump, who she said is damaging the image of the Republican party.
"(Trump) is drawing away attention from candidates who are actually viable and can help the country," Warren said. "I think that as you see more and more candidates drop out, you'll see Trump's steady lead start to decline."
Maintaining focus, building relationships
Coach Boyd and Warren's teammates agree that her passion for politics and heavy involvement in extracurriculars never causes Warren to lose focus on soccer.
While she said she doesn't often talk about politics with her team, Warren brings her own unique brand of political humor to practices that Boyd said shows up every now and then.
"She knows way more than all of us do (about politics)," Boyd said with a laugh. "So it's hard for us to talk too intelligently with her to be quite honest."
Junior forward Larisa Staub and sophomore defender Madison Stark are two of Warren's closest friends on and off the field, and they both remember vividly the first time that they met her.
Staub and Stark both mentioned Warren's positivity, her smile, and just how personable she was right from the get-go.
"My first impression of Annie was she came up to me all energetic and was like 'Hi, I'm Annie!'" Stark said. "She has a big personality, big smile and she's very inviting."
Part of Warren's personality is her willingness to share her opinion and hold others accountable, something that she doesn't do as often around teammates as she does with her more politically informed peers. Stepping on toes is something that Warren tries to avoid everywhere except for the soccer field.
After spending a year with her toes in the sand on the island of Oahu, Warren decided it was time to return to the mainland, where she said there were far more opportunities for her in both soccer and her desired career.
"(Arizona) is much more of a scene that I need to be in," Warren said. "It was a nice little vacation (at BYU-Hawaii), but it wasn't exactly the place to make connections for a job post-grad."
Overcoming adversity, finding strength
Coming back to the contiguous U.S. wasn't easy for Warren, who had another comeback to worry about when she suffered a herniated disk in her back that kept her out for all of the 2014 season.
Warren said that her recovery proved difficult, and that she became complacent with being on the sideline rather than out on the field.
"After coming back from the injury I started to get horrible anxiety," Warren said. "I was afraid of stepping on the field, I was afraid of running, and the mental battle ended up being more challenging than the physical one."
On her blog, Warren has posted pieces ranging from an opinion column about Sun Devil fan behavior on social media all the way to the chronicles of ASU soccer's trip to Spain. One post of particular importance was about her battle with anxiety, something that Warren said she hopes other people can relate to in one way or another.
"I like to talk, but I also love to write because I think it gives you a chance to convey your clear and concise thoughts," Warren said. "I was able to help so many people just by sharing my experiences with anxiety, and that's why it's so important."
Having a support system is crucial in times of adversity or when dealing with stress, and Warren said her coaches and teammates are a key part of that system.
Coach Boyd said he believes everybody deals with some form of anxiety in their life.
"I hope I provided that much-needed advice to help (Warren) through her battle," Boyd said.
Warren said that Boyd and his assistants care about what's going on with their players off the field, but once they step on the field for practice they have to make soccer their one and only focus.
Academics are something that Boyd doesn't take lightly, either.
"Kevin doesn't think there's any excuse for bad grades," Warren said. "We come to college to get our degree. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just for soccer."
With everything going on in her life, both academically and in extra-curricular activities, Warren's primary focus right now is her team.
This sisterhood of traveling Sun Devils has made its way all around the world and back again, learning a finessed yet aggressive style of soccer while building relationships that will last far beyond their playing careers. As a result, No. 18 ASU soccer is 4-1 and has outscored its opponents by a total of 16-1 going into a weekend road slate against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Warren said that she truly believes that this team can make it all the way to a national championship.
"I think we can go as far as we believe," Warren said. "There are too many good girls on this team. Our coaches believe in us, we believe in us, and as long as we foster that belief that we can win, anything is possible."
Sure sounds like someone who could run for office.
Related Links:
No. 18 ASU soccer looks to simplify its game, puts Texas Tech loss in rear-view mirror
ASU soccer falls to Texas Tech 1-0
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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