Soft-spoken but confident, Carolina Philips lets her actions do the talking in everything from FCA to Ride for Water
For junior Carolina Philips, it all started with a single cartwheel in ballet class.
“I did ballet and then we learned how to do a cartwheel in class and then ever since then I couldn’t stop doing cartwheels and handstands and my parents put me in gymnastics,” Phillips recalled.
It was this introduction to gymnastics, mixed with an endless drive to be active and a visit to Azusa Pacific that ultimately lead Philips to become a base on APU’s Acro and Tumbling team.
Philips first toured APU as a high school senior with no intentions of being a student-athlete. During her high school athletics career, Philips lettered in six sports including basketball, volleyball and cheer, to name just a few. Having competed at a high level for so long Philips felt burned out from sports.
“I actually didn’t want to do any sport in college,” she said. “I was kind of just over it.”
However, her mom continued to submit film of her competing and contacted APU coaches which landed Phillips an invite to try out for the team.
“I’m so thankful that my mom did that because I think she knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do anything in college,” she said.
While Philips was excited to join the team, the first season came with several challenges. Philips has an autoimmune disorder which can be triggered by stress. When she began her first season as a Cougar, she was nervous to tumble and was still adjusting to life as a college freshman.
This led to a decline in her health, causing her to quit the team for a month. During this month Philips gave her body a much-needed break to rest and began to eat better, but she rejoined the team after a conversation with her coaches.
“I had no plans of going back on the team. But one day I was sitting in the Cougar Dome and my coaches were in there… I went in to just say ‘hi,’ and that’s usually not my personality,” Phillips said. “I just told them how I was doing and they were like, ‘Well, we’d love to have you back like if you want to come back.’”
Head Coach Colleen Kausrud, one of the coaches who spoke to Philips that day in the Dome, remembers the conversation well.
“[We were] Just telling her how much the team appreciated who she was and that she is still a part of the team, even though she had to leave due to health issues,” Kausrud said. “Just encouraging her to come back.”
This encouragement from her coaches, combined with a bit of spontaneity lead Philips to agree to rejoin the squad.
“I’m so glad I did and I still have to figure out how to balance my health and doing acro,” Phillips said.
Now as an upperclassman and captain on the team, Philips feels motivated and excited about this acro season.
“I love the team,” she said. “We just have so much talent it’s just fun to watch. I’m really enjoying this season.”
Phillips believes in the team because of its chemistry.
“Half the team is pretty much freshmen,” Phillips said. “The freshmen team is really competitive and driven which is making all of us have this drive to want to do well.”
For Philips, ambition and a passion to excel are attributes she’s familiar with and still pushing the boundaries on. In addition to the hectic lifestyle of being a student-athlete, Philips is training to participate as a biker on the Ride for Water team.
“I’ve always wanted to bike across the country, ever since I was little,” she said. “Here they had an opportunity for Ride for Water, and I’m like ‘Alright, I want to bike across the country but also it’s for an amazing cause, so why not?’”
Philips’ drive also carries over into her faith journey; she holds a leadership role with APU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club. Her involvement with FCA began her freshman year when she attended the club’s last meeting of the year. Upon attending she discovered she was one of the only members of the acro and tumbling team at the meeting, and FCA didn’t have anyone in leadership from her team.
“I just fell in love with the people and they became my friends,” she said.
Philip’s desire for involvement and dedication to sharing her testimony led her to become a leader within the organization. As a leader in FCA, Philips is tasked to help to find speakers for each meeting, plan games and lead discussion groups.
While leading fellow student-athletes is important to Philips, she’s just as concerned about living a life that reflects her faith. This plays a significant role in how she carries herself through her different roles on campus.
“I’m a strong believer in actions speak louder than words,” Phillips said. “Yes, words are so important but I think knowing that people are watching you, especially being an athlete, I think it’s just the little things that you do in your day and the way you walk in your faith.”
Fellow captain Kara Ingersoll attests to Philips’ intentions to show her faith through action. “Carolina is truly the spiritual leader on the acro team. Her love for Christ is exemplified both at practice and in life outside of practice…She leads by example through her actions as she strives to lead like Jesus,” Ingersoll said.
Ingersoll also spoke about how Philips helps create team chemistry through worship and her leadership style.
“[As fellow captains] I have learned the way she leads, which is through knowing her teammates on a deeper level,” Ingersoll said. “She wants her teammates to be known by who they are as people with athletics aside.”
This desire to live out her faith through actions led Philips to pursue a degree in kinesiology and psychology under the interdisciplinary studies program. With this degree, Philips hopes to incorporate physical fitness and exercise healing for people who have gone through trauma. She specifically wants to work with women and children who have been physically or sexually abused.
Philips’ involvement across different areas of campus are a clear testimony to her passion and standard for excellence. From pushing both herself and teammates at practice and meets to training to bike across the country, it’s clear Philips pursues her goals with everything she has. With this combination of drive and devotion, there’s no limit to what she can accomplish.