FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, September 14, 2016 ‘G-Rob’ looks to apply Yellowjacket experience into future with Peace Corps
Into his fifth season with the Yellowjackets, Garret Robinson leads a humble lifestyle built around serving others as he prepares for life after college as a member of the Peace Corps. MSUB SPORTS – As the early-morning sun rose in Billings, hinting from its rapid ascent over the Rimrocks that this August morning would turn into a typical blazing summer scorcher, the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team took to Yellowjacket Field for its first players-only workout of the 2014 season. Few preseason training camps are as unique, with somewhere around a dozen different countries being represented and more languages being tossed around than even a tri-lingual can keep up with. It is up to the veteran players to organize these early sessions, and take on the challenge of streamlining 25 unique styles of play into one uniform system. Garret Robinson was ready to take on that leadership role as a junior, having started seven matches and played in 11 the year before as an up-and-coming defender for the ‘Jackets. He longed to bring the team back to the success he shared with it during the 2012 season, when the Yellowjackets put together an 11-5-2 record and just missed out on an NCAA Division II regional berth.
Now Robinson was one of the upperclassmen who would be called upon to lead the way back to a winning year, as the ‘Jackets were coming off of a disappointing 3-105 record in 2013. But not long after lacing up his cleats, disaster struck for the Everett, Wash., native. Going in to clear a ball out of the defensive third, Robinson’s left foot collided fullforce with the bottom of a teammate’s shoe and brought him to the ground in immediate pain. After initially walking the discomfort off and continuing on playing in the session, Robinson realized later that day that his injury may be more serious. “I kept playing on it, which probably made it worse,” Robinson said, on what turned out to be a stress fracture in his foot. “Sitting out that year was the hardest part of my soccer career, and for the first 20 years, soccer had been my life. To have soccer taken away from me, it was really hard for a while to be able to cope with that.” Robinson didn’t play a single match that season, taking on a medical redshirt instead to save his year of eligibility. At first, returning to the pitch seemed further away than Robinson could possibly imagine. He hadn’t gone without playing a competitive soccer schedule for as long as he could remember, and just when the prospect of earning increased playing time on MSUB’s defensive unit seemed to be in his near future, it had quickly disappeared. Rather than give up on his dream of becoming a starter for the ‘Jackets, Robinson used the time away from the game for self-reflection and to discover other areas of life he was interested in and developed a passion for. “It definitely made me into a more well-rounded person, and I think I am better for it now,” Robinson commented on missing the 2014 season. “I found out more about who I am, and ways to stay happy and motivated without soccer being such a big part of my life. Moving forward, that will be really helpful.” Not only did Robinson return to the pitch in 2015, he started every match at outside back and led all MSUB field players with 1,539 minutes played. Now as a senior, Robinson continues to hold his starting spot and has become a pivotal role model for new players and returners alike across the team’s roster. With plans to join the Peace Corps and return to his Jamaican roots after graduating from MSUB this fall, Robinson has come to exemplify the complete college experience as an athlete, teammate, mentor, and ultimately, model citizen. G-ROB By Robinson’s senior year at Everett High School, he had a few offers to play college soccer on the table, but still hadn’t made a firm decision on which path he wanted to take. Researching schools within the west region, Robinson passed a highlight video along to then-MSUB assistant coach Alex Balog, who was quick to turn around with an offer for a spot on the team.
“I really liked Garret’s tenacity, and he was someone who quickly agreed to come on a visit and seemed interested in MSUB,” said Balog, who is now in his fourth year as the Yellowjackets’ head coach. “We got a pretty swift commitment from him, and he is a player who has developed incredibly since his freshman year.” Competing in seven matches as a true freshman in 2012, Robinson saw the field for just 41 minutes with a crowded group of experienced veterans playing ahead of him defensively. “I really looked up to that whole senior class,” Robinson said, regarding Blair Stevenson, Conner Moe, Thomas Chameraud, Josh Marocchi, and Chris Hawkins. “They did a great job pulling the team together, and they were a huge reason why we were so successful that year.” Representing the next wave of defensive talent, Robinson clicked with fellow freshmen Cameron Lee and Sam Butterworth when he first arrived at MSUB. It didn’t take long for Robinson to adopt the nickname ‘G-Rob,’ a moniker he is still referred to regularly as a senior today. “People used to call me ‘G’ in high school, but it wasn’t nearly as big until I got to college,” said Robinson. “If I remember correctly, it was Butters (Sam Butterworth) who first called me ‘G-Rob.’” While the nickname has stuck with him since his freshman year, the development Robinson has shown from Day 1 has not gone unnoticed by his coaches. “Garret has become a lot more disciplined, and he is a leader on the team whom a lot of guys look up to,” Balog said. “He’s not the type of leader who is very vocal or loud, but he is very intelligent and has the ability to read people well.” Robinson returned from his injury stronger than ever, and was determined to help MSUB back to a winning record in 2015. He cited being hungry to show that he was back and that he deserved to be in the starting role at outside back as his main motivation for putting together a performance that earned him the team’s Comeback Player of the Year award. Highlighting Robinson’s return, and one of the fondest memories of his career, was a match at home against Concordia last October when the team came together like he’d never seen before. Facing a 2-0 deficit and playing with only 10 players after a red card early in the second half, Robinson and his teammates rallied behind a hat trick by Ricardo Palomino for an improbable, come-from-behind 3-2 win.
Robinson remembers Butterworth (7) originally coming up with his ‘G-Rob’ nickname.
On Palomino’s second goal that day, which tied the game at 2-2 in the 77th minute, it was Robinson who contributed directly with his first career assist. “That was just an emotional game, having Trevor’s parents there and us coming back from being down 2-0,” Robinson said regarding the Yellowjackets’ annual MSUB Kicks Cancer match. “To have an assist in that game too, it doesn’t get much better than that.” CHOOSING A LIFE OF SERVICE “My dad grew up poor in Jamaica, and he realized that his way out of poverty was through education and books. My mom has always devoted her life to giving back to other people.” – Garret Robinson on the inspiration he gets from his parents June and Hilbert Robinson. Robinson has always been active in sports, playing basketball, football, and baseball, and running track in addition to soccer. Building the goal of playing college soccer from an early age, Robinson drew inspiration from his brothers Colin, Marlon, and Duwaine, who served as mentors in his development as an athlete. Behind the scenes however, it has always been Robinson’s parents who have been there to shape their sons’ lives. Hilbert Robinson was raised in Jamaica, and possessed a burning desire to find a better life than the one he was confined to with hardly the bare necessities. Taking a brave risk and following his scholarly ambitions to the United States, Hilbert wound up at the University of Michigan, where he completed a bachelor’s degree and met his wife June. While Hilbert has spent time at Boeing as an industrial engineer, June Robinson during a family trip to Jamaica, where his has molded her career in public health around serving those in need and father grew up. being a champion for the underprivileged. Now, she’s a politician in Olympia representing the Everett community. “Both of my parents have shown me to never give up on my dreams and goals,” said Robinson. “Even at their age to see them pushing forward and striving to be better people.” Robinson’s older brothers were all born in Jamaica, and he has drawn inspiration for his own career path after returning to his family’s home land several times throughout his life. After finishing his degree in psychology this fall, Robinson will follow in his mother’s footsteps and enroll in a Peace Corps program that will assign him a two-year project in a foreign country. Also completing a minor in Spanish, and looking to pursue coaching soccer as well, Robinson is hopeful he’ll enter a program in a Spanish-speaking country where he’ll have a chance to coach sports in addition to his Peace Corps duties. “With my connection to Jamaica, I’ve seen what it’s like to live in a third-world country, and that really opened my eyes to a lot of things,” Robinson said. “I really appreciate that style of life, and it makes me realize that a lot of things we worry about are very trivial in comparison. That is one of the things that has inspired me to pursue the Peace Corps.” As far as Balog is concerned, Robinson’s drive to pursue a career based around service is a positive reflection on the experience he had during his extended career at MSUB. “We want our guys to become better people, and go out and change the world,” Balog said. “I don’t know if you can do more for other people than joining the Peace Corps. That is
something I truly admire. I am also pleased that Garret wants to go into coaching, and I think he is a true product of our program in that sense.” LEAVING ON THE RIGHT FOOT With a thoughtfully planned-out future to look forward to, Robinson still has ambitions to help the Yellowjackets take another step forward on the soccer field. The fifth-year senior pointed out that it’s crucial to ensure every player on the roster feels as though he’s part of the collective group, even those who may not see a minute of action this season. “We need to make sure everyone feels important, even if they’re a redshirt or aren’t seeing as many minutes as they thought they would,” said Robinson. “I have been in those shoes before, but when you can really have the whole team buying into the same goals, that’s when you start seeing some success.” Coming off back-to-back shutouts and their first two victories of the season last week, Robinson has most recently helped anchor a defensive unit that is playing its best soccer of the season so far. He is 40 games into his career with the navy and gold, and with 14 more regular-season matches on the 2016 schedule, Robinson has hopes to leave a lasting impact by the time his career comes to a close. “I would like to be remembered as someone who was friendly to everybody on campus, not just soccer players,” Robinson said. “I have tried to branch out and be friends with people from all different teams and organizations on campus.” When Robinson is out in the field next year and applying his MSUB experience towards impacting the lives of those who need it most, he’ll be at ease to look back and know his teammates are fighting a winning battle right alongside him. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--