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| Taegan Frandsen |
The Utah System of Higher Education could justify changing its nickname to 'Training Ground for Team USA'.
Every year, current students and alumni of Utah institutions of higher learning represent 'Team USA' on the world stage, providing considerable skill to their teams. Salt Lake Community College has been no exception to this trend in recent years, with former SLCC Baseball star Eddy Alvarez competing noticeably for 'Team USA' as both a Summer-and-Winter Olympian.
SLCC Athletics can add another student-athlete to its list of 'Team USA' products as Taegan Frandsen, a member of the SLCC Women's Soccer program, has earned a selection to 'Team USA' in the upcoming 'Deaflympics' in Brazil. A sanctioned series by the International Olympic Committee, the 'Deaflympics' are an elite international competition for athletes who have a hearing loss of at least 55db in each ear.
(Since this blog was first published, Team USA earned a gold medal in the competition held in Brazil.)
Frandsen, a goalkeeper from Centerville, said the opportunity to compete for 'Team USA' is incredibly humbling.
"I'm so excited to take the field with my teammates in an international game," she said. "I can't wait to represent both the United States and the Deaf community."
Suffering from hearing loss since birth, Frandsen has moderate-to-severe hearing loss in both ears, with most of her hearing loss coming in the lower sound range. Sports is many times a place where individuals learn to overcome adversity. Having a hearing disability provides additional adversity for even the best of athletes, such as Frandsen, but the experiences of adapting to living a life with impacted hearing helped bring out the best in the Viewmont High product.
In school, I always had to put in extra work to make up for the things I couldn't hear.
"In school, I always had to put in extra work to make up for the things I couldn't hear," she said. "In social situations, I always had to stick up for myself to be able to hear the things that I missed. Because I've had to do all these things in regular life, I feel like it has made it easier to do in my soccer life as I'm always willing to put in the extra work."
Success is what Frandsen found with Salt Lake Community College as the Bruins have consistently ranked in the NJCAA Top-25 over the past two seasons and advanced to the NJCAA finals in Spring 2021. For Frandsen, who posted five saves during the Fall 2021 season, SLCC provided her with the perfect platform to improve herself as a student-athlete.
"My experience at SLCC has made me more of a well-rounded player," she said. "I am now able to assist in the back to play out of dangerous situations. I also feel more comfortable when it comes to having to make a big save with a lot riding on me."
The SLCC program has gained considerable esteem over the past few years, particularly with the caliber of both coaches and athletes it has produced. Despite all the recent honors and accolades, Bruins coach Cassie Ulrich noted opportunities like Frandsen's are special for Salt Lake.
"This is such an accomplishment for Taegan," she said. "We're really excited for her to participate in the 'Deaflympics' and to represent 'Team USA'."
The 2022 'Deaflympics' will take place in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, from May 1-15. Salt Lake City played host to the 2007 'Winter Deaflympics', which is the last time a city in the United States hosted one of the international events.
Regardless of the outcome in Brazil, Frandsen said the most important outcome of the event will be to showcase who she is – as a student, as an athlete, as a member of
'Team USA', as a woman who is deaf.
"I continue to do stuff on my own to improve on the things that I need to improve on," she said. "I feel like my disability has helped me become more self-motivated and independent."
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