NYU Soccer Player Catie Collins Joins EcoAthletes Champions, Bringing #ClimateComeback to Greenwich Village

“I love playing soccer more than walking!”

So exclaimed NYU junior forward Catie Collins.

While her drive to become a catalyst for climate action is a more recent passion, it is approaching soccer-like intensity for the Scranton, Pennsylvania native. That is why she was so excited to learn about EcoAthletes’ existence and to become the first NYU Violet to become an EcoAthletes Champion.

“I had never heard about anything like this before,” Collins offered. “It is so important that there is a roster of athletes who are fighting for the same thing — climate action — in our sports and beyond. This supersedes sports rivalries by giving us one cause to work for, the #ClimateComeback. I am honored to be a part of the Champions team and to attack our many climate challenges.”

Attacking has always been a hallmark of Collins’ approach to life, on the pitch and off.

“As far as soccer is concerned, my mindset has been to anticipate where the ball is going to go, do my best to get to the right place at the right time and then FINISH,” Collins declared. “That was the case when I was an attacking midfielder as a young girl and became even more pronounced when I moved to forward in high school.”

Getting to that right place at the right time doesn’t just happen. It takes a combination of natural ability, instinct, and hard work. Collins always gives a heaping helping of the latter.

“Since the competition with a club team an hour drive away in Binghamton, New York was higher than my high school squad, I decided to play for both,” enthused the second of five sports-loving girls. “It was crazy at times. My days would go something like this: school, high school team practice, get driven by my dad to club practice, club practice, return trip, home by 10:30. I’d do my homework in the car. It was exhausting yet well worth it.”

Keeping that ‘always moving forward’ ethos was a challenge for the then NYU freshman Collins in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“All of our classes were online, we were in our dorms all the time, and we didn’t have a soccer season in the fall of 2020,” recalled Collins. “It was very hard to make friends. I was lucky that, despite not playing, the soccer team was able to bond. That helped a lot!”

Last academic year, things thankfully normalized on the Greenwich Village campus: Classes were held in person and the Violets returned to the pitch.

“We had a young group and so got off to a slow start before getting better because we really pushed ourselves,” Collins recalled. “Likewise, I had a stress fracture in my hip early but once I got healthy, I worked hard with my teammates and coaches, improved my game and soccer IQ. It all paid off: The team ended up with a winning record and I scored the game winner at Drew University!”

Collins’ brings her hard-working, forward-leaning nature to bear to her passion for climate action.

“My mom always pushed us to fight for what we believe, and I began to believe in the need for climate action in high school,” Collins said. “One thing that stuck with me is how climate impacts everything and that progress on racial justice, women’s rights, and other important issues can’t happen without a habitable climate and environment. So, that led me into politics when I was a freshman in high school during the 2016 election with climate justice being at the core of my activism.”

She volunteered on local, statewide, and presidential campaigns throughout her high school years, culminating in 2019 with her work on behalf of Paige Cognetti, candidate for mayor of Scranton. The environment played a key role in the race and in Collins’ interest in it.

“The landfill in Scranton was contaminated and cancer rates were skyrocketing,” recalled Collins. “Two of my friends had cancer; thankfully both are cancer-free now. Paige made cleaning up the landfill and the corruption surrounding it a key plank of her campaign. I was fortunate to be able to work on campaign strategy and volunteer recruitment. That 2019 election was the first for which I was eligible to vote, and she won!”

Fast-forward to August 2022 and Collins is all set to resume her attacking ways: “I can’t wait to get back to work at our pre-season camp which starts in about a week. We’ve got real talent, are more experienced than last season, and have bought into pushing ourselves and each other to improve.”

She has already been pushing the #ClimateComeback forward, working for the past seven months as EcoAthletes’ social media intern. Lew Blaustein, the organization’s founder and CEO, sees big things ahead for Collins.

“Catie brings passion for climate action, political experience, and social media savvy to the EcoAthletes Champions team,” Blaustein offered. “I can’t wait to see what she delivers on the pitch — I will go to an NYU game this fall! — and to the #ClimateComeback”

You can follow Catie on Instagram and Twitter