Cumberland County Lady Jets Soccer Player Cindy Rupp’s inspiration for playing came from watching the world’s best.
During her eighth grade year, Rupp watched the FIFA World Cup. She would tune in during the early hours by opening her Chromebook. During the World Cup, one player caught Rupp’s eye: Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I liked his way of playing cause it looked like he was determined to win,” Rupp said. “So when I got home, I looked him up and I started watching his interviews and other things about him and I really liked his mentality and his way of thinking.”
Thanks to Ronaldo’s work ethic, Rupp decided it was her turn to step on the soccer pitch. Rupp said she discovered that the Jets had soccer tryouts scheduled for the following summer. Rupp pondered the decision for weeks on end. While Rupp considered the opportunity, she turned her attention back to watching Ronaldo play.
“I [wanted to] see the foundation of soccer cause I really didn’t know anything much about it the years before.” Rupp said.
While Rupp was studying and learning the game, her sister gave her a soccer ball. Rupp began dribbling around the backyard, looking to mold her game after the star she grew up watching. The effort paid off, as Rupp made the team her freshman year, leading the Jets to a second place district finish. She continued to work on her game, eventually making the starting lineup.
Now entering her junior year, Rupp started off quietly before a sprained ankle kept her out of the lineup for two weeks. Rupp returned to the lineup Monday against Stone Memorial thanks to a method she learned from her athletic trainer, along with some of her friends in the medical field, called the R.I.C.E Method.
“I’ve been resting, icing, compressing, and elevating,” Rupp said. “They just said to keep doing what I’ve been doing and moving it around.”
Rupp now returns to the lineup determined to increase Cumberland County’s win total in the final week of the season. She has seen the win total stay at five each of the past two seasons.
Rupp said she is excited about her senior year for a variety of reasons. Among the top reasons for her is the opportunity to go back where the passion began and watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup with her teammates.
