When I talked with Eastern Tech soccer player Amber Womack on Monday, I was concerned that she still might be a little down after the Mavericks lost the state Class 2A championship Saturday in a penalty-kick shootout. It couldn’t have been easy for the senior, a first-team All-State selection, who played exceptionally well in scoring all three of the Mavericks’ goals in regulation, but then had to sit out the PKs because she cramped up in double overtime and couldn’t get subbed back into the game.

However, Womack, 17, had a very mature reaction to the loss, focusing on how well her team played and realizing that sometimes things just don’t go your way. When we talked on Monday, she had moved on and was already focused on basketball. She even said she preferred going to a shootout -- risking a loss for a chance to win -- rather than ending the game as co-champs.

In today’s Q&A in the Varsity section of The Baltimore Sun we talked mostly about soccer, but here are a few more comments from Womack on subjects other than sports.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Through hard work and determination you can do anything, but you also have to be willing to help yourself. You can never help someone or try to make them better if they’re not willing to help themselves, so it starts with you. If you want something, you’ve got to work hard for it and you have to put out just as much as you’re going to take in.

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

We should be thankful for all the things that are given us, things God has provided for us, but I think because of TV and everything, along with Christmas, Thanksgiving kind of gets misrepresented for what it really stands for. Obviously Christmas doesn’t really stand for Santa and people don’t realize the real value any more, but at the same time, when you’re brought together as a family, you’re thankful for that.

You’re very involved in your church, Fountain Baptist Church on Monument Street. What are some of the things you do there?

Our church does a lot of things for the community. We have something our pastor is trying to do. It’s called Vision 2015, and he wants to have a summer program for students in Baltimore City schools and locally around our church for them to do classes. If their parents can’t take them, we’ll provide rides and take them to school. We also had an election committee which went out to homes near our church and helped people register to vote and we had a sign up at the church. The beginning of August every year, we collect school supplies for the kids who aren’t fortunate enough and we’ll send them out to the city schools.

What’s your most prized possession and why?

I have a charm necklace. It’s in a diamond shape but it’s my birthstone, which is an amethyst and my dad gave it to my mother when I was born. When I was growing up my mom would always wear it on her neck and I’d be like, “Mom when can I have it? When can I have it?” and she’d be like, “Soon enough.” For my birthday my sophomore year, my 16th birthday, they gave it to me, but I keep it in a box. I’m afraid to wear it, because I don’t want to lose it.

--Katherine Dunn