The University of Mississippi Athletics
Strini Family: A Full House
9/4/2006 | Soccer
By Joey Jones
Athletics Media Relations
There are many "only-children" that grow up wondering what it would be like to have a brother or sister.
For the Strini sisters of the Ole Miss soccer team, they've probably often wondered what their lives would be like without any siblings.
That's because Chrissy, a junior All-American midfielder, and Carrie, a sophomore team manager, have three other sisters and three more brothers they grew up with in Cordova, Tenn.
Chrissy, Carrie, Tommy, Cathy, Timmy, Connie, Callie and Teddy.
Such are the names one might here when visiting Dan and Maria Strini's household on a Thanksgiving or Christmas morning as they gather the troops for a feast or for opening gifts.
Ranging in age from 20-year-old Chrissy to three-year-old Teddy, the Strini house can sometimes be a bit different than the typical American family with 2.5 kids.
Both Chrissy and Carrie admit that holidays can be a great time now that two Strinis are in college.
"Holidays are always crazy,"said the eldest. "It's hard now because everybody's not together all the time anymore, so those are the times we can all see each other."
Halloween is a particularly special one for the family.
"My mom always says one of the perks of having a big family is the Halloween candy," Chrissy said. "We get a lot of candy."
"We enjoy dressing Teddy up for Halloween," Carrie added. "One time I dressed him up as a ballerina with tights and makeup and everything. He's like the family pet."
While many college students are just entering the process of learning the responsibilities of adulthood, both sisters admitted having some extra obligations as the oldest siblings of such a large family.
"I've definitely had to play the mom at times," said Chrissy, an annual member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the 2003 Cordova High School Female Athlete and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. "And from an early age, I had to kind of mature quicker because I had a lot of responsibilities. Some people make fun of me because I refer to them as the kids.' But really, I'm old enough to be the mom for some of them. Sometimes I call my mom and ask How are the kids doing?'"
"I've grown up babysitting," said Carrie. "It's helped me realize that I want to work with kids when I get older. I'd like to be a speech pathologist for children, although maybe not with so many kids at one time."
Having learned to be responsible at such an early age has benefited the Rebel soccer squad, for sure.
One of the hardest workers on the team, Chrissy became the Rebels' first ever All-American as a sophomore last year when she tied for the team lead with seven goals and ranked second in the SEC with seven assists.
The younger Carrie has a vital role with the team as well, being a dependable caretaker and organizer of equipment, uniforms and game film, among other duties.
The Strini family connection could pay dividends for the future of Ole Miss Soccer. At present, the Strini clan can be seen at almost every Rebel soccer event, albeit maybe not all in the same seating area at one time.
"One time I was looking at little letters that they wrote when I was a freshman," said Chrissy. "Connie's said, I can't wait to go to Ole Miss and play soccer like you.' They all play soccer. The little girls have all said they want to come play at Ole Miss."
Head coach Steve Holeman and the rest of the Rebel coaching staff couldn't be happier.
