Wv Soccer Player Takes Life On The Run Jason Roberts Maintains 3.9 Gpa While Juggling 4 Jobs, Athletics And Romance

People know they can rely on Jason Roberts.

Even former baby sitters know Roberts will come through.

Kathy Larsen, 22, missed her junior prom at Central Valley to baby-sit Roberts and his younger brother and sister.

Roberts made up for the sacrifice last year by taking Larsen to his junior prom at West Valley.

“And this year I’ll take her to the senior prom,” Roberts said. “It’s kind of funny to look back on those types of stories.”

Roberts and Larsen hope to marry next year.

Whether it’s in the classroom, on the soccer field or at one of his many jobs, Roberts never slacks off.

Roberts will graduate this spring with a grade-point average of better than 3.9 (on a 4.0 scale). He already has been approved for an academic scholarship to Whitworth College, where he plans to study business and accounting.

Roberts hopes to play soccer at Whitworth. This might confuse people who peruse Frontier League results and seldom see Roberts’ name.

Yet to help the Eagles this year, Roberts has switched from the high-scoring forward position to a defensive-minded sweeper.

“He really adds to our attack at sweeper because he has such good vision,” said WV Coach Dirk Linton. “In a way, it’s a sacrifice, but it’s just as good if you want college people to look at you.

“It cuts down, though, on getting your name in the paper.”

“It’s pretty quiet on the glory end, I’d guess you call it,” Roberts said. “But it has its rewards.”

The main reward is holding a rival scoreless, although Roberts also relishes choreographing his teammates’ movements.

“When we put him back there, that solved a lot of the problems on our team,” Linton said.

Last summer Roberts played for an Olympic Development Program team that gathered at Albuquerque, N.M. An injury to another player forced coaches to move Roberts to stopper, another defensive spot. His final status report praised his ability to play any position.

What ODP officials may not have known was how Roberts prepared for the experience.

Roberts has asthma that he keeps in check with a vigorous training regimen. He was concerned that Albuquerque’s high altitude would aggravate his condition, so he headed for the hills - Mount Spokane, to be precise.

Roberts trained on the mountain two or three times per week.

The senior doesn’t shrink from any extra work.

Roberts juggles four jobs around the time given to school, soccer and his fiancee.

“I’m trying to make ends meet,” he said. “You have those weeks when everything seems overwhelming, but it will work out.”

Roberts has been compared to his father, Larry, a disc jockey from the age of 13 who ultimately bought and sold radio stations.

The Roberts family moved to Spokane from Pueblo, Colo., seven years ago. Through their church they met Larsen, a native Arizonan who attends Eastern Washington University.

“It was really strange when I was 16 (and dating) someone who was 20,” Roberts said. “But it has kind of matured me faster.

“She woke me up to the real world because she’s already been there.”