Just One Look Tells You She’s a Surfer : But It Doesn’t Stop There for Mira Costa Soccer Star Robyn Kropp

Robyn Kropp belongs on the beach. Whether it be Redondo or Manhattan or some other ocean-front sand dune is inconsequential. Her appearance screams surfer .

Robyn Kropp’s hair is blond and straight. She drives a small black Mercedes-Benz with a “Spyder” sticker on the rear window, Spyder being her surfing sponsor.

And the relationship is profitable for both. Kropp is supplied with boards and other paraphernalia by Spyder and returns the No. 1 ranking in the open women’s division, She is one of only two women on the national team and has been surfing for five years.

When Kropp has more time invested in a sport, like 12 years, she figures to accomplish even more. For instance, she started playing soccer at age 6 and is a star at Mira Costa High. She has had a hand in half of the team’s goals. And when Mira Costa falls behind, and opponents are constantly near the “wrong” goal, Coach Kevin McBride takes Kropp from the forward position and places her on defense.

“Because she is our leading scorer and assist person,” McBride said, “every other team knows who she is. And sometimes they play more than aggressively. Knowing this, she has to figure out their tendencies and what’s going to work for Robyn. Usually she does.

“Near the end of the game, we want her to have the ball. She is our Magic Johnson. She makes things happen.”

But that should be common knowledge for McBride by now. When his son and Kropp faced off in Pony League baseball, where Kropp pitched and played second base, she took one of his fastballs to the wall for a triple. Kropp also slapped her twin brother’s fastballs to the wall a few times, McBride said.

“I can pretty much do any sport well,” Kropp said, flashing a smile. “But I still have to work very hard. My dad used to pitch in minor-league baseball, so that helped.”

Because of her success in sports, though, Kropp has been accused of being a tomboy.

“It bothered me when I was little,” she said. “But you just get used to it. I guess when people get to know you, it changes things.”

Kropp sits on a metal bench, back to the soccer field. She wears sweat pants and a sweat shirt with “Mira Costa Soccer” emblazoned on the back. Her name and No. 15 are stitched into the front of both. When Kropp walks from the bench, her strides are catlike, natural. She looks like a trained runner.

“Speed,” Kropp says, succinctly explaining her greatest soccer asset. “(That’s why) I like to play forward. It’s more of a challenge to get by people. I like beating people out.”

And that assertive train of thought is exactly what McBride likes about his star forward.

“(She has) quick feet,” McBride said, “and is able to head the ball aggressively. Forwards need smartness, meaning being able to find the open space. They have to be a very good athlete and can’t be one-dimensional. Robyn is more than a one-dimensional player.”

She is also more than a one-dimensional person. The senior worked for a 3.3 grade-point average this semester and aspires to study business (although she said that could change) and play soccer at Cal Berkeley, which has expressed interest in her soccer ability.

McBride said Kropp often disrupts practice, translating into penalty laps around the field.

“As a practice player,” he said, half-jokingly, “if you didn’t know her you would cut her.”

But what Kropp lacks in practice, she makes up for in games.

“Before a soccer game you psyche yourself up with other people,” she said. “You have to worry about getting your team psyched. For surfing, I concentrate on what I am going to do. You don’t have to worry about who’s next to you.”

McBride praises her game time confidence.

“The position she plays is called a finisher,” he said. “They may touch the ball once all game, but they have to concentrate 110%. You have to stay mentally in the game. You have to be ready for that one moment. Robyn does that.”

Of the 33 goals Mira Costa has scored in its 6-2 season, Kropp is responsible for 18 (13 goals, 5 assists).

“She’s typical,” McBride said. “She always has something to say and gets in her share of trouble. I say that to show she is human, she has other things on her mind besides perfect scores.”

Probably perfect waves.