Jan. 3, 2006

By Danielle Appelman
UNC Athletic Communications Student Assistant

As a goalkeeper on the UNC field hockey team from 1995-1999, Nicole Frey helped the Tar Heels win three NCAA Championships and three ACC Championships (1995, 1996, 1997). While this huge feat would probably rank first on most people's list of greatest accomplishments, it is what Frey is doing now that she and people close to her are most proud of. The 28-year-old Virginia Beach native is currently defending our country as one of the few female pilots in the United States Navy. She recently took time out of her very busy schedule to answer questions for TarHeelBlue.com about her life in the Navy and to explain how her time on the North Carolina field hockey team helped prepare her.

TarHeelBlue: How did you get started toward becoming a Navy pilot? Was this something you had always wanted to do? If not, what drove you to join the Navy?

Frey: After graduating from Carolina, I was not certain whether or not I wanted to join the military, so I decided to give the civilian world a try before committing to a military obligation. In the summer of 2000 I accepted a position with Salomon Smith Barney. Within the first three months I knew I needed more ... more excitement, more travel, more THRILL. Little did I know that within four years I would have traveled the world, lived in a foreign country, and defended our nation.

THB: Do you have family members who were in the Navy or other divisions of the military or are you the first?

Frey: My true inspiration to join the Navy was my father, Ret CAPT Charles Walter Frey. My father served his country for 29 years as a Supply Officer in the USN. Since accepting my commission, my little sister, ENS Monica Madeline Frey, has also joined the Navy and is currently deployed on board the USS Chosin, more closely following my father as a Supply Officer.

THB: What did your family think when you told them that you wanted to join the Navy?

Frey: Honestly, it was no surprise. According to my father, it was just a matter of time.

THB: When did you join the Navy?

Frey: Ironically, I committed to the Navy the summer of 2001. However, I was the first class at Officer Candidate School, NAS Pensacola, to arrive immediately following 9-11. It was a jagged little pill to swallow knowing that we were certain to participate in the war on terrorism.

THB: What was your training like? What was the hardest part?

Frey: Wow, first of all the military NEVER stops training. I am still training, every day. OCS was 13 weeks of fun. It is an amazing transformation from civilian to Officer. Flight school was definitely challenging. It is a constant "weed-out" process, which is a good thing, but very stressful ... Long, hot flights in Corpus Christi, Texas, accompanied by hours and hours of studying. I have studied more in flight school than I did all five years at Carolina (sorry, Coach Karen).

THB: At any point did you have regrets or think that you couldn't finish? If so, what did you say to yourself, to convince yourself that you could continue?

Frey: Never! My experiences as a national championship UNC field hockey player set me up to succeed. The discipline, focus, and determination that coach Karen Shelton instilled in me gave me the necessary tools I needed to reach my goal of becoming a Naval Aviator.

THB: What was the process like to becoming a pilot?

Frey: Flight school is a series of programs used to mold and select the appropriate people for suitable platforms. For example, the first step is IFS (Introductory Flight Screening). It is 25 hours of civilian instruction in a single engine prop and is completed with a solo flight. Next is API (Aviation Preflight Indoctrination) in Pensacola, Florida. This is six classroom lessons in preparation for Primary Flight School. I did Primary in Corpus Christi, Texas, where I flew the T34, a single-engine turbo prop. Upon completion of Primary, you fill out your "wish list" for which platform you would like to fly, and depending on your grades compared to all the other students that week, the Navy tells you what you will be flying in the fleet. After Primary/Intermediate in the T34, I flew the T12, a twin-engine Super King Air turbo prop. This is to prepare you for multi-engine flight. It is at this point that you earn your wings of gold. So, after getting winged, I moved to Jacksonville, Florida, for the "rag". It was in Jacksonville where I flew the P3-C for the first time. Finally, at this point you are ready to join the fleet. And then last year I moved to Rota, Spain, where I joined my first squadron, VQ-2.

THB: I imagine that there are not many female Navy pilots? Is this a correct assumption? Do you know how many female pilots there are?

Frey: There are not many female pilots, but we are certainly out there. Numbers, I am not sure. Currently, we have two at my command.

THB: You said your sister Monica is now in the Navy also - was she inspired by you? And did you give her any pointers or advice before joining?

Frey: Monica was also looking for an adventure. If she followed in anyone's footsteps, it would have to be my father, but I like to think I had something to do with it. She got tired of hearing about all of my adventures, so she decided to check it out for herself ... best decision she has ever made, too. Believe me, as far as gouging her up for OCS, she was more than ready for what lie ahead. In fact, some of the staff remembered me from when I passed through, and as a result Monica received "special" attention.

THB: What's the hardest part (physical, mental or emotional) about what you do?

Frey: We are always gone. Since I joined my squadron last October, I will have been gone nine out of 15 months. So, as fun as all the travel is, it is also exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally. This will be my second Christmas, birthday, and New Years away from my family and friends.

THB: Did being a student-athlete help when it came to training?

Frey: I am where I am today because of UNC field hockey. The physical, mental, and emotional endurance that I use daily stems from the discipline I developed from college athletics.

THB: Are there any correlations between being a pilot and playing field hockey?

Frey: When we train in the plane, we always train for worst case scenario i.e. losing two engines, fire in the plane and weather below minimums, all at the same time. It is the skills that Karen Shelton taught me that get me through each flight - the ability to stay focused and lead, communicate the big picture, and get the job done. And these skills go beyond the training environment. I have been in real world situations, with people's lives at stake, and have had to kick it in high gear to get the job done.

THB: You were the first female to play varsity football in Virginia Beach. Have you always had that desire to play alongside the boys and prove that you were just as strong and able? Did that experience help when it came to training and working beside men in the Navy?

Frey: That experience taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to and I can compete with men at the same level, which I do daily. I understand and respect the physical differences and my limits, but I have never been afraid of trying.

THB: If someone told you as a freshman field hockey goalie that one day you would be where you are, would you have believed them?

Frey: No way! As a freshman, I could not see past winter break let alone the end of college. However, looking back it was all a stepping stone and maturation process.

THB: What was your most memorable or favorite moment from playing field hockey at North Carolina?

Frey: My most memorable moment is divided into three parts which would be each of our three NCAA Championships I participated in.

THB: You played football, field hockey, studied viola for seven years, are now a Navy pilot. Is there anything you can't do?

Frey: Not yet!

THB: Where did you get your confidence and selflessness?

Frey: I can thank my parents for that. I believe that all of my extra activities are what has molded me into the woman I am today. Girl Scouts, 4H, field hockey, soccer, football, track, church choir and prayer group, and orchestra all impacted me positively.

THB: What advice do you have for future female Navy pilots?

Frey: If you want it, go get it!

THB: What does the future hold for you? What's the next step?

Frey: One step at a time. I would like to be a flight instructor next, so I can teach future aviators. A family would be nice, too.