Navy Officer, Pilot In 'Top Gun: Maverick' Speaks To BRHS Girls Soccer Team

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Coach John Kowalski thought it "would be a shot in the dark" when he launched his attempt to locate a United States Naval officer who would be able to speak to his freshman girls' soccer players at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

The idea was born when, one afternoon during a freshman girls’ soccer practice this season, a player, Charlotte Ribeiro, had mentioned to Kowalski that she had a desire to one day join
the United States military service.

Then, during another practice session, Kowalski heard his players chattering about the
movie "Top Gun: Maverick."

So Kowalski, who is a Science Teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, explored the opportunity to connect a Navy officer with his players through a virtual meeting.

"I began to do some research and figured that I had nothing to lose so I emailed the Navy," Kowalski explained. "I thought that I would never hear back."

He happily admitted that he was wrong.

"A day later, my email had been forwarded to an officer named Commander Kristen Findlay," Kowalski said. "She communicated with me and we set up a Google meeting."

Little did he know at the time, but Commander Findlay was the owner of a spectacular resume.

"What was exciting about Commander Findlay’s background is that she is also a Navy pilot," he
said. "And she is not just any Navy pilot."

He went on to describe what luck he ran into in being able to connect with Commander Findlay.

"She is a former Top Gun pilot. And she is not only a Top Gun pilot but a former Top Gun instructor," Kowalski explained. "And it gets even better."

"She is one of the pilots flying the planes in the movie 'Top Gun: Maverick'."

And to boot — no pun intended — Commander Findlay was a collegiate soccer player at Navy.

"She was a Division 1 soccer goalie," Kowalski stated. "This is everything I had hoped for."

"Boy, I hit a home run."

Or, in this case, a winning goal.

So after school was dismissed on Tuesday, Nov. 14, Kowalski and his soccer players, who sported an 11-2-1 record this autumn, gathered in his classroom — room 817 — and they listened during the virtual meeting to this impressive presentation delivered by Commander Findlay.

She spoke of her career in the Navy, her exploits as a pilot, performing in the movie along, and her experiences as a soccer player.

Then she fielded questions from the coach and the players.

"I really enjoyed it," Charlotte said.

All this was a result of Charlotte revealing to her coach that she wanted to pursue a career in the military, such as her father Hugo, who had served in the United States Air Force.

"I always thought it would be interesting to serve our country," she said.

Kowalski can be saluted for his effort and will receive flying colors.

"I want my players to be inspired and know that they can do anything and be anything," Kowalski said. "Commander Findlay flew F18 Super Hornets and was a Division 1 soccer player. That’s pretty much the top of the inspirational list."

When asked if she would continue her dreams after the meeting with Commander Findlay, Charlotte answered:

"Yes, even more so now."

— Submitted by Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District