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10 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || AUGUST 2015By Denise SmithFMM: Where did you get %u201cThem There Eyes%u201d? EC: My dad has these light, crystal-blue eyes, and my mom has really green eyes %u2013 so I guess I%u2019m a combination of them both. FMM: Sports played a huge part of your youth. What types of sports did you and your brothers play?EC: Sports were everything to me growing up. It was how I proved to my brothers that I could keep up. They played football in high school while I played as many different sports I could find the time for...soccer, basketball, softball, track and field and volleyball. I played on a club soccer team for years. I loved it, but got burnt out when I entered high school. I focused on volleyball all throughout high school. FMM: Were your parents athletes? EC: My mom grew up in a family of ten kids. Five brother and five sisters...she didn%u2019t play organized sports, but being in a big family back then, you stayed busy being active outdoors. Much like myself, my mom was a tomboy, so she knew the value of being active at a young age. My dad also played football in high school. I always tease him because he was the typical guy you see in the movies: the high school football captain who wore the letterman jacket. He played against the legendary Mike Garrett back then. He was a linebacker and he told me trying to tackle Garrett was no fun. Ha!FMM: How did they go about introducing you to sports?EC: They put me in AYSO at a very young age. And I guess I just fell in love with it. I was not only a very competitive kid, but I had a lot of energy. It probably just made sense to have me play sports so I wouldn%u2019t drive my parents crazy. FMM: What part of Italy is your family from? EC: Calabria. FMM: What is it about Football that captured your attention?EC: First of all, it%u2019s just fun to watch. The mere action of the game simply captures your attention. But it%u2019s also the story lines, the division rivalries, the back and forth between competing teams. My favorite game to watch every year is when Seattle plays San Francisco. FMM: With your appreciation for football, were you a student of the game, studying every play? Or were you an avid fan, watching every moment of the game unfold with the rest of us?EC: I mean, obviously I didn%u2019t play the game growing up; but having a father and two brothers who did play clearly entrenched the love of the game for me. But with all sports, and truly why I love sports, it%u2019s the moments where the game is on the line. Will they fold under pressure? That decision to sink or swim, seize the moment or choke? It%u2019s the pressure of facing adversity and overcoming obstacles at the highest level. It%u2019s so raw. In my opinion, the best form of entertainment is watching these young athletes train their whole lives to make it for that one moment: How do you perform when the game is on the line? For instance, at this year%u2019s Super Bowl, we all thought the Patriots were done. They were gonna lose, right? And then Malcolm Butler comes up huge. That%u2019s why I love watching football. Any given Sunday. FMM: Tell us about growing up in LA. What do you love about your hometown?EC: What do I love about LA? Where do I start? Ha! Just kidding. I love that LA has so much to offer. There%u2019s the beach, the mountains, the desert, citylife... All in one county. And the weather... If it drops below 60 degrees everyone%u2019s wearing beanies and sweaters. We%u2019re very spoiled here in Los Angeles. It%u2019s a great place to live. >>>