To say Julie Vanloo showed up and showed out for the Golden State Valkyries during the team's two preseason games is an understatement, but it turns out the 32-year-old Belgian point guard is truly multitasking while on the court. In an article published by the San Francisco Chronicle last week, multiple members of the team cited Vanloo as the glue that holds the Valkyries together.
Julie Vanloo is a (literal) translator for the Valkyries
One way Vanloo is contributing to the Golden State Valkyries that has very little to do with her on the court skills is by serving as a translator for teammates who are still learning English, or who speak another language more fluently. This was demonstrated when 21-year-old Carla Leite, who came to the Valkyries from France, asked for help translating a question asked during a press conference.
Leite was asked about her own preseason performance in last Tuesday's preseaon game against the Los Angeles Sparks. "She’s young, she showed that she controlled her maturity and she knew she had to step up, and she already had a lot of responsibility," Vanloo told reporters. "And then in stressful situations, you know, she had to stay calm, this was a new situation to her."
Vanloo then waited a beat and added, "I also think she did that very well."
Golden State is a diverse team
The players on the current Valkyries roster hail from seven countries — the United States, France, Belgium, Australia, Canada, Britain, and Italy — and speak a multitude of languages. Vanloo can speak four languages, something that has made her an even more important part of a team that clearly adores her. (In addition to French and English, Vanloo speaks Flemish and Italian.)
This kind of international diversity is unique to the Valkyries and makes the team very special. Vanloo told the outlet that basketball played a major role in her decision to learn as many languages as she could.
"For basketball, I was very, very motivated to learn languages," she explained. "So definitely it helps to communicate with my teammates. To quickly switch, switch up in my head to speak a different language, because, let’s be honest, it’s not easy for the other team, if you talk French, they don’t understand. So it can help."
Coach Natalie Nakase also acknowledged Vanloo's ability to switch between languages so easily and cited it as a building block crucial to the team's foundation. "Imagine going to another country and you’re just, you have no idea (the language). When I played in Germany, I really wasn’t understanding. … So it’s been nice to have Julie, because she’s listening, she’s doing extra for a teammate," she said.
Julie Vanloo has helped shape the Golden State Valkyries
Valkyries rookie Kaitlyn Chen told reporters Vanloo has played an important role in bringing the team together, something that can be difficult for any WNBA team, let alone one that is so new.
Like the rest of the WNBA, the Valkyries have a lot of tough roster decisions to make before May 15. Vanloo is expected to start for the team when the season officially begins on May 16, and will undoubtedly continue to serve her teammates well on and off the court, something that is a testament to the type of player she is, and the type of team N