Ex-Rock star Falcusan is
well-suited for success

BY ED WRIGHT
Feb. 1, 2010, 5:05 p.m.

  The soccer cleats that used to dominate the front row of the footwear section of Jordan Falcusan's closet are still around; they've just taken a necessary demotion behind the stylish high heels that have come to symbolize her new No. 1 priority: big-city haberdasher.

  "I still like to play pick-up soccer," said the former five-sport standout at Salem, "but I'm afraid I might hurt somebody," she joked, laughing.

  Still armed with a spring-loaded right leg that can turn soccer balls into sphere-shaped missiles and a competitive fire that probably won't be extinguished until she's, oh, let's say 70 years old, Falcusan could definitely do some damage against some slow-reflexed pick-up players whose last big game came in a U11 league.

  But the former Salem star " pitch" woman is too busy selling suits, ties, shirts and trousers to Chicago's rich and famous as an employee of Tom James Company  -- the world's largest manufacturer of custom clothing -- to focus too much on athletics these days.

  Among the five to seven clients she generally visits each workday -- at the clients' home or business -- most are well-off businessmen who enjoy the luxury of having their clothes brought to them instead venturing out to the shopping district for new threads.

  You'd probably recognize the names of some of her clients, who include professional athletes, most notably Chicago Black Hawks players.

  "I also work with CEO's of big companies," she said. "It's a great job, working in the fashion industry in Chicago, one of the best cities in the world. I love it."

  Falcusan also loved her previous gig that was right up her alley: an internship that doubled as a soccer tournament director and soccer sales representative at Disney's "Wide World of Sports."

  "I have degrees in sports management and business, so working down there as a tournament director and with soccer sales was ideal," she said. "But this was during the summer of 2008 when the economy was at its worst, so they weren't hiring full-time.

  "The job was amazing. I'm a Disney dork as it is, so to be able to work there and help improve the connections between girls and soccer was great. It was my first real job, too, so it was great training for me."

  Falcusan said her competitive juices are still flowing.

  "I play a little beach volleyball here and there," she revealed. "It hurts a little bit because I still think I could be playing soccer. A professional league invited me to try out after my senior season at Tennessee, but it was bad timing and didn't work out."

  Falcusan said she approaches her professional career just like she attacked her athletic career.

  "I never want to be complacent in a job," she said. "That's the way I was in soccer. I always wanted to get better. I'll never settle for anything short of being the best at what I'm doing. Complacency is bad."

  After earning 13 varsity letters in five sports at Salem, Falcusan moved on to NCAA soccer power Texas A&M along with Salem teammate and good friend Marissa Sarkesian.

  Before too long, Falcusan earned a spot in the starting line-up, however, the complacency she dislikes started to settled in, sparking a transfer to Tennessee after two seasons with the Aggies.

  "When I decided to transfer, it was like the recruiting process was starting all over again," she said. "The first schools I started looking at were the Big 10 schools because they were already familiar with me and what I could do."

  Eventually, Falcusan settled on perennially strong Tennessee, a demanding program that despised complacency as much as its newest player.

  "I had to pass four pretty tough physical fitness tests before they'd let me practice," she said. "You weren't allowed to yawn in practice. I was looking for a program that would push me to get better and Tennessee was perfect.

  "I have nothing against A&M, but one example of why I like Tennessee is when I missed a shot wide during a drill at A&M, they'd say, 'That's why you're a defenseman.' At Tennessee, if I pulled a shot wide, they'd pull you aside and help you correct what you were doing wrong."

  One of Falcusan's most pleasant soccer memories came in 2004 when she helped lead the Michigan Hawks to a n 18U national championship.

  "I still have the two pair of red socks I wore for the Hawks that year," she said. "When I played at A&M and Tennessee, I'd wear the red socks under my regular socks.

  Falcusan's family -- sister Jansan and parents John and Lauren -- are as tight as a family can be that is scattered throughout the Midwest and Northeast.

  Jansan is a member of the New Hampshire volleyball team after four incredible years as a setter at Salem.

  "I'm her biggest fan and she's mine," said Jordan. "We talk every day. My parents are incredible, too. At least one of them has attended every one of our college games, which is pretty amazing considering we weren't playing in Michigan."

  While she's entrenched in her successful career as a professional clothier, Falcusan would never rule out a return to high-level soccer.

  "I still work out every day, I still kick the ball around," she said. "I haven't lost the desire to compete."

  And she still has the accessories she needs to hit the pitch again: the soccer cleats and a couple special pair of red socks.

  The one thing you'll never find in her bag of intangible accessories: complacency.

  Which is why Jordan Falcusan's success ceiling is as high as the Sears Tower.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.