Terp Q&A: Paul Bin

The Winter 2021 issue of ONE MARYLAND Magazine recently arrived in the mailboxes of Terrapin Club members. ONE MARYLAND features stories of strength and perseverance, of determination and spirit. These stories define our athletics program, and this new magazine will allow us to share these stories with you. Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out some of these stories on umterps.com as a preview of what you will find in ONE MARYLAND. To receive future issues of the magazine when they debut, please join the Terrapin Club. We hope you enjoy.

Taylor Smyth caught up with Paul Bin, a redshirt senior captain on the Maryland men's soccer team to talk about the pandemic, his recovery from a torn ACL, his mental health battles and head coach Sasho Cirovski.

You traveled home to South Korea for the beginning of the pandemic. What was your experience there in contrast to in the United States? 

“Well, I don’t want to showboat in any way (laughs), but I think Korea did a phenomenal job dealing with the pandemic. Some may say that they overdid it, but health and safety of everyone comes first and if they overdid it was only because they cared. When the pandemic reached the USA, I went home, and I had to quarantine for 14 days in Korea. In the United States, the quarantine process is not as strict, but in Korea once you get there you download an app that tracks your phone, so they know where you are during the quarantine. I was stuck in my apartment for 14 days and they sent care packages with food and water, but I wasn’t allowed to leave my apartment. 

“The quarantine was very difficult. Being an athlete, I love to get outside, and not being able to go outside was tough. At the same time, I did as much as I could working out during that time. After quarantine, it was lovely. Korea was past the lockdown stage when I went back so everything began to reopen. Everyone was wearing masks everywhere; they took it very seriously. I lived a pretty normal life back home. I lived the most normal life you could during these times.”

You tore your ACL on the first day of preseason camp last fall. What has that journey to full health been like?

“Where do I even start? It’s one of those things you never wish on anyone, especially when you’re an athlete. I’m not used to being injured at all, so that was my first big injury. I didn’t realize until I was in it how mentally and emotionally challenging it was. Obviously, the physical aspect was challenging, but mentally I asked myself is this going to end my career or change the way I play. Having a few teammates going through the same stuff and it was nice to be able to have someone to relate to your experiences. We talked about it pretty openly and we could empathize with each other and compare our experiences going through it. It helped me personally to have friends that are going through it as well that truly understand what I was feeling.”

Growing up you have been all over the world. What’s been your road to Maryland and how has it developed you as a person? 

“I’m very blessed. Not many people my age can say they’ve lived in three vastly different countries [South Korea, England, United States) with vastly different cultures. I’m privileged to have been able to do that. The biggest takeaway that’s shaped who I am is being culturally competent. I think I’m very culturally competent of others and I think that’s led me to understand that everyone is equal. Regardless of where you’re from, what your race is, what your gender is; it’s all love. We are all stuck in this world together and that is now my mindset. It has all shaped how I view people.”

You’ve been very open about your ups and downs with mental health. What is it like for you to know be able to help people with those struggles and knock down that stigma? 

“It’s really empowering. I think having gone through the darkest of times has made me realize that after I defeated this demon, I want to help people and I want to advocate. I want to show people that it can happen to anyone. To be able to share my experiences and give advice when I can to people that may be going through it is not only hopefully empowering to them, but also to me. It’s great to be a part of something that is so prevalent right now. Even to just help one person, not even 100, but just one is an incredible thing.”

One of the milestones of your journey at Maryland is the National Title after taking time off to deal with your mental health. What was that team like? 

“Winning with that specific group meant so much to me because of my mental health journey and how accepted I was by that group when I came back. I don’t think many can say they’ve gone through this and then had a group of guys considered “alpha males” empathize and support in the way they did. It was just perfect. To win the natty with those boys was such a special moment. It still feels like a dream even two years later. Seeing all of my brothers crying their eyes out when we were celebrating is a moment I will never ever forget. To this day, it’s one of my best memories of my life without a shadow of a doubt.”

What does your head coach Sasho Cirovski mean to you? 

“Sash means something a little different to me than maybe anyone else. He’s been a father figure to me. He’s been so supportive and loving throughout my time here. He gave me a way back and has always been so open-minded. In general, whenever you meet Sash he’s not just going to give you a fist pump, he’s going to give you a hug. I think that shows the type of character that he is. He’s a people person and he cares about us as people before us as players. I think that’s why he’s so successful. He’s an amazing soccer coach, but he’s an amazing mentor and guide to life. For him, soccer is important, but life is more important. The way he installs that when we play and act on and off the field just shows the caliber of man that he is. When he preaches “excellence”, that doesn’t just come on the soccer pitch, it also comes off the pitch. That’s why his culture at Maryland has been so successful.”

You’ve been installed into more of a leadership role this season. How has it been handling that responsibility? 

“It was a huge honor. When Sasho announced that I was going to be captain, it felt really surreal. I was this really small Asian kid freshman year who dreamt of starting for Maryland and to become captain my senior year is so humbling, especially because of everything the program has given me personally. It gave me a way back and gave me so much support during my journey. When I became captain, I actually called the 2018 captains and asked for advice. I wanted to know what they did that led to our successes. They gave me such good advice and also gave me a lot of support that it was the right decision for me to be one of the leaders. I hope that I can help lead this group, but I see us all as captains. I might be the one with the captain’s armband officially, but I’ve still got a lot of things to learn as a leader. I want to take it to head on, make some mistakes and learn from it. Hopefully, I can help elevate the team further.”

If you or a loved one are struggling or in need of mental health support, the following resources are available at a national level; the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. –6 p.m., ET at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264); via text by texting ‘NAMI’ to 741741, 24 hours a day, seven days a week; or via email at info@nami.org for confidential, free crisis counseling. 

Visit NAMI online at www.nami.org/home for more information.
For additional mental health resources, visit umterps.com/terpstalk.

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Because we’re in this together, you are not alone.