If Jackie Taheny were in movies, she’d probably play the role of Will Ferrell’s sidekick chick who is hot as hell, but doesn’t take no for an answer. Just talking to her, you get a sense she’s definitely a gal that feels completely comfortable in her own skin, knows how to have fun, and can probably belch with the best of them.
This California native is a recent college graduate and member of the Cal State Long Beach Men’s Crew team. We brought our life jacket and caught up with this Ploomy Girl to see what floats her boat.
Ploomy: We know you’re originally from the Bay Area, so how did you decide on Long Beach State for college?
Jackie: It is also known as “The Beach”- enough said!
Ploomy: We know you just graduated…congrats! So how would you rate Long Beach State as a party school?
Jackie: There are a lot of bars and a few fun clubs. I leaned towards house parties with my friends or parties at my house. The party scene in Long Beach is what you make of it. There are plenty of fun places to go and good hangouts all around.
Ploomy: What drink do you order when you go to a bar?
Jackie: “Jack” and coke.
Ploomy: Why are we not surprised!
Ploomy: What was probably the wildest thing you did during college?
Jackie: The wildest thing I did was skinny dipping with my girlfriends at the Montage, a beautiful resort in Laguna. It was around 10:30 the night before our finals started. My friends came to my house, kidnapped me and then drove 30 min to a beautiful beach. It was winter and freezing cold. Our feet were numb just from walking in the cold sand. Then we dove into a giant wave and everything went numb. I was sick for a week, but it was a great night.
Ploomy: Aside from school and work, what else do you do in your spare time?
Jackie: I am a huge fan of the outdoors. Now that school is over and I will have more time for fun things, I want to get back into rock climbing. I have also recently started taking kick boxing lessons! I love them. I get my butt kicked and can barely move for the next few days, but it is fun and an amazing workout.
Ploomy: We know you were in crew/rowing. That seems so different. How did you get into that?
Jackie: I started in high school as a coxswain on the women’s team. After four years of saying, “I can’t–I have crew,” (a saying every rower and coxswain knows well) I decided to leave it behind. Then the men’s team at CSULB was looking for a coxswain and I decided to give it another go. Best decision I have ever made! My team and I beat some big name schools and came out of nowhere to the East coast schools. I become very passionate about competition when I am in a boat. That feeling right before a race begins when all the crews are at the starting line waiting to pound away is one of the most amazing feelings.
The coxswain (pronounced /ˈkɒksən/) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. [via Wikipedia]
Note: It’s tradition after winning a race that the coxswain is thrown into the water. For Jackie, this was quite often.
Ploomy: How was it like being around guys all the time for practice?
Jackie: I loved it! I now have a similar sense of humor to an 18-year-old boy and an affinity for dirty jokes. We all knew how to work hard, have a good time and win.
Ploomy: What’s it like being a coxswain and telling a boat full of guys what to do? Does it ever mistakenly carry over to your personal life?
Jackie: I am pretty good at keeping the commands to a minimum when I am not in the boat. Rowing terminology used to carry over sometimes. In rowing when a coxswain wants the rowers to stop rowing instead of saying stop, we say “weigh enough.” I have used this term in everyday language with people who had no idea what I was talking about. As for the boat full of guys, it was highly entertaining—pranks were pulled, dirty comments were made and bodily functions were compared on a daily basis. I learned a lot!
Ploomy: We know you have 3 sisters. What was that like growing up?
Jackie: It was, and still is, a party all of the time. I always have an amazing person to turn to if I ever need anything.
Ploomy: Did you ever have to fight over any boys?
Jackie: Yikes, no way. First of all there is a 10-year spread from my oldest sister to me. So any sharing there would have been grounds for legal action. We all have very different tastes in men. I was like a younger sister to all the guys they ended up with, so it was never an issue.
Ploomy: If you could play any role on a sitcom who would it be and why?
Jackie: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She can kick some butt, but I am a huge scaredy cat so I don’t know if I would have done such a good job.
Ploomy: What does a guy have to do to get you interested in him?
Jackie: He has to be genuinely nice to everyone. I don’t care how nice you are to me, but if you are rude to a waiter, waitress, or random person on the street, I will have a hard time believing that you are a good guy. I like to laugh, so it is nice to have someone with a good sense of humor. Oh, and goofy is way better than “too cool for school.”
Ploomy: What’s the first thing you do to try and get a guy’s attention?
Jackie: I know it is a shocker, but I would probably talk to him! I do not believe in waiting all night trying to get a guy to notice you. If you like someone why waste time waiting? Just go and see what happens!
Ploomy: Describe the best date anyone could take you on.
Jackie: I like to play. The best date would involve dinner (without skipping dessert) and go karts or swimming, maybe bounce houses… casual is good.
Ploomy: What do guys wear that completely turns you off?
Jackie: It is a turn off when I can tell that a guy takes longer than I do to get ready. I am a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl.
Ploomy: What’s your favorite movie and why?
Jackie: I have a few. “Office Space” is just hilarious. “Elf” because I love hugs too. The “Thomas Crown Affair” because there is just something about watching two people fall in love while being on opposite sides of the law. “Tommy Boy” will always be a classic, and the quotes from this movie will always make me laugh. “Love Actually” because love actually is all around, and it sounds better with a British accent!
Ploomy: If you could pick one super power to have, what would it be and why?
Jackie: I can’t pick just one. I want all of them! Flying would probably feel amazing. Reading people’s minds would be completely entertaining (and very insightful depending on who you are listening to). Being able to transport myself anywhere in the world would cut down on travel cost and allow for more impulsive decisions, which are always fun!
Ploomy: What’s something about you, that most people don’t know?
Jackie: I like rocks. Whenever I go on hikes or do anything in the great outdoors, I always pick a rock that stands out to me and take it home. I know it is like a second grade boy hobby, but I have done this ever since I was a little girl. I have a rock from every backpacking trip I have been on and every mountain I have climbed.
Ploomy: What song do you listen to when you want to get pumped up?
Jackie: ACDC Thunder… it was the song that the guys in my boat and I listened to on the way to one of our biggest races. I can’t listen to that song without wanting to workout and more importantly jump into a boat and win!
Ploomy: What do you think “Men Need to Know?”
Jackie: Men need to know that they should treat their girlfriends the same way whether or not their friends are around. If they can’t be themselves in front of their girlfriends then they may be with the wrong person.
Ploomy: What are you doing this Friday night? No, seriously–our readers want to know what a typical Friday night like for you.
Jackie: This Friday night I am going to a bar in Long Beach that has a fabulous 80’s cover band playing. It is totally low-key and fun. There is a huge age range of people because the band is great and everyone loves them. The drinks are pretty reasonable too!
Want more Jackie? Be sure to check out the link below:
Jackie’s Facebook
This Ploomy Girl was nominated by Katie and Rob in Portland, Oregon. Are you a Ploomy Girl or know someone who is? Nominate her! Learn more here.
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Comments
17 Responses to “Ploomy Girl #4: JackAttack”
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I’ll let her boss me around anytime. Did anyone else notice that she’s on a Triumph in that picture. Now that’s a throwback.
Where are the pictures from the skinny dipping? J/K. nice little article here. She looks like a fun girl to be around.
“It is a turn off when I can tell that a guy takes longer than I do to get ready”. Well said. A guy shouldn’t have to put on makeup to pick up a girl. Really fun girl, by the way, good job ploomy. Oh and Office Space is one of my favorite movies too. Milton is one of the funniest characters I’ve ever seen.
finally a plain jane “ploomy girl” Jeans and t-shirt type too..thats a plus!!!
This girl ROCKS… I think I met her South of the border. ;-)
Jackie- you can bounce in my house anytime you want.
I’m sorry, but she was a snore. Ploomy, I expected higher standards from you for your “ploomy girl.” Keep them as high as Ploomy Girl #1. She was funny, interesting, unique, engaging, and most especially, witty. Sure, and hot. Ploomy #4? Lacking. Epitome of typical (and perhaps even plain jane)…unless that qualifies for your “ploomy girls.” zzzzzzz….
@Bettista – I appreciate your comments. But Jackie is not your typical plain jane though. I don’t know too many women who are coxswain. I’d be interested to see who you think is a Ploomy Girl. Please email me your nomination. Thanks again.
A snore??? Wow, no way you are wrong. If she’s a snore, I’ll take that any day of the week.
Kudos to Jackie for going after what (or who) she wants! I don’t know a lot of girls who have the guts and confidence to make the first move. Guys, I bet that was refreshing for you to hear!
I have to disagree with Bettista, but we’re all entitled to our own opinions, and everybody has different taste so we’re bound to have different opinions.
That said, any girl who likes rock climbing, kick boxing, go-karting, ACDC, and has the balls (excuse the expression) to jump into (naked, no less) the Pacific in the winter ranks pretty high in my book. It’s good to see a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to admit it and go after it.
It also doesn’t hurt that Jackie is the most attractive Ploomy girl thus far. No offense to #1 – #3.
ohk. fair enough. afterall, i am a female. and perhaps females are harsher on other females. but i must admit, don’t you think ploomy #1 just had more spunk and wit?! with this interview, i could have GUESSED what she was going to say…coming from a typical female. predictable. typical. snore. that’s not what i think of when i think of standards of a ploomy girl. a ploomy girl would catch me off guard. over 50% of females who read this and the interview could have predicted her responses. it’s not out of the ordinary. it’s predictable. and that, i do not think, defines a “ploomy girl.” rebuttal? jack, you’re sweet. but…..
It’s hard to compare to girl #1 because the format is very different. I don’t feel like I learned very much about Lydia as a person. A bit of her personality came through, which I liked, but I can’t say I thought she was spunkier.
I think we may have different expectations of a Ploomy girl. You are a woman, so I’m not even going to try to guess at what your expectations are. Myself, I want to see a womans perspective on things. More than that, I want to see that perspective from a woman who’s around my age (early 20’s; getting scarily close to mid 20’s) and out there dating guys like me (my age?). I don’t want to hear from celebrities who are few and far between. I see Ploomy as a [mostly] practical resource for Men (I’d be curious as to what the reader base is). So, I want practical information from women in the dating world and see what type of women are out there.
And capitalizing “Men” before was a complete accident; you can just look past it.
the eyes!
For me PG#4 and PG#2 are the best looking. She’d (PG#4) be a girl I would definitely date. Shhhh don’t tell the wife.
I am partial to brunettes but where are the blonds Ploomy???
I like all the girls you picked so far. each of them are SO different. How do I nominate my friend to be one? My friend Tamara is perfect for this.