Empowering Soccer Newsletter

EmpoweringSoccer Newsletter: June 1st, 2011
Volume 1, Issue 3
Page 1
Empowering Soccer Newsletter
“Investing in Her Dream”
www.empoweringsoccer.com
Welcome to Empowering Soccer (ES)
Empowering Soccer, LLC
is a grassroots
organization that was
created to help raise
awareness surrounding
professional women‟s
soccer while providing
youth soccer clubs and
girls the chance to
experience and benefit
from ES athletes, ES
coaches, and other
professional opportunities (mental and life skill training, nutrition, etc.). The team
at Empowering Soccer wants to bring unique professional experiences into
youth soccer clubs and therefore the ES team creates individual “packages” that
match the needs of each club. Workshops, keynote
addresses, meet and greets, autograph sessions, World
Cup Game Day Experiences are all examples of what
ES can bring to young girls and female teams.
ES Athletes and ES Coaches are comprised of former
and current USA National team and professional
women‟s soccer players, Olympic and World Cup
Champions as well as professional women‟s soccer and
NCAA Champions. They know how important female
role models are to the youth players today and want to
share their insight and expertise with the future players
of tomorrow.
Page 2
What’s new at Empowering Soccer?
Who is new to the ES family?
(Bios on www.empoweringsoccer.com)
PLAYERS
Jordan Angeli (Boston Breakers)
Karen Bardsley (NJ Sky Blue FC)
Val Henderson (Philadelphia Independence)
Beverly Goebel (Western NY Flash)
Nikki Cross (Boston Breakers)
LeighAnn Robinson (Philadelphia Independence)
Kia McNeil (Philadelphia Independence)
Danielle Johnson (NJ Sky Blue FC)
Brittany Bock (Western NY Flash)
Ali Riley (Western NY Flash)
Christine Sinclair (Western NY Flash)
Kiersten Dalstream (Boston Breakers)
STAFF
Erin Mikula (Consultant)
Bonnie Young (Consultant)
Sam Clark (Consultant)
Page 3
ES World Cup Game Day Experiences
Join an ES Player as they conduct a Q & A during a live
Women‟s World Cup match this summer. Discussions will
revolve around the following topics:
-Mental preparations
-Physical preparations
-Game-Day routines
-Locker room talk
-Managing Pressures
WWC Game Day Experiences will also include
pictures and autographs with ES Athlete.
ES World Cup Game Day Viewing Parties
Empowering Soccer and Buffalo Wild Wings would like to
make you a part of Empowering Soccer‟s World Cup
Game Day Viewing Parties. These parties let you enjoy
the USA World Cup games on multiple big screens in the
comfort of your neighborhood Buffalo Wild Wings.
Are you interested in providing your players or club with a once in a lifetime experience? If so, then please contact Jen Plante either by email
[email protected] or by phone at 614-804-9646
ES would like to thank Eurosport for providing gift
cards to all participants as well as their latest catalog.
ES would also like to thank Blackberry for providing us
playbook tablets to aid in documenting our events.
Page 4
VAL HENDERSON, GK for
Philadelphia Independence
another girl in camp, sitting across from me, shoveling
pasta as she told us about her brothers and her family,
acting out every story with ridiculous facial expressions
and voices. (Then later having tooth-brushing contests
before bed- who can create the most foam).
All of us away from home, we were forced to stick
together. So together we learned to adapt to different
styles of play and different staff, worked on being coach
-able and resilient, fought to excel outside of our
comfort zones. We didn‟t know everything that was to
come, but we were excited.
Empowering Soccer
We walked into the Olive Garden in Wilmington,
Delaware, and no one batted an eye. The room was
buzzing with 14 year-old Region I soccer players, all
enjoying their last dinner together after a 3-day camp,
almost too busy to notice four pro soccer players.
Kia McNeil, Leigh Ann Robinson, Lauren Fowlkes and I
had come down to meet the girls, talk about our soccer
experiences, and answer any questions they might
have. But first we got to sit down and get friendly over
some breadsticks and bottomless salads.
And now here I was at Olive Garden, just turned 25 and
meeting these girls who have their whole soccer lives
ahead of them.
The organization that had brought the Independence
players is called Empowering Soccer. A new and
quickly growing company, ES‟s goal is to spread soccer
awareness and excitement in the hopes of creating a
soccer-loving country and a lasting women‟s
professional league. With the professional womens
clubs on board and the involvement of several pros, the
company is able to provide a unique experience to
players and fans and use some creative ways to do
exactly what their title suggests: empower soccer.
This time the method was giving the youth players
I found a seat with three cheerful girls, all talking a mile some face time with the pros, or as the website
a minute about the fun they‟d had in camp. They asked promises: “connecting the players of today with those of
me funny questions like: “Have you ever been in an tomorrow.”
earthquake? Is it scary?” But for the most part they
www.valeriehenderson.com
were excited to tell me about their week, their family,
where they come from, where they‟re heading. Inviting
each other to their houses. You have to come!
The most amazing part for me is that this is a snapshot
of me 10 years ago. I played for region IV (West coast
instead of East), but the idea was the same: excited
soccer players all thrown into a training camp, thrust
upon their soon to be lifelong friends from around the
neighboring states and eventually around the country.
I re-lived meeting Chioma Igwe for the first time. She
went on to play 4 years of Division 1 soccer and 3 years
of professional (so far), but back then she was just
Page 5
**Monday’s with McCall**
Monday, May 30th, 2011
N
o0o0oo. Could it be?!? Another week together??
Woohooo! Yall make me :) I so love you people! Every day I do my
best to GIVE LOVE because afterall, everybody just wants to be
loved! I hope yall realize the power of Your love that you can share
each day :) Let's kick off this week, right now, by being kind and
affectionate to those around us. Ok done dealio.
Allllrighty, I gotta
morning to the facility with a mindset ready to put in work. On
Thursday, we showed up to the facility for work, but instead we got
to play a little :) The Buffalo Bills had an off-season training camp
last week and were training at our indoor complex. So when we
arrived in the morning and they were on our field... we took 'em on!
We played soccer with the Bills, it was soo entertaining. We were
trying to teach them a few things and we were in awe of their natural
athleticism. (They're quick learners) It was awesome to get to know
them and feel a sense of pride that we together, will represent
professional sports in the WNY area. They're a great group of guys
and it was nice to know that even though they are excellent with
their hands.. they still can't save our PK's :-P
We had another fabulous week of preparation and fun. The
tone here is so positive and determined for greatness that we just
be honest with you I
continue to build each and every week. Of course we are faced with
kinda feel like a
new challenges and situations, but we handle it as a unit and
martian right now.
maintain a successful environment.
We arrived home
here in Western New
e made a mid-week trade with Atlanta last week, which was
York this morning
tough
to
handle. Both Parker and Sitch were a part of this family and
around 5am from
it's difficult to watch those two awesome individuals go. I am happy
our roadtrip back
for them as I think it was a good thing for both of their careers. And I
from Philly and this
know that they will enjoy it, Atlanta is lucky to have them and the
lack of sleep has got
women will also find that there is a lot of great people in the Atlanta
me feelin' funkyyyy.
area.
Such an experience
though. I feel like a
k so here's a little funny thing I wanted to let yall in on... We
traveling warrior.. driven to the battle ground as we plan our attack..
released on the field for combat.. winning the war.. and returning
played in Philly yesterday right.. and every game we're walked out,
home safely to our Buffaland with peace, victory and honor! It
lined up, and announced player-by-player infront of the crowd
was our first time traveling for a game in over a month so we forgot before the game. So visiting team goes first... "Number 3 Ali Riley"..
A.) exactly what it entails and B.) how much we truly enjoy each
*clapping*.. "Number 8 Kandace Wilson"..*clapping*.. "Number 10
other. We jumped on the road Saturday morning, which also
Marta".. *boooooo*.. we were kinda like haha omg did they just boo
happened to be the same day of the UEFA Champions League Final- Marta? wowzers. You just don't do that. I looked over at her and she
- Manchester United vs Barcelona.
was not impressed... We huddle up to break out before the start of
the game and Marta says "You give me boo, I give you goal."
HaHaHa and guess what?? That's righttttt SHE GAVE THEM GOAL.
So awesome. I hope the 3,456 fans enjoyed that. 'Cause I did’.
e were freaking out like
are we going to miss perhaps
W
O
W
omg
the largest event of world class soccer ever?? Ahhh we weren't about
to let that happen. So as dedicated football fans ourselves, we woke
up extra early to get on the road so we could make it in time to
e came out a little slow against Philly but in the end I think we
watch the game. Now, you have to understand, this was like the
Superbowl of soccer, even bigger! So it got a little aggressive... we
showed a different side to our squad.. that we can deal with
have some die hard Man United supporters and some serious Barca
adversity and get the job done no matter what. That was the first
fans. (I'm a United fan of course!!) I was actually legit nervous for the time this season we had trailed in a game, and knowing that we can
game. Haha I know lame, but it was a big deal!! Congrats to Beverly stick to the task and come back from behind is a very good aspect to
Goebel for getting it right on the mark! She predicted Barcelona
a team, especially against a well organized squad like the
would win, and exactly what minute they would get their winning
Independence. That performance showed focus and leadership... to
goal. Impressive.
keep our cool and just trust in our game and what we're best at. To
be honest I wasn't worried for one second.. I have so much faith in
this team. Our abilities are limitless. I feel like I say this every week
ast week one night we were all hangin' out together in the
but it's true so what can ya dooo- I'm so very proud of my team for
apartments just enjoying each other as we naturally do and Boom, a
that win.
dance party erupted. It was so super hilarious and fun. Our
brazilians, Marta and Maureen, put on some brazilian-style music
want to leave you with something to remember throughout this
and were teaching us how to get down like they do in their
homeland. Some of us were gettin' it some of us were... not. You
week.... Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring
know a few of us have that West Coast flare so we were teaching
your own sunshine! :)
them a few things too ;-) Everyone brought their culture with them
Have a grrrrreat (Tony the Tiger voice) week and we'll check in
to our apartment-living-room-table-dance-floor and it was so cool to
together next week!
watch unfold. Great people, great music, great fun.. and we may or
XoXo
may not have gotten a noise complaint called on us. Oopsy.
W
L
I
Obviously a lot of work goes on behind the scenes before you
see our product on the field every weekend. We are all very, very
hard workers and our dedication is off the charts. We show up every
~
McCall
~
www.womensprosoccer.com/wny/news/press_releases
Page 6
One Door Closes, Another Opens
play competitive sports). But then I opened my journal
By YAEL AVERBUCH
to a fresh page and wrote: “Olympics 2012.”
Conquering my fear of failure has been a monumental
U.S. Coach Pia Sundhage named her
roster Monday for this summer’s Women’s step in my development as a person and an athlete.
World Cup.
Actually, maybe no one really ever conquers the fear of
Our intrepid blogger was not named to the United States
roster, which was announced Monday, for this summer’s
Women’s World Cup in Germany. She nevertheless filed this
assessment.
“It‟s interesting to contemplate how our lives build to
these special, pivotal moments — the moments we
dream of, work toward, and emphasize so heavily. But,
failure. Maybe it‟s all about reframing one‟s definitions
of success and failure. How can I ever truly fail if I do
my very best? This process has led to significant
growth for me as a player, and I feel very proud of what
I offer on the field. The only way I could have failed is
to not have grown along the way.
in truth, the bulk of our lives are in the in-between time, I don‟t mean to gloss over the
the waiting. The „off moments,‟ so to speak. The
disappointment I feel, or in any
special moments are only minor reference points along way diminish the great
the way. … I don‟t play this sport for the moment of
accomplishment of those
glory. And I think the people who do are missing out.
players who have made the
Yes, I love the roar of the crowd, the championship
roster. But my reasonable side
game and the thrill of performing when it really matters
continually reminds me that
— but I love the preparation — the process — equally
this is just another one of
as much.”
those moments — a blip on the radar screen that maps
ON THE ROAD TO BUFFALO — The above passage
is from a speech I gave in January 2010. My journey
has been full of these reference points. But sprinkled
among many wonderful, exhilarating moments, has
been my fair share of disappointments.
When Pia [Coach Sundhage] said to me, “You are not
on the roster for the World Cup team,” my heart
dropped momentarily. In the minutes after, reality sank
in. I scanned my memory in search of anything I could
have done better or differently. I felt angry, sad,
embarrassed.
I had poured my heart and soul into a goal that I didn‟t
my unique path. Playing in a Women‟s World Cup is
one of my ultimate goals, yet doing so will make me no
greater of a player. Likewise, not being in Germany this
summer makes me no less of one.
So, as this chapter of my journey ends, another one
begins. I am heading up to Buffalo to join my W.P.S.
team, the Western New York Flash. I‟ll have the
opportunity to train and play alongside some of the
greatest female players in the world (Marta and
Christine Sinclair, among others). As the door to one
opportunity closed for me, another one opens. The only
way I could possibly fail at this point is to focus so
much on the past as to miss out on what presents itself
achieve. In my journal, “Germany 2011” is written in big on the road ahead.
letters and in multiple places. So, yes, I felt all of the
emotions that come along with failure (the day I don‟t
feel that way is the day I‟ll know that I should no longer
Page 7
Kendall Fletcher
that is no excuse for how poorly you are playing or
losing your starting position. What Anson believes
doesn‟t matter. What matters is whether YOU
believe you are better than that freshmen and
deserve to be out there and if you do, then prove it,
not to Anson, but to yourself.”
“And he ended with a phrase that would hang in my
locker the rest of my college career. „Quit being
such a girl, get pissed, and fight!‟
This Saturday I will be giving a speech and I
thought I would share a snippet of that speech with
all of you for this weeks blog.
“…Not knowing what to do I went to my dorm room
and in tears wrote an extremely long and emotional
email to my dad, venting my frustrations and
explaining to him, how it wasn‟t fair. I lost my
starting spot because I had one bad game. What
am I suppose to be, perfect? What about all the
games before that when I had played great. Do
they not count for anything? I mean how was I
suppose to keep my starting position if Anson
(Dorrance, University of North Carolina head coach)
believed in the freshmen more than me? As I sent
the email, I felt a big weight lift off my shoulders, if
nothing else, it just felt good to get out all that
frustration that I was feeling and I was fairly
confident my dad would have some words of
wisdom to help me figure out how to set Anson
straight. Let‟s just say Anson wasn‟t the one that
was going to get set straight.
“The next day I received an email from my dad that
would change my life for ever. He very simply said
the following to me.
“Kendall, Anson is not the problem here, you
are. Sure you have had some good games, but
your last game wasn‟t the best and you are going to
have to realize you‟re only as good as your last
performance. You cannot rest on your
laurels. Even outside the soccer field, when you get
a job, your boss is going to expect that you keep
performing and keep producing. You have to be
able to bring your best every day and every time
you step on the field. That is never going to change
with Anson or in life, so get used to it. And as far as
Anson believing in the freshman more than you,
“As you can imagine when I read the email, I was a
little taken aback. My dad had never spoken to me
like that before. He didn‟t sympathize with me at
all. He didn‟t even say he thought I was better than
the freshman or that Anson was being even just a
little unfair. In fact he took everyone out of the
equation and put it all back on me. Now to help you
understand the kind of impact this email had on me,
it‟s important that you know something about my
dad. He rarely speaks without a great deal of
thought behind what he says, and he rarely gives
his opinions unless it is something he feels is of
value to discuss or talk about. So when I received
this email I knew I had to deal with what it said, and
what it said was that if I wanted to change my
circumstances I was going to have to deal with me.
“What my dad was telling me was that I had to take
responsibility for my mistakes. They were no one
else‟s fault but my own and if I wanted to prove that
I should be out there on that field I had to prove it to
myself first and foremost. What he was telling me
may have seemed a bit harsh, but after getting over
the initial shock of it, I realized just how empowering
what he told me was. He was basically telling me
that my success on the field or in life wasn‟t going to
be determined by what others thought of me, but by
what I thought of myself. It wasn‟t about how many
mistakes I made or if I failed, but how I would take
responsibility for them and learn from them rather
than making excuses for them. By telling me I was
the problem, he showed me that if I was willing to
accept responsibility for and learn from my mistakes
and failures then I would also be the solution. From
this point on in my life I realized that even though I
wasn‟t always going to be in control of what
happened to me, I would always be in control of
how I responded to things in life and THAT more
than what anyone thinks of me or any mistake I
might make will determine who and what I am going
to be in life. And when you realize that, you realize
that you can face just about anything that comes
your way.”
www.equalizersoccer.com
Page 8
day one until they are back,” Guadalupe said. “Not only do we
oversee the rehab process, but we develop close relationships and
become a strong supportive pillar to the rehabilitating athlete.”
Goal Celebration
X-Factor Performance Article of the Month
Author: Manya Makoski, ES Athlete
mentalTOUGHNESS
Soccer is one of the most dangerous contact sports. No player
ever wants to get injured, but we still play the game we love
despite the risks involved. When it does happen, whether it is a
minor sprain or a complete tear, there are physical, but mostly
mental repercussions involved. Mental toughness is a key
component in what gets us through our rehab and back out onto
the field.
My Own Twist Four days into the 2010 Women‟s Professional
Soccer (WPS) Atlanta Beat preseason, I unexpectedly
experienced a season-ending injury. I planted my foot the wrong
way and tore my ACL. Rehab was one of the hardest things I‟ve
ever had to go through, but my recovery was successful. I
educated myself. My focus was on balance, training and
distraction. And I relied on my mental toughness. Withdrawal
everyday I would be reminded that I was out for the whole season.
I was angry, depressed, and cranky. The game I loved and lived
for was taken away from me. I experienced a constant emotional
relapse. Sports psychologist of X-Factor Performance Consulting,
Dr. Tiffany Jones reassured that this is normal. “Players are
addicts in a way,” Dr. Jones said. “You love sports and you are
getting that kick through sports, and now you can‟t do it.”
The recovery timeline for an injury varies
depending on physical progress, emotional willingness, and trust in
yourself to perform certain tasks. I worked towards set goals
throughout my rehab to build up these aspects. I remember being
tested by a one-inch high foam pad. It took every ounce of mental
strength I had to do one single-leg jump. But every goal that I
reached, I celebrated.
Extra Work I knew that if I wanted to come back at full strength,
I had to put the time and effort into my rehab. And that meant
going to training a few hours early to start the training room
exercises. During training, I did what I could out on the field with
whatever training room materials I could carry. That foam pad
became my best friend. In team meetings, I brought a towel to
work on my range of motion. After training, when everyone went
home, I stayed in the training room with Guadalupe to nurse
whatever pain we had inflicted on my knee that day. Toward the
end of my rehab, I lifted in the weight room. As a competitor, I
thrive on mental trials and physical activities. A huge part of my life
had been taken away. But I found a way to keep it there and
improve my game. In my rehab journal, you will find every
completed exercise and every feeling that emerged. Throughout
the pages are also motivational quotes, short-term and long-term
goals, and observations from watching games on television.
“Rehab is a great time for a player to grow mentally, to develop
patience, and acceptance,” Buffalo Flash Technical Advisor Emma
Hayes said.
Green Light After being cleared to play, a lot of players tend
rush back out onto the field without even being 100 percent ready,
physically or mentally. Jones says that as females, we tend to
worry about what our teammates or coaches are going to think, so
we may push too hard. “But we are in control over our own
professional development because no one knows but us how our
body and mind feels,” Jones said. Guadalupe realized this, so
Swedish National Team and WPS Buffalo Flash player Caroline when I was cleared to play, she emphasized this to me: “Once you
Seger experienced similar feelings with her recent surgery to fix an decide to do a movement, commit to it. If you go in not sure, you‟re
out-growing bone in her heel and an inflamed bursa. “For me, it‟s more at risk to be hurt.”
been a struggle because I‟m not used to being injured, and I‟m
Boston Breakers Head Coach Tony DiCicco always makes sure
definitely not used to being without soccer for such a long time,”
injured players have enough time to come back properly. For
Seger said. “Mentally it‟s tough to see everyone else playing and
example, he gave Brazilian international Fabiana some games in
to motivate yourself to go to the gym everyday.”
the Women‟s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to get some
confidence and minutes, before she officially came back in with the
Pre-habbing To give myself any advantage possible for after
Breakers.
surgery, my athletic trainer (ATC), Cookie Guadalupe, gave me
many strength exercises to build up the muscle. I was soon to
Mind Over Matter Mental toughness doesn‟t establish itself on
drastically lose. We also talked about different surgery and rehab
its own. Healthy or injured, players must work hard to develop a
options. Guadalupe said that ATCs are very important in the rehab
strong mind. But once a player reaches that threshold, she has the
process. “They are the ones who will be by the athlete‟s side from
capability to come back even stronger than before.
Page 9
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