Tag Archives: athlete

Things You Wish You Thought Of

Posted on by
1

It has been a while since my last blog post.  My life was starting to get out of control with too many commitments, so I knew it was time to take a hiatus, relax, and decompress for a couple of weeks.  I continued to contemplate about what to write next, and as hundreds of thoughts raced through my head, I decided it would be a good chance to let you peer a little further into my brain as I randomly jotted down my thoughts, questions, ideas…

1) There is nothing better (welllll almost) than an amazing plate of spaghetti and meatballs, and nothing worse than a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with not enough SAUCE.

2) Why isn’t there a website where you can buy one of everything?  All those times you lost one sock, one earring, one shoe, one glove, or the times when you break a plate, bleach a towel, or whatever other random catastrophes happen in life…it would be great to have a ONE stop shop so I could complete my mismatched pairs.  I know socks come in threes these days (ridiculous), so why can’t we just purchase one?

3) MUST bring more food to work on the days I workout in the mornings.  This will result in not cleaning out the vending machines in the 3 surrounding counties by 5:00 pm.

4) Why is there braille located on drive-through ATMs?

5) Once I have kids I will have themed dinners at least once a week.  I can hear myself now…”You are not allowed to come down those stairs and eat unless you are dressed as a dinosaur.”  Hmm at what age does that stop though…don’t want them hating Halloween!  And what if they don’t like what is for dinner – could this backfire?  Need to think this through further…

6) Women’s-cut athletic gear does NOT fit my body.  Are there girls out there who can actually wear the weird flared t-shirts with the awkwardly cut sleeves?  Just give me a regular t-shirt and I promise I won’t complain. #tomboyproblems

7) Does anyone still prank people?  I could use some more of that in my life.

8) I think the measure of how fit you are should be whether you can fit through your car door when it is only open to the first stopping point.  Every time I park too close to a car and can only open my door that far I think “Ahhh yes I still got it!” and most likely feel way more accomplished than I should.

9) Am I the only one who still cuts up bananas to put in my Cheerios?

10) For those of you living in DC: Why is there not a plate made specifically for Jumbo Slice pizza?!  Is it just so that the slice looks even more monstrous as it spans across two paper plates?  This idea is a gold mine in my opinion.

11) 8- hour work days are completely ridiculous to me.  Who came up with this random number and why does it define all of our lives?  Let me do my work and then get on with my life rather than thinking I am productive for 8 hours in a row every single day!

12) Why don’t we have an Era Store?  The departments could be named the 20s, 30s, etc. with obviously the 80s as the biggest department in the center.  That way when you want neon spandex or a scrunchy, you don’t have to look in 15 different locations!

13) Timing is everything.  I know this is a cliché but it has been so true for every part of my life.  I always have a grand plan of where my life is going the next 5 years, and God continuously laughs at me.  I have come to the realization that he has a larger and much more clear view of my entire plan, and if changes don’t happen when I think they should, most likely something better is in store.

14) Everyone’s definition of beautiful is different.  It makes me start to wonder if people perceive other things the same way…  What if the way an orange tastes to me is completely different from the way it tastes to you…how would we know?  My mind is blown as I continue to think of the possibilities.

15) Your career doesn’t define you.  Your character and moral integrity does.  We need to stop putting so much emphasis on our jobs, breathe deeply, and let the stress pass.  I let my work leak too much into my personal life.  Holding a door for a stranger or smiling is much more productive.

I think 15 will do for now.  All random comments welcome (now you know you aren’t the only one who thinks random thoughts).

Tomboys

Posted on by
Reply

“I’m a fashion model who can dunk.”

This Nike video perfectly captures the feeling inside all of us female athletes who can run circles around most men in our respective sport.  What is the secret?  It is all about gaining respect.  If the other team doesn’t respect you - score one more time and see if they mark you a little tighter.  If your teammates don’t pass to you - make enough boys look stupid on the other team that they are left with no choice.

A special shout out to my teammate who continues to dominate boys on the field – a big thank you for passing along this video. 

(Nike should just hire me already.)

What makes an athlete an athlete?

Posted on by
8

What do you want to be when you grow up?  …the ever-looming question.

I grew up dreaming of one day becoming a professional soccer player.  I started recreational soccer with white MacGregor baseball cleats and a glow-in-the-dark shooting star ball.  I trained every day in my backyard to make the travel team.  I would juggle, make my father chase the ball all over the neighborhood, and challenge both of my brothers at the same time.  When I finally made the team I made sure to eat, drink, and sleep soccer so that one day I could make the high school team.   There was a pattern of practicing day-in and day-out to make the premier soccer club, then on to the Olympic Development Program team, then finally to make the hardest obstacle yet – the college team.  It was never about just making the team – it was about having the best fitness level, curving the ball at the right angle around the wall, having the hardest yet most accurate shot, and becoming captain to lead my teammates.  It was about making sure I was getting faster, stronger, and smarter every single day to motivate others.  After college I made the choice to decline the professional combine and go pro in something other than sports (tribute to the NCAA commercial for making me feel relevant), but I still have the itch to train as hard as I did during my college days on the pitch.

After I came upon the realization that my most challenging soccer days would now be competing in adult coed tournaments across the country, I started to question if I should still define myself first and foremost as an athlete.  Soccer is the first word that was always mentioned when my friends introduced me to a newcomer, but is that what still defined me?  My identity seemed unclear.  What allowed someone to be characterized as an athlete?  Is it running every week, every day, or maybe twice a day?  Do you have to play a sport that fits into a specific category?  Is there a certain level you have to achieve or a trophy you need to attain?  I knew that I had achieved very close to the pinnacle of soccer, but do I need to maintain that level in order to still qualify as an athlete?

Nike gave me the answer.  Nike has always been close to my heart and just one video made me realize I was questioning myself without reason.

I still go out at 5:30 am for boot camps or to run the local high school’s stadium stairs.  I meet up with friends to play pick-up soccer.  I try every day to break a sweat whether it is on the pitch, at a spinning studio, or timing myself running up the hills in the neighborhood.  I remember sitting at the Nike tournament welcome ceremony at age 14 after receiving a brand new pair of cleats, watching unreleased Nike commercials and I thought to myself, “I am going to dominate the world”.  I wanted to not only be a star in those videos, but I wanted to film the videos, direct the videos, and edit the videos to one day inspire athletes just like that video had inspired me.  I regained that amazing feeling of having my soul on fire and chills up my spine when I saw those athletes giving everything inside of them.

Nike made it clear that the 2012 London Olympics are here and anyone can participate.  We aren’t lowering our expectations – we are heightening them to see how far and how fast we can run without having a podium and a medal to greet us at the end.  Athletes are relevant everywhere.  I now realize that I have not lost the spark I have for the love of the game, and I have certainly not lost my title as an athlete, but that I can use everything I learned the last 22 years as a soccer player to transform the spark into the motivation I need for the next phase of my life.  I will train with a different purpose now – to inspire others, to give back to the sport that taught me everything, and to keep progressing to find my greatness.

There is a sort of comfort in chaos.  I am past the college glory days and I am not sure what is next, but that is the thrilling side of life.  I do know that any time I have a plan, God loves to laugh at it…so why not enjoy the ride?  If I pursued my childhood dream of becoming the next Mia Hamm who knows where I would be in life.  I have a calming feeling that right now I am in the exact place I was meant to be.  I will use my perfectionism on the pitch to make sure every design I create is flawless.  I will train overtime and use that unfading dedication I learned hitting thousands of shots into the net in my backyard to feel as if I am leading my team again under the bright lights.  I think the word athlete is highly underrated.  It is getting up out of bed and pushing yourself past your comfort level every day.  Just one more suicide.  Just one more shot.  Just one more bench press.  It is holding yourself to a higher standard in every part of life.

This blog is the first of many to come.  I finally recognized that I have to hold myself to that higher standard.  Become what I said I wanted to become when I was watching a Nike commercial at age 14.  I will use my athletic prowess to switch careers and completely dominate in my new field.  I will finally find a way to put my creative thoughts and ideas where people can hold me accountable.  But what do I know?  I still carry a Gatorade water bottle around the office waiting and listening closely, hoping that Coach calls my last name one more time.