United States Women's National Soccer Team. Those six words give me chills just thinking about it, and rightfully so. So why do other teams shiver at the name? Maybe it is the three World Cup Championships. Or maybe it is the four Olympic Gold medals. This is the dream team and every kid, wants to thank this them for being their role model.
As a 21-year-old who stopped playing soccer at 18, I miss it every day and I totally regret not continuing to play and developing my skills more so I could be good enough to play in the Olympics one day. The girls who played on the USWNT were my idols. That is the best part about this team. They are an idol to every little girl in this country and we don't have another professional team for girls to look up to. Mia Hamm once said, "Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her."
I think all girls should keep their dreams high and not let anything hold them back. Look up to the girls like Mia Hamm, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, and Alex Morgan. These girls were once six years old and had a dream of being on the highest podium, with the highest award, with the highest feeling ever. You too can have that dream and make it.
Keep pushing. You'll never make it far in life if you don't continually work on your skills.
Have goals. Set yourself goals that are higher than normal. You can push yourself to be the best you can be.
Look up to someone. Whether it is your parents or another professional player, look up to someone who shares the same dream you have. You'll never make it unless someone else shares the same dream as you.
Go to professional games. Go to a professional USWNT game. Wear your jerseys. Dress up like a crazy fan and yell as loud as possible.
Have Fun. As a kid, your life should be more fun than working hard every single minute of everyday. Take some time out of your day to enjoy being a kid.
I keep telling myself that if I would have done just these few things, I could have made it professionally. I got burnt out from playing everyday, but as I attended the USWNT Olympic qualifying games this week in Dallas, it made me realize that anyone can make it to this point in their life if they just work and dream and keep these role models. As Mia Hamm said, "Failure happens all the time. It happens everyday in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it."
Keep going. Keep working. And remember that failure always makes you better.
