Life After Soccer
Life After Soccer is a blog series featuring former professional and national team players from around the world, talking about taking the next step in life after their playing careers are over.
July 6, 2011
Life After Soccer
By: Stephanie Logterman
For a long time, the old quote you saw on the back of people’s t-shirts at soccer tournaments reading “Soccer is Life” truly was my unofficial personal motto. With soccer practice every day and games all weekend long, I can scarcely remember a fond childhood memory that did not involve soccer. I accomplished my childhood dreams: playing college soccer, representing the United States in two youth world championships, and competing in the Women’s Professional Soccer league. I loved every minute of it. Over the years, I also learned that there is a life outside of soccer. I have always enjoyed school, especially science classes, and I genuinely love learning. All of my passion and energy for the beautiful game have now been turned to healing people of their ailments. My days are currently composed of an entirely different yet still life consuming activity: medical school. Having just enrolled at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, I have four years of medical school ahead of me plus five years of residency training before I am allowed to legally treat patients on my own. I’m excited about my classes and am confident that I will become an excellent physician primarily because of my experiences playing soccer. Soccer taught me the importance of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. These qualities will surely carry me through the arduous, 9-year path of medical training that lies before me. Transitioning from spending hours outside on the pitch to sitting for hours on end locked in a library will be rough; however, I will make a concerted effort to participate in intramural soccer (yes, medical students still have time for a little fun) and I have every intention of winning an intramural championship. Although I am pursuing medicine, my passion for soccer will never dwindle and I will always have fun both playing and watching the world’s game. All of my teammates use to refer to me as Log on the soccer field. Now they can call me Dr. Log.
Stephanie Logterman played for the U.S. U-20 and U-23 Women's National Teams while attending The University of Texas. She played one year for the Saint Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer, before making the decision to attend medical school.
Stephanie Logterman played for the U.S. U-20 and U-23 Women's National Teams while attending The University of Texas. She played one year for the Saint Louis Athletica of Women's Professional Soccer, before making the decision to attend medical school.
June 16, 2011
Life After Soccer
By: Kristen Graczyk
Life After Soccer
By: Kristen Graczyk
As most of you know, I recently walked away from the game of soccer. There were many reasons for this decision, but what it came down to was, it was just time. I had played soccer my entire life and I had always loved the game and everything it brought to my life. However, it wasn’t until recently that I realized just what this beautiful game has brought to my life and what will remain in me forever.
Walking away from soccer and entering the “real world” was definitely scary, and I was pretty nervous about the transition. Where would I be able to find such great people to spend every day with, and where would I find a job that would allow me to work for three hours a day and then hang out with those great people doing gosh knows what? The answer to the latter is nowhere, for the record. I looked into it.
In my new role, I am a Recruiter, and what I love about it the most is that I talk to people every day about life and their experiences. At the end of the day I get to help them with something that is important in their life, and that is finding them a job. I love my job! I love that I get to wake up every day and help people. It’s a tough job, but I can say this, there are three things soccer has brought to my life that I will carry with me forever, no matter the role I am in. Those three things are my work ethic, my competitive nature, and my ability to build relationships.
As a recruiter I have to work extremely hard. I am awake before most, in the office before most, and stay later than most. I have to meet with more people than my competition, make more phone calls, and set more meetings with clients. If this doesn’t sound like the life of a competitive soccer player, then I don’t know what does. The hard work is nothing for me because I’ve been doing it my whole life. To be the best and to make it to the highest level you constantly have to do more than everyone else. One of my favorite quotes is, “if it were easy, everyone would do it”.
With that goes my insane, sometimes too high level of competitiveness. I have been extremely competitive my whole life, but soccer surely solidified it for me. Again, this is helpful in my current role because I have to outwork and out compete not only my direct competition but my colleagues as well. It’s the same loving nature as when we were on the field competing for playing time. It’s the “I love you… but I’m going to beat you” type of mentality. I love it, and no matter where I go it will be with me. Just ask my friends and family.
Lastly, soccer has taught me just how important relationships are. Some of my best friends are friends I’ve met through soccer. No matter what was going on in soccer or my personal life, I always knew I had 25 girls there who would support me and who would fight for me. This has definitely carried over into my personal and professional life. I love getting to know people, and I love that I can call my family and/or friends at any time and know they will be there for me. I love that I’ve met so many great people from so many different countries and when we Skype, it’s like they are still right in the apartment next to me. I value relationships so much more than most because I’ve seen what they have done in my life and I know I would not be here today without all of those relationships.
Even though I am not playing soccer professionally anymore, I feel like this game has blessed me with so many things that will forever be a part of me. I am so grateful for the life lessons I have learned because of soccer, and I am so grateful for all of the people I have in my life because of this beautiful game. I felt so much more prepared and confident for my next step because of my experiences with all of you. I’ve never loved the game of soccer more than I do right now because I know it has made me the person I am today. And for that, I feel truly blessed.
Photos courtesy Kristen Graczyk
Walking away from soccer and entering the “real world” was definitely scary, and I was pretty nervous about the transition. Where would I be able to find such great people to spend every day with, and where would I find a job that would allow me to work for three hours a day and then hang out with those great people doing gosh knows what? The answer to the latter is nowhere, for the record. I looked into it.
In my new role, I am a Recruiter, and what I love about it the most is that I talk to people every day about life and their experiences. At the end of the day I get to help them with something that is important in their life, and that is finding them a job. I love my job! I love that I get to wake up every day and help people. It’s a tough job, but I can say this, there are three things soccer has brought to my life that I will carry with me forever, no matter the role I am in. Those three things are my work ethic, my competitive nature, and my ability to build relationships.
As a recruiter I have to work extremely hard. I am awake before most, in the office before most, and stay later than most. I have to meet with more people than my competition, make more phone calls, and set more meetings with clients. If this doesn’t sound like the life of a competitive soccer player, then I don’t know what does. The hard work is nothing for me because I’ve been doing it my whole life. To be the best and to make it to the highest level you constantly have to do more than everyone else. One of my favorite quotes is, “if it were easy, everyone would do it”.
With that goes my insane, sometimes too high level of competitiveness. I have been extremely competitive my whole life, but soccer surely solidified it for me. Again, this is helpful in my current role because I have to outwork and out compete not only my direct competition but my colleagues as well. It’s the same loving nature as when we were on the field competing for playing time. It’s the “I love you… but I’m going to beat you” type of mentality. I love it, and no matter where I go it will be with me. Just ask my friends and family.
Lastly, soccer has taught me just how important relationships are. Some of my best friends are friends I’ve met through soccer. No matter what was going on in soccer or my personal life, I always knew I had 25 girls there who would support me and who would fight for me. This has definitely carried over into my personal and professional life. I love getting to know people, and I love that I can call my family and/or friends at any time and know they will be there for me. I love that I’ve met so many great people from so many different countries and when we Skype, it’s like they are still right in the apartment next to me. I value relationships so much more than most because I’ve seen what they have done in my life and I know I would not be here today without all of those relationships.
Even though I am not playing soccer professionally anymore, I feel like this game has blessed me with so many things that will forever be a part of me. I am so grateful for the life lessons I have learned because of soccer, and I am so grateful for all of the people I have in my life because of this beautiful game. I felt so much more prepared and confident for my next step because of my experiences with all of you. I’ve never loved the game of soccer more than I do right now because I know it has made me the person I am today. And for that, I feel truly blessed.
Photos courtesy Kristen Graczyk
June 11, 2011
Life After Soccer
By: Christie Welsh
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog for Our Game Magazine about my decision to retire from playing soccer. In the midst of writing that piece I was actively pursuing a role with the newly formed DC United women’s W-League team. The second I heard about the team, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. My years playing in the W-League were some of the most fun and enjoyable experiences playing soccer. The idea of being part of a new organization and this time from a coaching standpoint was too much to pass up.
Weeks later and two games into the season, I am thrilled to be an assistant coach/ player for DC United. Coaching along with Mike Jorden and Cindi Harkes has been an invaluable experience so far. I feel like I am learning things every day, which is extremely exciting. The decision to be both a coach and player took some time on my end. I entered this venture with only the intention of being a coach but settled on potentially playing a bit here and there based on how my body was feeling. So far I’ve mostly been coaching, which oddly I am completely OK with. It’s amazing how fast your mind and body fall into retirement once you finally decide you are done.
Our first game was a heartbreaker for us. We gave up a goal in the 87th minute on a turnover after regrouping from a slow start to the game and battling really well most of the match. It was a learning experience for everyone, but quite a different one for me. I felt like I walked away from the game with so much running through my head. I wasn’t quite sure where to place it all. I was excited, sad, and mad, all at the same time. It’s quite different being on the sideline as a coach. Decisions about formations, players, positions, etc. happen so fast and can make a difference in a game, but at the same time you have almost no control over what happens out on the field. Our second game was quite the opposite from the first. We came out stronger, made some adjustments with players in different positions, and got a goal early which helped us relax and get into better rhythm. We ended up with a 3-0 result off three great goals.
We have our first home game coming up, and I am really excited for the fans in this area to have a team back at the Maryland SoccerPlex to support. I think our team is an exciting group of players who have been making great progress over the past month or so. It’s so interesting to be in the position I am in and having been through the process before as a player. I see so much potential in a lot of our young players, and hope that I may be able to impact their careers in some tiny way. And then at the same time we have so many post college players who I respect so much knowing how hard it is to keep your career going when you work full time and play in the W-Lleague for the pure fun of it.
I’m excited for the weeks ahead and can’t wait to see what they bring. I anticipate learning so much from this experience and building a foundation for hopefully a successful coaching career. Who knows, I may even sub myself in for old times sake.
Life After Soccer
By: Christie Welsh
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog for Our Game Magazine about my decision to retire from playing soccer. In the midst of writing that piece I was actively pursuing a role with the newly formed DC United women’s W-League team. The second I heard about the team, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. My years playing in the W-League were some of the most fun and enjoyable experiences playing soccer. The idea of being part of a new organization and this time from a coaching standpoint was too much to pass up.
Weeks later and two games into the season, I am thrilled to be an assistant coach/ player for DC United. Coaching along with Mike Jorden and Cindi Harkes has been an invaluable experience so far. I feel like I am learning things every day, which is extremely exciting. The decision to be both a coach and player took some time on my end. I entered this venture with only the intention of being a coach but settled on potentially playing a bit here and there based on how my body was feeling. So far I’ve mostly been coaching, which oddly I am completely OK with. It’s amazing how fast your mind and body fall into retirement once you finally decide you are done.
Our first game was a heartbreaker for us. We gave up a goal in the 87th minute on a turnover after regrouping from a slow start to the game and battling really well most of the match. It was a learning experience for everyone, but quite a different one for me. I felt like I walked away from the game with so much running through my head. I wasn’t quite sure where to place it all. I was excited, sad, and mad, all at the same time. It’s quite different being on the sideline as a coach. Decisions about formations, players, positions, etc. happen so fast and can make a difference in a game, but at the same time you have almost no control over what happens out on the field. Our second game was quite the opposite from the first. We came out stronger, made some adjustments with players in different positions, and got a goal early which helped us relax and get into better rhythm. We ended up with a 3-0 result off three great goals.
We have our first home game coming up, and I am really excited for the fans in this area to have a team back at the Maryland SoccerPlex to support. I think our team is an exciting group of players who have been making great progress over the past month or so. It’s so interesting to be in the position I am in and having been through the process before as a player. I see so much potential in a lot of our young players, and hope that I may be able to impact their careers in some tiny way. And then at the same time we have so many post college players who I respect so much knowing how hard it is to keep your career going when you work full time and play in the W-Lleague for the pure fun of it.
I’m excited for the weeks ahead and can’t wait to see what they bring. I anticipate learning so much from this experience and building a foundation for hopefully a successful coaching career. Who knows, I may even sub myself in for old times sake.
June 8, 2011
Life After Soccer
By: Kate Markgraf
My life had drastically changed from when I had started playing professionally (21) with many of the things that gave me an identity were gone: I was no longer on the National Team. In fact, I wasn’t on any team. I was no longer married, and I had three children. Everything I had once used to help find meaning was gone. So like I always did, I escaped into my first love: soccer.
When the opportunity arose to play for the Chicago Red Stars, I felt my attitude had to change. I could only do it with one mindset: to try to find meaning in as much as I could, even in the mundane things - warm-up, passing drills, etc. I cared if we won, but it was more about me approaching the daily stresses of football, expectations, and people in a way from which I could derive meaning. Not just be occupied, but fulfilled.
Also, I constantly strived to act like my idols - the 1991’ers - in the way they accepted and took care of one another. I was not perfect in this, far from it, but my pursuit was a great learning lesson in being pushed to your physical and mental edge and watching and seeing how you treated people. I improved in some areas and remain hopelessly optimistic I will one day be better in others (like not telling a teammate I was going to kick her in the head if she kept cheating. Sorry Natalie if you’re reading this).
As much as soccer is a team sport, and I do wholeheartedly believe a team can be greater than the sum of its parts, I finally played just the way I wanted, not for the outcome, not for winning, not for medals. I just left it out on the field, whatever I had that day. I found more joy on the field, playing the way I wanted to play even if I had lost a step, actually showing I had some skill every now and again even if I kicked it to Marta on our own 18 the next play. Oh, and I was lucky to rejoin the National Team briefly enough to get to my 200th cap, something I had always strived for.
I was really fortunate to retire on my own terms - quietly. Well, not quite. One teammate ruined that dream by announcing I was retiring on a blog so I had to forgo my wish of just fading away into oblivion from the few people who knew I played soccer.
But as much as I didn’t think I wanted to hear it, I am so thankful for the few people I heard from as they always impacted me at a profound level. I am most appreciative for the wonderful people Emma Hayes and Denise Reddy put together to form a team. Although we didn’t win much, the character and humor was at another level. And for the true friends I met, I’ll forever be thankful for your unwavering support both on and off the field during a time of personal upheaval.
So what has soccer added up to for me? Well, it was my first love. I always found solace on the field, and I finally found joy in the last season even if I was half the player I used to be. It also was a constant test on how to handle and face challenges in ever changing environments both on and off the field. From this I learned that you could impact people more positively and negatively than you can ever know; and, you can achieve more than you can ever imagine if you just throw your chips in and see what happens.
I’ve realized, I am constantly learning in everything I do. “There are people whose clocks stop at a certain point in their lives." As long as I continue learning and challenging myself, I hope my clock won't stop but if it does, I’ll be able to wind it up again.
Having one last season to play before retiring let me leave it all out on the field without any regrets and taught me many lessons and some I’ve written here.
What is next? I’ll be doing color commentary with Adrian Healey and the rest of ESPN’s soccer analysts for the World Cup this summer. I’ve never done it before LIVE and, yes, I’m freaked out by it, but in a good way. I love soccer and now hopefully I can explain why things happen in a manner that might help people see the beauty I see in it.
Enjoy the beautiful players that show up every day to play soccer. The World Cup is this summer. Watch the best be the best against the best. Good luck to all playing in it and throw all your chips in. You’ll never know what will happen.
Kate Markgraf was a defender for the U.S. Women's National Team and one of the most capped players in the history of the U.S. team. She made 201 appearances for the U.S. and played in three World Championships and three Olympic Games. She also played professionally with the Chicago Red Stars in WPS and for the Boston Breakers in the WUSA.
Life After Soccer
By: Kate Markgraf
My life had drastically changed from when I had started playing professionally (21) with many of the things that gave me an identity were gone: I was no longer on the National Team. In fact, I wasn’t on any team. I was no longer married, and I had three children. Everything I had once used to help find meaning was gone. So like I always did, I escaped into my first love: soccer.
When the opportunity arose to play for the Chicago Red Stars, I felt my attitude had to change. I could only do it with one mindset: to try to find meaning in as much as I could, even in the mundane things - warm-up, passing drills, etc. I cared if we won, but it was more about me approaching the daily stresses of football, expectations, and people in a way from which I could derive meaning. Not just be occupied, but fulfilled.
Also, I constantly strived to act like my idols - the 1991’ers - in the way they accepted and took care of one another. I was not perfect in this, far from it, but my pursuit was a great learning lesson in being pushed to your physical and mental edge and watching and seeing how you treated people. I improved in some areas and remain hopelessly optimistic I will one day be better in others (like not telling a teammate I was going to kick her in the head if she kept cheating. Sorry Natalie if you’re reading this).
As much as soccer is a team sport, and I do wholeheartedly believe a team can be greater than the sum of its parts, I finally played just the way I wanted, not for the outcome, not for winning, not for medals. I just left it out on the field, whatever I had that day. I found more joy on the field, playing the way I wanted to play even if I had lost a step, actually showing I had some skill every now and again even if I kicked it to Marta on our own 18 the next play. Oh, and I was lucky to rejoin the National Team briefly enough to get to my 200th cap, something I had always strived for.
I was really fortunate to retire on my own terms - quietly. Well, not quite. One teammate ruined that dream by announcing I was retiring on a blog so I had to forgo my wish of just fading away into oblivion from the few people who knew I played soccer.
But as much as I didn’t think I wanted to hear it, I am so thankful for the few people I heard from as they always impacted me at a profound level. I am most appreciative for the wonderful people Emma Hayes and Denise Reddy put together to form a team. Although we didn’t win much, the character and humor was at another level. And for the true friends I met, I’ll forever be thankful for your unwavering support both on and off the field during a time of personal upheaval.
So what has soccer added up to for me? Well, it was my first love. I always found solace on the field, and I finally found joy in the last season even if I was half the player I used to be. It also was a constant test on how to handle and face challenges in ever changing environments both on and off the field. From this I learned that you could impact people more positively and negatively than you can ever know; and, you can achieve more than you can ever imagine if you just throw your chips in and see what happens.
I’ve realized, I am constantly learning in everything I do. “There are people whose clocks stop at a certain point in their lives." As long as I continue learning and challenging myself, I hope my clock won't stop but if it does, I’ll be able to wind it up again.
Having one last season to play before retiring let me leave it all out on the field without any regrets and taught me many lessons and some I’ve written here.
What is next? I’ll be doing color commentary with Adrian Healey and the rest of ESPN’s soccer analysts for the World Cup this summer. I’ve never done it before LIVE and, yes, I’m freaked out by it, but in a good way. I love soccer and now hopefully I can explain why things happen in a manner that might help people see the beauty I see in it.
Enjoy the beautiful players that show up every day to play soccer. The World Cup is this summer. Watch the best be the best against the best. Good luck to all playing in it and throw all your chips in. You’ll never know what will happen.
Kate Markgraf was a defender for the U.S. Women's National Team and one of the most capped players in the history of the U.S. team. She made 201 appearances for the U.S. and played in three World Championships and three Olympic Games. She also played professionally with the Chicago Red Stars in WPS and for the Boston Breakers in the WUSA.
Life After Soccer
By: Vanja Stefanovic
I started to play with other girls when I was 13 years old. Before that, I played just with guys on a local team. I can still remember the first soccer training. Since that, soccer has been the center of my life. Everything came really fast for me. My first senior game at the top level was at age 16. National team was at17. When I look back, it was an amazing journey. I lived my dream every single day. I felt that the field was the place where I could express myself, all I am, (and) my love for the game. I lived for that moment when you put the jersey on and let the show go on. That passion, excitement, and most of all, self-accomplishment, is something that gives another dimension to life. In 1999, the war started at home. Everything stopped. Our dreams, hopes, everything was taken away, but not the passion for the game.
Despite everything, we had training nearly every day. We would come all worried and with hard stories to tell, but when we stepped on the field, we were in another world. We still enjoyed it. We trained as hard as we did before … and we lived our dream still. We hoped it would all get back to normal soon and that we would be able to compete again. When I look back to those times, I know that I will carry that burden for the rest of my life, but despite everything, I can still get something good out of it. I realize how soccer wasn’t just a game for us; it was lot more than that. It was the passion and desire for the game, to be able to get better and to enjoy it no matter what. It wasn’t about how much you got paid and what you got out of it. It was a simple and clear love for the game. In those days, the field was our place where we still had our dreams.
That passion led me through my whole career, which lasted for 17 years. I played semi-professional in Iceland for FC Kauer, Breidablik, and Valur for six years, and then two years professional in the Toppserien in Norway. Before moving to Iceland, I played with my home team in Serbia. I played for the national U-18 team where I was captain, and also our national team, where I had 54 caps and again was captain.
You know in life there are always ups and downs, but the soccer field was my “safe house.” I enjoyed every part of my long career. I met friends for a lifetime, traveled through the whole world, and I learned to appreciate what is given in life and to enjoy it. What’s next? I still live my dream. I work as a coach for the Norwegian team Stabæk. It’s different, and yes I do miss the game. I miss the adrenalin during the game. I miss the game; I really do miss it. I had few good years left to play, but I had made my decision. Now I still live my dream through young girls that have same dreams as I did a long time ago. And it does make me happy to help them to reach their goals. The life outside being a professional player and playing every day, going every day to training is very different. But I know that I did my best and that I loved every minute of it.
Vanja Stefanovic played for the Serbian Women’s National Team. She also played as a midfielder for both Donn of Norway’s top-flight league, Toppserien, and for Valur in Iceland’s highest tier of soccer, Úrvalsdeild, as well as FC Kauer and Breidablik. She now coaches Stabæk in the Toppserien.
LIFE AFTER SOCCER
By: Christie Welsh
You can take the player out of the game, but you can’t take the game out of the player.
Soccer has always been the center of my life. I used to walk around thinking I would play forever or at least into my late 30s. I couldn’t imagine not being part of a team, getting up every day and going to practice. What could possibly be better? Whenever I was asked what I would do after soccer I was always stumped. I couldn’t see beyond my career. I knew nothing else and didn’t want to. I feared the day I wouldn’t be able to play anymore. The idea seemed foreign to me.
I felt it creeping up slowly over the past few years. My first step becoming slower, my body not recovering as fast, and then there was the back pain. Sometimes the sight of a turf field made me cringe. Some days I couldn’t get out of bed without rolling off and pushing myself up. For years I was able to play and get through it, but for some reason this past offseason was different. I have spondylosis and spondylolisthesis, which makes my spine look like a mess, and even the simplest action like a sneeze causes me pain. I have good days and I have bad days, with no rhyme or reason, but that seems to be the case with most people who have this.
In any case, over the past few years I knew an eventual retirement was coming. I just wasn’t sure when. 2009 was both an exciting and disappointing year for me. Six years of waiting and hoping for a professional league to return to the U.S. was finally here. For the first time in my life though, mentally I wasn’t there. Physically, I did everything I could and gave it my all, but at the highest levels you need both your mind and body on the same page.
I went into the 2010 WPS season with the mindset to enjoy every second and make the most of it. I had the most positive attitude I have ever had as a soccer player. I was hell bent on having a good year and making up for the one I had squandered. And despite a rocky season with the Freedom, I was as happy as ever. I think about all the ‘what ifs’ throughout my career… what if I had made an Olympic Team I so desperately thought I deserved? What if the WUSA had continued during the prime of my career? But the ‘what ifs’ mean nothing, and I wouldn’t be the person I am without the course I took. Ask US National Team player Lori Lindsey what it’s like to have it all taken away, to have to wake up at 4 a.m. to train clients at a gym and then drive 45 minutes every day to practice for a W-League team that doesn’t pay you a cent; to take 12-hour bus rides to Ottawa, Atlanta, and who knows where else to keep your career going because you LOVE it. Not because you get a fat pay check. Those were, to be honest, some of the best times of my life. And I can’t tell you how proud I am of my best friend for making her way back to the top. The future of women’s soccer in this country scares me. Where is the passion and drive to play for the love of the game and not for other means?
I recently read a blog by Chioma Igwe, and it was so much of how I thought just a few years ago. But after reading it, I thought about how so much has changed for me. I still wonder if I will ever love doing something the way I love playing soccer. I don’t think it’s possible. Then I think about how lucky I am to have found something I am so passionate about. Some people search their lives for it. Before you feel a sense of sadness reading any of this, let me just tell you to stop right there. I’ve accomplished so much and not even for a second can I let myself feel sad. I’ve played 39 times for my country. I’ve traveled to over 14 different countries. I’ve been a part of three National Team residencies and been an alternate for an Olympic Team. I’ve played and lived overseas in France and Sweden and have had an incredible eight-year relationship with Nike. And let’s not forget four unbelievable years playing for The Pennsylvania State University and an amazing college education I received there. Not to mention the invaluable friendships I have made along the way, which to me are the most important of anything I have received. I’m lucky and I know it.
What’s next? Who knows? But I can tell you this. It’s time for me to give back. It’s time for me to pay it forward for all the unbelievable opportunities soccer has given me. And to thank all the amazing coaches, family, friends and fans (all two of you) I have who have supported me throughout my entire career. I know I will always be involved with soccer on some level. It’s given me too much for me to give up on it.
I am currently coaching club soccer in the Washington D.C. area and hope to pursue collegiate coaching in the near future. There are other things in life I have been exploring, and to be honest, I am really enjoying myself. It’s funny how your mind works, and many days I have to tell myself it’s OK I didn’t kill myself working out. With coaching, I still feel a part of the game, and with so many friends still playing, I make every effort to watch them play and hope to attend WPS games this summer. What I’ve come to realize is although I am not out there every day playing, soccer is still a huge part of me. It has just taken on a new form and it still makes me happy. I don’t know if any moment will ever feel as great as some of those game winning goals or championships I’ve been a part of but I can tell you that seeing the joy on a kids face you’ve worked with when they finally get what you’ve been trying to teach them comes pretty darn close.
Christie Welsh played for the U.S. Women’s National Team, and in her first full season with the team in 2000, she scored 11 goals in 15 games. A MAC Hermann trophy winner as a junior at Penn State, Welsh later went on to play in both WUSA and WPS. She also played overseas in France and Sweden.
