For any sport it is typical to have multiple coaches. Some coaches you strongly dislike, and some that go above and beyond for their players. Unfortunately, some players have that one coach that makes the sport they once loved so much, miserable to play, leading them to quitting. Sure I had my fair share of coaches that negatively effected my sporting career, but I have also had a lot of good ones. The one who really changed the game for me in a positive light and the one I remember above all the others is Coach Peter.

Coach Peter was not like any of the coaches I or a good portion of the girls I played with have ever come into contact with. World Cup was not like many of the other travel teams across New England. We had two different uniforms, an all white one and the second was a red jersey and black shorts and socks. Whatever uniform we were wearing for that game we were suppose to have the other jersey in our bag just incase the opponent was wearing a color similar to ours. There was always that time of forgetfulness for each player, but Coach Peter was there to save the day. Didn’t have a jersey? Missing a sock? Lost a size 7 1/2 cleat? Need a hair tie? Coach Peter had it all in what seemed to be a magical backpack, didn’t matter what you forgot he more than likely had it. Not many coaches will come prepared x10 in the case their players forgot a piece of their equipment that could make them unable to play. You could say we were pretty privileged to have a coach that did.

For me, Coach Peter knew me as a player better than I knew myself at times. He recognized when I needed that extra boost in games and would yell “get on your horse Michelle, you have to join the race”. That saying has stayed with me even off the field. It’s a simple reminder to be giving it my all, all the time even when it gets hard. He was a coach that wanted me to thrive no matter if it was on the field or not. He pushed me beyond my limits but he also knew when I needed a breather. He was always upfront with me on what I needed to do to be a better player, but made sure he pointed out the things I was doing well. For some reason, I could not successfully tie my cleats without them coming undone 10 minutes into any practice or game. As the amazing coach he was, Coach Peter went out of his way tying my cleats for me. He had the magic touch that kept my cleats tied. Whenever anyone scored a goal he would buy us our favorite candy. As a coach he didn’t have to do these things, but he did and that’s what made him so different than any other coach.

Unfortunately, Coach Peter was taken from this world far too soon. However, his infectious love for the sport and positivity will remain in all the players he came into contact with. The picture below is just some of the girls and boys he coached throughout his coaching career.

After leaving a struggling club, I wanted to find a new club that had already gone through their rebuilding face and was becoming more and more successful as each season passed. I was looking for a club where each and every coach was dedicated to having their players strive for achievement on and off the field.  A club that was known for good sportsmanship, a hard work ethic, off season practices/ trainings, and a high rate of players being recruited to play in college. I was determined to finding a club that gave me all four and more.

As most of my previous Cobra teammates went to a new club called World Cup, I questioned if I wanted to follow the crowd or stick to what I was looking for. Thankfully, after researching the club all of my requirements I was looking for I could find through World Cup. Ultimately the deciding factor that drew me to going to the World Cup club was having my town league coach, Coach Peter, extending his coaching career through World Cup specifically the age bracket his daughter and I fell under. When tryouts came around for the 97-98 girls team there was a pretty noticeable divide between the girls. You had the returners that were already apart of one of the three teams within the age bracket and the newbies. After making the club team, I was positive that I had found myself a club I could call my new home, with new coaches, and new teammates.

All throughout my time at World Cup, they were constantly meeting and exceeding the requirements I was looking for in a club. During the season you took part in more than one tournament, had millions of practices with your team or even higher level teams, all giving you the ability to become a better player. During the off season they hold weekly training seasons one that is specifically with your team and another that is a workout/skills session with the rest of your age bracket. The number of practices held and dedication from the coaches ensures the commitment to the players success in the sport. After the first practice was held with my new team I knew that this was going to be my forever soccer home.

http://http://www.nashuaworldcup.org

As I got older the town league was not enough. Sure I made a lot of new friends, amazing coaches, got a lot of experience, and my love for the sport grew dramatically. But as a player, it simply was not enough anymore. I decided to look around at the different club teams located in Southern New Hampshire. After participating in a summer soccer camp, I was asked to join a travel team call Cobras. It took a lot of consideration but I finally decided to join the club team.

At first it seemed like the perfect fit, the club was succeeding in its tournaments/games and the club was well known. Our team was big, strong, and had a wide variety of players. The only down fault was with a large team means less playing time. For me as a player, it all changed. I began to question if being a goalie was really what I wanted. In practice I began feeling out the different positions. Despite wanting to be a striker my coach thought the best fit for the team was defense. I had the speed to get back, the lack of fear for physical contact, and a defensive mentality. The changes of the line up made our team unbeatable and boy was it a great feeling. After an amazing season, it all began it change.

The next season we were all in for a rude awakening. Well, at least the players who came back were. The Cobras club was truly falling apart and it was only a matter of time before it began affecting the players. Recruiting was unsuccessful and the number of players who returned was even fewer. Our once large team, was now struggling to play an 11 person game. Winning was not a feeling we felt often anymore. We were working harder, getting less recognition, and feeling more exhaustion.

It is easy to say that changing my position was the best thing that came from this club team.

When you are young and in sports, you tend to have a huge crowd of supporters on the side lines watching you. It probably has to do with the amusement and cute factor of a little kid playing sports for the first time. But once you start to grow up, those supporters when you were little start to become less and less. Thankfully for me, my parents were always there.

My parents played different roles when it came to supporting me. My mom made friends with the other parents apart of our team and cheered on their children along with her own. She was also one of those moms who tries to talk to you and tell you what to do while you are playing. The other side of having a parent who is not afraid of telling you what you need to be doing while you play, they also are not afraid of telling you when you messed up or “aren’t playing nicely”. While it was quite annoying in the moment, I knew it was her way of supporting me, the sport I love, and wanting me to be the best player I could have been.

My dad on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He would be at the end of the field by the corner, away from any socialization, just watching and fetching stray balls. He saved all his comments about the game for the car ride home. After tough losses that was the moment I dreaded the most. It wasn’t the coaches end of the game talk, it was always my fathers. On the other hand, if we won the game or I played well I heard “good game kid” and that was it. Something so simply was so meaningful and gave me an extra boost of motivation on the field.

Some teammates did not have the support of their parents all throughout their sporting careers. For me, I was. No matter the weather, distance, or time, one if not both of my parents were present at my game. From the start all the way to the end of my soccer career I had unconditional support from my parents. They truly are my biggest supporters on and off the soccer field.