This is a great story; one that I’ve been dying to share on here for quite some time, but due to business policies I had to hold back.
First, I’d encourage you to read this exciting release from the Kansas City Shock:
Now I’ll tell you the story:
I was in second grade and a girl in my class had her aunt and uncle in school for show and tell. They were from this enchanted land called Alice Springs, Australia. They had a cool accent, amazing stories, and wore some really cool clothes [I was in second grade]. This small moment started a fascination with the land down under.
I never knew much about the country, aside from MC’s love for Crocodile Dundee and my enjoyment of The Rescuers Down Under. Aside from that my knowledge kept small about the country with the fascinating accent in a land nearly a world away. It wasn’t until the 2000 Summer Games in Syndey, Australia that my interest really started to peak. I learned more about their country/continent. From the games, to entertainment, to food, to diversity. There was much to learn about this foreign world. I discovered that I would need to journey to this land to learn more.
In the fall of 2008 I had been in communication with the education services in Australia; namely Sydney. I had a friend that had just traveled to the area for school, and with my dual degrees I could have potentially qualified to teach in this country [along with coaching]. I had finished up the paperwork, had it placed on the table in the house I was staying in while in school, and would be shipping it off to Australia the next morning. However that night I had to go into the city to eat sushi and was set up on this ‘unintentional’ blind date.
That blind date turned into a relationship, an engagement, and eventually a marriage. The letter to Australia was thrown away at the realization that this is my life now, and those travels weren’t meant to be. I still paid attention to Australia, watched the development of the Westfield W-League women’s soccer program, and even stayed up at 3:00 AM listening to the plays get called in the dead of winter via internet radio.
With the divorce came a sense of realization and anticipated adventure. I wanted to visit Australia, but knew my limitations financially would prevent me from traveling there anytime soon. However, as I started to dabble in the women’s soccer writing world I began to discover this passionate group of people within the the soccer community of Australia who were hell-bent on growing the game in their own land. From news agencies to Twitter accounts; these women were passionate about their game and stopped at nothing to let themselves be known. Many times I thought:
What could that kind of passion do on a field in our own country?
This is when I discovered the coaches from Legacy Football Club; one of which is a native to Australia. At this point strange pieces started to come together; with the Shock being created we started to pick up a bit of hype from Oz. At one point even getting a few emails from people in the country about our program. It was some unique times.
I find it fascinating that for years I had a passion of knowledge of such a wonderful country as Australia, and even though it has taken time on my part [almost twenty years...literally] I’m finally starting to see a bit of that passion becoming a reality. Sure, I’m not heading to Australia anytime soon, but to know through the Kansas City Shock, that a bit of Australia is coming to us? It’s just a continued reminder that we’re moving along the right path.
-D-
