Soccer has been my life since starting to play in 2nd grade. For eight years, my Saturdays (and with travel games, Sundays as well) have been dedicated to making the trek to and from local and not-so-local soccer fields--an odometer-spinning journey that many parents reading this know all about.
Therefore, when I decided to try for my coaching E license, I assumed that becoming a coach would be a piece of cake, considering all the time I’ve spent playing the game. However, I soon realized that playing soccer and coaching soccer are two completely different things.
Because I missed the classroom-based first session (my friends threw me a surprise birthday party the night the class started), the course for me commenced on a beautiful June Saturday. The sun was out, the birds were chirping happily in the trees, and my initial mood reflected the brilliance of the day. I believed I was prepared for whatever DC Stoddert Coaching Director Len Oliver and coach Craig Jones, the leaders of the class, could dish out. So, carrying my cleats in one hand and my water bottle and notebook in the other, I confidently headed towards the field where everyone was gathering for the day’s lesson.
My confidence dissipated, however, when I found myself to be the only girl in the entire class, which was comprised of 40 men and me, the lone double-X chromosome and the only young person. Looking back, I realize now that my uneasiness was ridiculous. At the time, though, as I reeled in a sea of unfamiliar faces, I couldn’t help but wonder what I had gotten myself into.
Despite all my fears, I cannot deny that I gained a new perspective on the tactics of soccer -- and how to teach them -- that day. Before taking Len and Craig’s class, I would do the drills set up by my coach, but I would go through the motions of the exercise without really understanding why we were being made to do what we were doing. Now, with the instruction I received from two of the Washington area’s best coaches, I can understand the purpose of each exercise as well as see their direct benefit in advancing a player’s technique and skills. This experience has even served to improve my own game, not to mention that it also has made me appreciate the thought and time that goes into planning practices.
So despite being the only female, I am so grateful that I took this class. Thanks to Len and Craig, I go into the year with a new outlook on the upcoming fall season. I hope to help train a team of my own, and because of the lessons I learned in the two days I spent with these two seasoned veterans and my classmates, I see big things for my future as a coach as well as a player.
A final thanks to Len and Craig, and a happy summer to everyone!
---Amelia Landay
07/24/08
High school senior Amelia Landay has played for the DC Stoddert Fusion with four other original members since the team’s inception eight years ago. She hopes to coach an elementary school team this fall.
