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Raise your hand if you have asthma.

Me too.

Hello, my name is SoccerChica and I have asthma.

If you don't have asthma, please, allow me to explain it to you. You're running as usual, maybe chasing after a ball that went way over your head. Defender on your heels. Suddenly, you stop. Dead in your tracks. You can't move. It feels as if one person has their hands tightly clenching your throat, while another is squeezing your lungs as hard as possible. Neither lets up at any point.

Since we're all on the same page, now, we may continue.

In high school, I never played with any other asthmatics. On my college team, though, there must be at least 4 other girls with asthma. It works out well if one of us happens to forget the inhaler on a bad day.

The whole point of this rant is that asthma is the Devil. During off-season training, it's typical to run a few miles each day and work out a little. As it gets colder, though, it gets really hard to keep running outdoors. Of course, the preference is to run on similar terrain to that on which you're playing. But the cold air just gets in an asthmatic's lungs and freezes them to the point that they won't expand to take in more air. It becomes impossible to run.

So, those of us who can't run outside, end up feeling like fat tubs of lard once it gets cold enough for the first snow (which we haven't seen much of this year!!!!). It's quite depressing for an athlete to feel that way.

Thank you for listening to me. I appreciate your time and patience.

-SC

Hello, my readers!

I was just passed this site from Big D. It's kind of like getting an inheritence from someone who's still alive. I guess that's a gift? Whatever you want to call it, that's what this site is to me.

I'm not really sure what to do with the site. The only way I'll know what to do is if you, the readers, tell me what you'd like to see. If I don't hear from you, I'm just going to have to keep re-capping the news. If you like that or want to see something else, let me know.

Talk to me!!

-SC

OK, ladies. It's time for us to step up and take some action. We can't just sit here and read something like this without doing something about it. Sitting around thinking Wow. That really sucks.. isn't going to sway the numbers. We need women like you and me to get out there are change it!

L.A. Times article: Number of female coaches in women's sports shrinks to all-time low

The article was a little long or I would have included the whole thing...

How can we help? It starts with coaching rec teams. Coach your church team, your YMCA team, or even a neighborhood team. Set the foundation. When you're more confident, coach a middle school team. I have a friend who does that and she loves it. Finally, when you're older and more experienced, coach a club team or a high school team. I have a friend who coaches 2 club teams and a high school team. All of those kids are being exposed to something they may not be used to. Eventually you'll be coaching a collegiate team.

Ok.

Well, if you have a need for a gift for a soccer girl or guy, this might be something you want to consider.

Check this out...

Design Your Own Soccer Ball Kit (Toy) Manufacturer:Design Your Own Released:

Ok, let me be clear. This is just wishful thinking. This isn't a RUMOR (shh--don't spread it). I don't know anything. I'm just making it up.

Wouldn't it be great if Debbie Rademacher, the former Michigan women's soccer coach, was hired to replace Don Staley at Alabama?

After all, she coached Michigan from 1994-2007 and had a slightly better women's soccer record than Staley (160-108-37 to Staley's 135-128-12.) She led Michigan to the NCAA Tournament nine times, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2002. She clearly loves the sport and has a great rapport with her teams. I think she'd be a good fit to shake up some of that Alabama good-ole'-boy culture.

She said she wanted to spend more time with her children when she resigned earlier this month, but she came off of a difficult season. After 13 years as coach for the same university, I smell burn-out.

I wonder if Rademacher is talking to Alabama? If I were recruiting coaches for Alabama, Debbie Rademacher would be at the top of my list.

<< Katie Feehan, NJCU
Photo courtesy NJCU
New Jersey City University Student, Katie Feehan, has now earned the ultimate award for excellence on the soccer field and in the classroom, having been named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-America team.

According to NJCU news releases, the May 2007 graduate of NJCU with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (Pre-Law), Feehan had a 3.98 undergraduate grade point average. She returned as a graduate student for the 2007-08 year to use her final season of eligibility and pursue a master’s degree. She was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America District II College Division First-Team for the third consecutive season earlier this month, is now a three-time Academic All-America selection, having earned Third-Team Academic All-America honors in 2005 and 2006.

Way to go Katie. You embody the term, "student-athlete."

Does it seem strange to you that West Virginia University, a school known more for it's football and partying, would have successful women's soccer team?

In case you haven't been paying attention, WVU's women’s soccer team moves one step closer to the the 2007 NCAA College Cup when it plays USC in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships Friday, Nov. 30. WVU is hosting the game in Morgantown.

West Virginia, No. 4 seed in its portion of the bracket, has an impressive record of 18-4-2, and goes into the the game this weekend off a a 10-game unbeaten streak. Now, if women's soccer at WVU just had the same level of funding as its football and basketball teams.

<< Michelle Weissenhofer, Notre Dame
Photo by:Andy Mead/Icon SMI

In last Saturday's game against North Carolina, Michelle Weissenhofer of Notre Dame executed one heck of a flip throw. One such throw popped of team mate Brittany Bock's noggin for a goal that gave the Fighting Irish a 1-0 lead.

Just a few seconds later, Weissenhofer took a pass from Kerri Hanks and scored her own goal putting Notre Dame at a 2-0 lead. That put Weissenhofer in the record books for fastest 914 seconds) back-to-back goals in NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament History.

How cool is that? Best of all for Weissenhofer and team, Notre Dame won the game 3-2.

Oh my gosh! Did you see it?

<< Don Staley Alabama's Soccer Coach

Alabama's women's soccer coach, Don Staley resigned last Friday after 14 years with the Tide. The guy's an icon in women's soccer, having coached the ladies since the SEC added women's soccer as a varsity sport in 1994. His record with the Alabama was 135-128-12, and his career record now stands at 324-257-28 in 23 years as a head coach. In 2004, he became only the fifth coach in NCAA soccer history to record his 300th win.

I'm sure Alabama will miss him, but so will Women's Soccer. The guy's an icon and has done much to advance the sport. Let's hope he lands at another college soon.

Lindsay Cunningham, Brown University, Photo by DSPics.com
 
Brown University should be proud. Junior Lindsay Cunningham (Cumberland, RI) has made the 2007 All-Ivy Women's Soccer Team as selected by the League's eight head coaches. This is her third time with the honor.

Cunningham was named to the Second Team this year after earning Honorable Mention honors during her first two seasons of play for Brown. She's been one of the team's top scorers, and finished second this year with seven points (2g, 3a), while also scoring one game-winning goal. Lindsey has played in all 50 games during her time at Brown and has 38 points on 13 goals and 12 assists. She will enter her senior season next fall already ranked in Brown's all-time top 20 for both career points (18th) and assists (13th).

Amazing. I hope this girl is on a scholarship. She's making Brown proud.