"Let's get lost"

January 7th, 2008, I was flying back to Florida Southern for the second semester of my freshman year... I remember being so excited to get back to school and see everyone.  When I landed I got a few calls from a few of my teammates and my athletic trainer.  They all said the same thing.  First they asked,"Where are you?" I told them, and then they said come see me right when you get back to campus.  I did not think anything of it; I thought everyone just missed me and was excited to see me.  When I pulled into school Brian, our athletic trainer was right there to meet me and he hit me with some of the most horrific words I have ever heard.  He said, "The twins (Melissa and Meghan Kelly) got into a car accident; Melissa is in the hospital and Meghan past away..." Now it is four years later, my heart still aches and I just don't
understand.  I still ask the question "Why?"

 
I am always a little down this time of year but I started reminisce on some of the great times I had with Meghan and I thought about our Colorado trip my Freshman year.  I traveled to Colorado with my team without a cent in my bank account and I had the greatest experience.  Materialistically I had absolutely nothing, but I felt as if I was living like a rich person. I was always given incredible food, had amazing places to stay, I got to go to the Olympic training center, the garden of the gods,  explore Denver, and I got to experience it with a team that turned into a family.

I went on my facebook and I looked at all the pictures of my team in Colorado and I just smiled as I went through each one.  On one of my Colorado pictures Meghan posted a comment; she said "Jackie lets get lost..." When we got to Denver, my coach let us go out on our own; no one knew where to go so I said, "lets get lost and see what we find." We started to explore and we found some of the greatest places.  "Lets get lost" became the slogan Meghan and I had all throughout Colorado.  We got lost and saw sites that I felt like I would only see on TV or in a magazine.

There are times now, that I feel lost in my own life.. But I think being lost is good. Something great could find you or who knows what you will find or discover. So today in honor of Meghan I am going to go to New York City and "get lost" I have my train ticket and I am going to see what adventure the day will bring me.  I wont be alone, I know she will be right there with me. 

I am so grateful for the time I had with Meghan; I would not trade that time for anything and I would give anything to have her back here. My teammates and friends at Florida Southern are incredible people.  We really held each other up, we were a shoulder to cry on and pulled through as one. I don't know where I would be without them. I miss everyone that I am not with right now.  I think about you all the time and I am so grateful that I am apart of such a great family. Life is so short and I should say this more often but to all my teammates, friends and family  I want you to know that you mean so much to me. I love you all!

"Sometimes I lay under the moon and I thank god Im breathing, then I pray dont take me soon because I am here for a reason.." Matisyahu

  The demands of soccer can really take a toll on your body. When I got back from Finland I decided to give my body a bit of a break.  It is really hard for me to take a break.  I started exploring different forms off cross training.  In the past I would do things like play tennis, yoga or bike the lake at Florida Southern. Now I am back in Massachusetts.   I joined a local gym; the Northampton Athletic Club.  Its a great gym; they have a wide range of classes, the people are really friendly and they have everything I need.  Since I decided to take a little break from soccer I decided to try things I never thought I would and see what happened. 

The first class I tried was tae kwon do  This was one of the most different types of exercise I have ever done.  The movements where very slow and methodical.  There are many different courtesies and formalities that go along with this class.  Tae kwon do was a great learning experience, but it was not for me. 

The next class I tried was Kickboxing.  The warm up was fun and intense.  The music was blasting, my heart was going and I was having fun.  When I took tae kwon do there was no music and I think that's what I missed.  I like doing things to a beat and a rhythm.  The teacher taught me how to punch and kick properly and then she put the class through a mini circuit.  I learned different combinations to use when I hit the bag, and I was really good at the speed bag.  After the workout was complete I was pretty tired but I wanted to keep going. 

Since kickboxing went so well I decided to try their boxing class.  This class was a smaller class; the teacher showed me how to wrap my hands and we got to work.  My wrists and hands are not the strongest so I never thought I would be good at this, but the wrap and the gloves  serve as great support.  The warm up was good and the instructor taught us different combinations on the bag.  I felt really good this day; the theme song to Rocky came on, my feet were quick and I was putting some power behind my punches.  I was completely in the zone; it was like nothing else existed but me and the bag.  The only other time I feel like this is when I am out on the field.  I was also impressed with the other people in the class; a few of them are older than me but they are working just as hard.  It was a great workout; I was pretty tired afterwards and the next day I was pretty sore. I rarely ever get sore.. I was impressed. 

I'm going to keep trying new things but I will continue to kick box and box until my next adventure.  Both of the classes are a challenge and  I look forward to them. I'm working muscles I don't usually work. This is a perfect type of cross training for me and I think it will help me become a better player as well.

Now I have been starting to get back into soccer.  My lungs

have hit a little bump in the road but I have recovered.  I am slowly getting back into it and building my strength up.  I felt strong enough to go to the field; it was a beautiful day and it was just me and my ball.  I started off by just juggling and dribbling around and then worked on some shooting and free kicks.  Before I knew it a few hours just flew by. It felt so good to be on the field again; every time I hit that little "bump" it makes me appreciate playing even more!  When I was out on the field it was like nothing else around me existed.  Its like I am trapped in this zone; it clears my head.  Its a weird but an incredible feeling; I always get like this on the field; Its the one place where everything feels completely right.       

"She probably believed all her life she could do this. ... People all over the world laughed at that lady when she walked out there, but when she opened her mouth, nobody laughed anymore," he says. "Kind of the same with me." -Alan Moore on Scottish pop singer Susan Boyle

I just read a fantastic story on CNN that I would like to share.  The title of the article is "On the college gridiron, grandad lives a dream, offers a lesson."  61 year old Alan Moore is the football kicker at Faulkner University in Alabama.  Moore was a small town kid who began kicking at 12 years old. In high school his talent drew the attention of some of the biggest football universities.  He ended up going to a small college because his family could not afford the tuition. His team won the state championship his freshman year but Moore dropped out because the U.S. went to war in Vietnam.  He was assigned to the infantry unit and was shipped off for a year.  When he returned he began a career in construction and started a family.  He has three kids and five grand kids.  In 2009 the housing market crashed and 59 year old Alan Moore was laid off. In this tough time Moore moved back to Mississippi and decided he would play college football again.  It had been about forty years since he had kicked... Moore bought some old school football square-toed shoes and wrote the word "BELIEVE" across the front went to the field and got to work.

  Many people thought Moore was joking and laughed at him but "Moore welcomed the naysayers." There will always be people who will think you are crazy and try and put you down.  I almost feel like they see a light and want to put it out. Moore is quoted in the article saying "assholes are great motivators"

  Moore made the Faulkner University football team. He arrived at Faulkner with his workout gear and BELIEVE shoe. He was there to kick. On September 10th he became the oldest man to ever score a collegiate point. Moore says "I want to show  people that they can follow up on what their dream is or finish what they start." His teammates see the word BELIEVE written across his shoe and they understand the true value and meaning of the word.  Moore says that Believe is "probably the most powerful word in our vocabulary.

"CNN writer Eliott C. McLaughlin writes "Who couldn't admire a man who kicked in college, left to join the military, fought in Vietnam, worked in construction for almost 40 years, started a family, then went back to college to kick again when a tough economy snatched his job?" Alan Moore is proof that no matter how old you are or where life takes you if you have a dream and passion for something anything is possible.

Check out the article.
 http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/20/us/football-oldest-college-kicker/index.html?hpt=us_c1

 

Sorry it has been awhile since I have written but I will be writing soon about my future steps and everything that I have been up to in the U.S. We have a lot to catch up on!

"When all is said and done, it's not the shots that won the championship that you remember, but the friendships you made along the way." Unknown

My last game is Finland was great!The whole environment was awesome and there were over 600 people in the stands.  I like the feeling of playing in front of a lot of people. ONS is a good side but we were ready to compete and we set the level of intensity from the start. The game was pretty evenly matched but we created more opportunities throughout the game.  ONS had a few fast, skillful and crafty players but our entire team had a solid defensive performance and shut them down.  In the last five minutes of the game I took a free kick on their end. I took it, my teammates made some good runs, the keeper missed the ball and it ended up in the back of the net. It was not the prettiest goal but a wise person once told me "it doesn't have to be pretty, a goal is a goal."  We did not let up and won the game! It was a great team performance. Everyone all over the field played their role and executed well! Our goal at the beginning of the season was to be top 2 in the league, because of our win verse ONS we achieved our goal and ended up finishing second.  I was very proud of everyone. It was a well deserved!

After the game we went to this local school and had a sauna party.  Finland is famous for their saunas.  There was food at the school, we all took a sauna and swam.  On Sunday we had a going away dinner.  It was really nice and I enjoyed spending time with all my teammates.  Most of the team came to the apartment after dinner.  Goodbyes are never fun but I was so happy I got to meet and play with this group of girls.  This was a really special group.  I know that as time goes on I will not remember the stats or a score to a game, what I will remember is all the great people I met and all the great times I had with all of them. Thank you to my team and everyone I met in Finland who helped me create some amazing memories.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the road less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost

One practice, one game and five days left in Finland.. I am so excited to see my family again; I can not believe it is so soon.  Time goes by so fast.  I feel like it was just yesterday I was saying goodbye to my family at the Orlando Airport. The whole experience over here has been great.  I have enjoyed every second and really learned a lot both on and off the field. While I have been in Finland off the field I have seen reindeer, moose, gypsies, learned how to speak a lot of swedish, become a coffee drinker, ate salmiakki, become an expert bike rider, juggled in the marketplace, went to swedish school, meet so many great people and so much more.

 On the field I noticed that many players are very technical.  One thing that I think is wild is playing with players that can not speak a word of english.  I was thinking about one of the goals this girl Jenna scored two games ago and I remembered I had slid to get the ball on goal; the ball went off the post and Jenna finished it off.  After the goal she tackled me.  Jenna can not speak any English and we have not had one conversation but when we celebrated the goal we shared so much passion for the game. That passion was better than any conversation we could have had. We have not spoken a word to each other but are in love with the same game. It is bizarre but soccer really is a universal language; it is so much more than a game.

 

I'm looking forward to our last game this Saturday.  We are playing ONS; they are a really good side and if we win we have a chance of finishing second in the league.  There "is no tomorrow" after this game; literally. We have nothing to lose and are fit for the last fight together as a team. After the game on saturday we are having a sauna party with the team.  On Sunday we are having a team farewell dinner.  I am going to miss the girls.  Goodbyes are never fun but I know it will be a great weekend.

"Where the trails of passion and purpose meet, begins the path to victory"

After a rough game verse FC Sport we responded in a positive way and came out victorious against JyPk this past Saturday.  This was a very important game; we have not beat this team yet.  The first half was the best we had played all year. Every player was mentally and physically ready.  We were defending and attacking as one unit and connecting all over the field.  In the 20th minute our forward Tia, Linda and I combined, I made a run into the box and Linda chipped a perfect ball to me, I saw that the keeper was out and I chipped her.  I was so excited and my teammates rushed to celebrate with me! I feel as if I have lived this moment before. My adrenaline was pumping as I saw the ball hit the back of the net; it felt as if this were the first time I ever scored. We kept our focus and about five minutes after, Linda scored a great goal from outside the 18. Shortly after that I made a run into the box and got played a ball right across the six; I slide and the ball hit the post but Jenna was right there to finish it off.  I was on the ground and she tackled me in celebration. Jypk fought back and got a goal in the last minute of the half making it 3-1. 

In the second half we knew that JyPk was going to come out hard and hungry.  We held on and had a solid defensive performance.  Jamie made some good saves and our back four had a great game. About half way through the half  Tia (our forward) got played a ball through and scored.  The game ended at 4-1.  At the end of the game both teams  meet in the center circle, sometimes awards and prizes are given.  I got player of the game.  I was honored and excited but my team as a whole deserved that award this game.  Everyone had a great game and stepped up all over the field.

 This win was big and we are now tied for first.  There are only two games left, if we win the last two games we will stay in first no matter what. Our next game is not until a week from saturday.  We made a goal before this part of the season and we are very close to reaching it. We are going to continue to work hard in practice and prepare for the up and coming challenges. This team is really a great group.  I am proud to be apart of it!

"Its not about how hard you hit... Its all about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward." Rocky

In the movie Rocky I, Rocky is known as a small time boxer that is looked at as nothing but a bum. He works hard and ends up defeating heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Rocky wins the heavyweight championship and has made a name for himself but in the beginning of the movie Rocky III, Rocky is overpowered by a stronger opponent (Lang).  He gets hit hard and knocked out in the second round...

In Saturday's game I got hit! In the last minute of the game, me and a girl from FC sport went up for a 50-50 ball and our heads collided.  I felt some pain but I got up.  I just wanted to finish the rest of the game out.  Lotta (our center back) told me I was bleeding and told me to stay down.  I heard her speak Finnish to the ref and I had to come off the field.  It was bleeding pretty bad but luckily I did not need stitches.

At the end of Rocky III, Rocky trains harder and meets Lang back in the ring.  He outboxes him and knocks him out in the third round.  Rocky got "hit" and kept "moving forward." I think that is an important statement; not just in sports but in life in general. 

We did not have our best game of the season and FC sport played very well on saturday.  It was not our day; Sport won deservingly. This is game is just a bump in the road and we are still in good standings. An old coach of mine told me you have 24 hours to think about a loss or celebrate a win.  After that it is time to move forward and focus on the next task.  There are three games left.  We have a strong team.  After a good week of practice we will be ready mentally and physically to take on JyPk on Sunday. We got "hit" but now its time to get ready to get back in the "ring."