Hello from San Diego, California!
I am currently training with the U.S. Women’s National Team to prepare for two friendlies against Mexico, one today at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium and on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is a short training camp compared to January when we were at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. for 20 days. There are four of my teammates from Sky Blue here in Cali (Heather O’Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Meghan Schnur, and Yael Averbuch), so it’s pretty cool to have teammates here from my new team.
It is crazy to think about how far women’s soccer has come over the past 25 years. In 1987, the year I was born, Kristine Lilly earned her first cap with the National Team and she is here still training and competing for a spot on the team. To be able to have an opportunity to play with and against Lilly is something I didn’t even think was possible. I remember watching her play in the ’99 Olympics at Giant’s Stadium when N*SYNC was the pre-game show. There have been so many women that have changed soccer and made it a respected sport: Mia Hamm, Lilly, July Foudy, Michele Akers, Brandi Chastain, Christie Rampone and more.
Before I came out to California for the National Team, I was with Sky Blue FC in preseason training at FSU in Tallahassee, Florida. Having teammates on Sky Blue that are apart of the Women’s National and have won gold medals and over 50 caps creates an elite training environment.
I am counting down the days to our home opener against Chicago on April 11. There are actually 14 days until then and there is a count down clock on our website if you want to start keeping track! (http://www.skybluesoccer.com/) There are events that you will remember for the rest of your life and that will be one of them. It will go alongside this training camp where I played alongside a player who has changed women’s soccer in this country forever, Kristine Lilly.
Before I go I will leave you with a short story I came across a couple years ago . . .
An 8-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up into his eyes, and asked: “I understand you’re a very wise man. I’d like to know the secret of life.” The old man looked down at the youngster and replied: “I’ve thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words:
- The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your life by.
- The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you’ve done about the values you’re going to live your life by.
- The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values you’re going to live by.
- The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values.
And with that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy, “Think, Believe, Dream and Dare.”
Brittany Taylor is a defender for Sky Blue FC and has been involved in recent U.S. Women’s National Team training camps. She has experience at the U-17, U-20 and U-23 Women’s National Team levels and was named the 2009 W-League Defender of the Year while playing for the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues. The Campbell Hall, NY native was drafted No. 6-overall in the 2010 WPS Draft by Sky Blue FC after playing collegiately with UCONN.
Taylor will be blogging all season for The Equalizer and providing insight into her time with Sky Blue FC, the U.S. Women’s National Team and life how she sees it. Check back for continued updates, and follow www.Twitter.com/JeffKassouf for all of the latest posts.
5 Comments… read them below or post one |
| Kurt Dahlgren (Monica’s Dad) said… |
| You are good. We are very proud of you. You are an inspiration to Monica. It was cool seeing you play on the All Game, Even saw your Parents on the Tube – How COOl is that! Hope to see you soon. Play Awesome! |
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| Anonymous said… |
| To anonymous, from Chicago? You were so right on. After our LUNCH BREAK,the Lady Blues are back to school. |
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| Anonymous said… |
| brittany we love and miss you! quickstrike is so proud of you! |
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| Anonymous said… |
| That is a bold prediction considering how these two teams ended 2009 and shaped up throughout the 2010 off-season, but I look forward to seeing the match on April 11. – Jeff |
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| Anonymous said… |
| Don’t know why you’re counting down the days until Chicago sends you and the rest of Sky Blue back to school but I admire your eagerness to learn. |
