Dale - Let's Go!

Yesterday a mix of Fútbol sin Fronteras girls showed up for my fitness and technical session that we have been trying to implement during my short stay here.   Since my clinics are optional for the group of 100 girls, I wasn’t expecting all that many to attend.  But sure enough, about 25 eager girls ages 9-20 showed up and were ready to work hard and improve.  We started with stations, which involved agility ladders, body weight strength training, and sprints. Although these types of exercises are somewhat unfamiliar to the girls, many caught on quickly and quite enthusiastically.  It was exciting to see the girls putting so much effort into their squats, scissor jumps, lunges, and even push-ups! After the strength and conditioning segment,  I led them in a technical session. We worked on ball movements, or coevers, such as ball touches, triangles and juggling.  We made it into a fun competition to see who could get the most in 30 seconds, which the girls seemed to enjoy and it was thrilling to see the girl’s competitive sides emerge. 

A few of the girls working hard with fitness stations! 

After an intense hour of drills and exercises a male coach came up to us and asked us if we were ready to play his boys.  Unaware of any scheduled game, we had no idea what he was talking about (there was apparently a miscommunication on scheduling it).  But our girls were intrigued and rose to the challenge.  We ended up having enough girls to field a team and take on the team of young boys from Pruica, a town 30 minutes away. Before we knew it, the field was set up with makeshift goals and the game was underway. 

The group before the impromptu game! 

This was one of the most exciting moments with FSF so far for me. After working the girls very hard in my fitness session, they prevailed and came out with a 2-1 win.  I must admit, I played with my team and got a little competitive and might have scored... ;) But I was so proud of our squad  and with our result.  Despite the roughness of the boys, our girls stayed strong and classy and it was so inspiring to be a part of it.  Our youngest girl on the field, Alejandra, was truly inspiring. She got knocked down multiple times and was clearly smaller than everyone else, but she continued to get up and continued to fight.  I was very impressed with her determination and strength.

Action shot! 

It is exciting to see how the girls' work ethic in my sessions and what they learn in each practice can translate to the field and to our success.  We have 2 more games this weekend with the Veteranas and one practice today to prepare.  Win or lose, I am glad to be a part of the progress and development of the girls as players and people.  Dale Fútbol Sin Fronteras!!!