Last night the US
Women’s National Team won the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, making them the
world champions for the first time since 1999 and the third time ever! Whether
watching at home or out in public, seeing those women work so hard for
something they wanted was an incredible sight to behold.
However, nothing quite
beats the energy and excitement of seeing them play in person. About two months ago I received a text
message from a friend asking if I’d be interesting in going to Canada for a
week in June to see a couple Women’s World Cup games if all expenses were paid
for me. Of course, my answer was, “Heck yes!” Who could pass that opportunity
up? So after booking our flights and places to stay, my friend, Q, and I waited
for June 11th to come around so we could take off on our Canadian soccer
adventure.
Finally,
June 10th came around along with the worst part of traveling: packing. I absolutely hate packing. It is the most
stressful part of traveling for me. While I was frantically trying to figure
out what to pack, I received a text from Q warning me to be prepared for her to
wear every American thing she owned for the games (and yes, that includes an
American flag). So of course I immediately packed everything American that I
owned as well, which was significantly and shamefully less than her. A few
hours later, I was finally packed and ready to go!
The
next morning we left at 3:45 am to catch a 5 am flight, and after 12+ hours of
traveling (we had a lot of layovers), we were finally in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada. Though Winnipeg was a small city, we had to drive another hour and half
to our hotel in an even smaller town named Winkler. Yes, I said Winkler. Funny
nicknames ensued, including Winkletown and Weselton.
The
next day we got decked out in all our America gear and made the drive back to
Winnipeg for double-header games (one right after the other in which we had
tickets for both). To get pumped up before for the game, we went to a local sports
pub that was hosting a special event just for American supporters. This was my
first exposure to all the red, white, and blue that had taken over Winnipeg. It
was such an amazing feeling to be an American supporter in another country.
There were people from all over the US, and though we asked them where they
were from, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that we were all here to
support our country and the women playing for the world cup.
As
we walked through Winnipeg to the stadium where the
games were, many people
honked and hooted in support of the USA (and our patriotic getups). Once we
entered the stadium, it was as if we were in the US and this was a home game.
There was red, white, and blue all around with very few small pockets of
supporters for the other teams.
The first game we
watched was Australia vs. Nigeria, though we spent most of that match standing
in line for the small FIFA shop in the stadium. The real event was the USA vs.
Sweden game. Chants and cheers for the US went up all around the stadium as
soon as the women stepped onto the field. A group of supporters called the
American Outlaws cheered loudly from a few sections away, starting chants and
waves that made their way around the entire stadium (more about them later).
With the sun
shining in our eyes and beating us down with heat, the whistle was blown and
the game started. Watching the women run and control the ball with such
powerful and precise movements was incredible. The energy coming off the field
was invigorating and made me want to be playing soccer myself, even though I
haven’t played in years.
Though the US vs.
Sweden game ended in a draw, we didn’t leave the stadium feeling dejected. The
US was still at top of the group at that point and we were confident about the
next game.
The day after the
games in Winnipeg, Q and I went back to the airport to fly to Vancouver for the
next phase of our Canadian soccer adventure. Once we arrived in Vancouver, we
took a train into the city and walked to our hostel. Hostels are a great way
for young people to travel cheaply and meet new people. This particular hostel,
The Cambie, was above a local pub, which sounds awful but turned but to be
great. We were able to socialize downstairs and then head upstairs once we got
tired.
While at The Cambie, we met many interesting
people, including some folks from Australia who were in town for a Zen
convention (whatever that is). Being exposed to people from other countries and
cultures is one of the best parts of traveling to new places. We also met an
elderly couple from Britain while visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
The
Capilano Suspension Bridge, hanging 70 meters above a river and 140 meters
across a gorge, is a breathtaking and slightly frightening destination.
Nevertheless, we made the hike to walk across it and take in the remarkable
views of nature it had to offer.
Over the next two
days, we spent most of our time sightseeing around Vancouver. At some point,
this led us to the FOX broadcasting location around the time that they were
beginning an evening broadcast about the World Cup. They had a special guest
that night: Megan Rapinoe, midfielder for the US Women’s National Team! During
the broadcast, she was so far away that we could barely see her. After she left,
we decided to head out ourselves and leave the crowds behind.
However, once we
walked down a set of stairs, we ran into Megan Rapinoe herself! Q and I had an
awkward fan moment as I stood there taking pictures and she just said hi as
Megan walked past us with her entourage. We couldn’t believe our luck!
Remember when I mentioned the American
Outlaws earlier? Turns out, it’s the largest organization of soccer fans in the
US! Members support both men’s and
women’s soccer.
As a member of the American Outlaws, Q got
us free tickets to tour the EA Sports campus. It’s one of the biggest gaming
companies with in the world and the facility in Vancouver is EA’s second
largest! The campus was beautiful and full of high tech things. After taking a
tour of the campus, we got a chance to do some gaming of our own and play some
of the video games they create at EA Sports. The best part of the visit was
when the American Outlaws played EA Sports employees in a soccer scrimmage on
turf installed in the middle of the campus. Though I didn’t play myself, I cheering
on my fellow Americans and picked up a few new chants to use at the USA vs.
Nigeria game the next day.
Q
and I got the chance to attend a party in honor of the US women’s soccer team. That’s
where we ran into former US player and soccer legend Mia Hamm! She stepped on stage to lead us all in a cheer, chanting,
“I believe that we will win!” After the
chant, she walked through the crowd. I
thought I was dreaming when I walked up to her to ask for a photo with her, and
to my utter amazement she leaned in for a selfie!
The next morning,
still floating from the events of the previous evening, Q and I met up with our
friends at the official FIFA fan zone in Vancouver to get pumped up for the USA
vs. Nigeria match. We got our faces painted and watched the other games going
on that day. About an hour before the US game, we met up with the American
Outlaws at the front of the fan zone and marched into the stadium as a giant
mass of red, white, and blue. We shouted cheers and sang songs for the couple
blocks it took us to march into the stadium. Q was chosen to carry a giant cut
out of U.S. Forward, Abby Wambach’s head! As we marched into the stadium with
it, Abby’s wife stopped Q and asked to take a picture with her!
Once we were in the stadium, we hiked to
the fourth level to take our seats with the American Outlaws. We were in the
second row of the group, so we had great seats. The energy in the stadium was
like nothing I had ever felt before. It seemed that 90% of the crowd were
wearing red, white, and blue in support of the US, which is impressive
considering there were over 52,000 people there. The powerful sound of all the
chants spreading around the stadium gave me goosebumps.
Once the game began, we didn’t sit down
until half time and even then, only briefly. The entire crowd was so pumped
up. When Abby Wambach scored her goal,
we went wild! The enthusiasm, support, and love for the sport and the women
playing it were astonishing. By the end of the game, my voice was hoarse and my
legs tired, but I felt so much pride. I was so excited to have been there for
my team and experience their victory in person.
Since we were
sitting with AO, we ended up on the US Women’s National Team’s twitter page
and on TV! Later we found out we had also been on World Soccer Shop’s social
media, the American Outlaws’ social media, and on TV for the game we had
previously attended in Winnipeg. We were all over the media, which was pretty
exciting and cool.
After 15+ hours of
travel the next day, (thanks to the storms in Austin), we finally arrived home
and our adventure came to an end.
Though
I have traveled many places in my life, each trip affects me profoundly,
especially when I have experiences like I did in Canada. As a lifelong Girl
Scout,
I’ve learned to make the most of the things I get to experience, especially
traveling. This trip brought me a
greater appreciation and love of soccer in general, and a greater respect for
women’s soccer specifically. Women’s soccer tends to get downplayed and
overshadowed. However, those women work extremely hard and are just
as impressive as the men on the US Men’s National Team. Women’s soccer is a
powerful and high-energy sport that involves skill, heart, and athletic
ability.
The
victory and success of the US Women’s National Team remind us that girls can do
anything if they work hard and have the passion!
The Youth Track at
DWEN was attended by over 20 young people from diverse backgrounds. The program
was developed by two amazing young women, Jordan Howard and Cynthia Hass, Youth
Innovation Advisors for Dell. The Youth Track was focused on learning the
process of developing our own start-up and pitching it to potential investors.
We went from brainstorming ideas to creating a 3 minute pitch presentation in
just two days. We attended workshops on creating concise pitches and heard from
the adult entrepreneurs about their experiences as business owners and
innovators. After a lot of hard work I presented my start up idea as a closing
presentation to the DWEN attendees. This was one of the most awesome things I
have ever done and after that moment I was even more certain that I wanted to
become an entrepreneur, CEO, and own my own business. 
