Overwhelmed...

The journey has been a long one.  Eleven years in the making.

It started when she was barely six years old.  She hated gymnastics and wanted to do something different. 

Enter the Parks & Rec brochure...

Flipping the pages, I saw soccer for her age group.  "Want to play soccer?"

"Sure."

And so it began.

She played for her team, the Firecrackers, till we moved from Dallas to Austin.  Four years in which the man in that picture insured his little players loved the experience, loved learning.  I have often told Coach Mike that if her experience with him had not been what it was, she would have never stuck with it.

Instead, unbeknownst to him, he lit the fuse on that Firecracker...

Through the years, she has never let up.  Advancing from team to team with each passing year, captaining every single one of them - leading by example, not ego. 

And her example is one for which any player should strive, although it is damn near impossible to replicate.

Carson never lets up.  Since the age of 10 she has lived up at CATZ (Competitive Athletic Training Zone), working out tirelessly, endlessly in order to insure her strength, speed and core match the skills of her feet, the game awareness of her brain.

I often joke that I just drive the taxi.  But by doing so, I am there for everything.  Every training session (rain, snow, sleet, heat), I am there under the field lights.  Every workout, I sit quietly on my bench at CATZ.  And it IS my bench.  So much so that they had a small plaque placed on it earlier this year.

I have had a front row seat for just how hard she works.  If she is not with her team, she is with another team doing extra sessions - this season she is training 3-4 nights a week, having pushed her workouts to the mornings on the days she does not go to school until 10:15am.  That means she trains till 930pm, then turns around and wakes up to hit the gym at 800am.

Her summers have never meant pool time.  Her summers have always meant she ramps up her workout schedule so when Boot Camp starts in August, she hits the ground running - faster and stronger than when the season ended.

The years have included training camps, College ID camps, making ODP (Olympic Development Program), guesting for other teams, trophies, medals, honors, winning 3v3 National Champions, traveling to play, every Thanksgiving being spent in a hotel not around a dining room table, muscle injuries, broken bones, painful Airrosti, sports massages, playing in Germany, playing every position from goalie to striker, showcases, recruiting, endless trainers, and amazing teammates.

She has had incredible support from trainers, coaches, parents, and other players.  She has also had trials and challenges to face down and triumph over.

And I have to point out, an athlete like Carson does not just simply *poof* appear.  Yes, it has been her focus, blood, sweat, and tears, but these are the coaches and trainers who have been at her side training her, pushing her, developing her through this journey: Mike S, Mike M, James A (now Asst Coach at Auburn), Zack P (Captain of Austin Aztex), JD, Robert, Toby, Bill & Sparrow (Meyer Fitness), Tim (Meyer Athletic Development), Sonny, Alex, Louis P (played with Maradona in Argentina back in the day), Jim (CATZ), Scott (CATZ), Emily (CATZ), Brad (CATZ and former Tennessee Titans and NY Jets player), Simon, Sophia, Eric, and of course, her beloved Lonestar leprechaun - Coach Ciaran.

Rudy and I could not be more grateful to them, or more proud of her and how she has handled herself in every situation.  Focus, maturity, camaraderie, leadership - she has never NOT shown them all.

The past year has been stressful for her, and us.  Recruiting is something you hear about as your competitive athlete begins to make the climb in their chosen sport.  It involves tremendous effort, poise, achievement, good grades, and communication skills.  For Carson in soccer it meant winnowing down the 1,200+ women's soccer programs in the country to schools in which she was interested.  Schools that had what she wished to study. 

Because I cannot stress that enough.  If your child is wanting to play college sports, the sport cannot be the main focus.  They are STUDENT-athletes, not ATHLETE-students.

All sports have one thing in common - an expiration date.  Even for the few who go on to play pro, there will be a final touchdown, goal, race, volley.  Any athlete is one injury away from not playing again.  An ACL, MCL, meniscus (as was Kendall's sport ending injury), concussion - bad enough and the game is over, dim the field lights.

We have never allowed Carson to lose sight of that.  Soccer is her passion, but it will not be her career.  Grades are paramount.  Without them, coaches won't even pay attention to you.  If you can't get admitted to their school, they will simply move on to the next athlete who can.

With choices in front of her, her stress level has been off the charts.  Reminding her that having to make a choice was a nice problem to have did little to alleviate it.

But as of this past Friday morning, that stress disappeared with the words, "Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Texas at Dallas!"

Despite having all division levels to choose from, in states from California to Georgia, Carson found that all her personal puzzle pieces fit at UTD.  The degree program, the coach, the soccer, the location, the school size.

Carson has committed to play soccer as a UTD Comet beginning the fall of 2014.

What began 11 years ago simply because she hated wearing a leotard, has taken her farther than any of us could have imagined.

And Coach Mike, who lit the fuse on this Firecracker when she was 6?  We have already been in touch and he will be in the stands with me as she takes the field for her first time as a NCAA collegiate athlete.

Just not sure yet who will be holding the box of Kleenex.

Comments

[simona]

Ho semplicemente aggiunto il tuo feed all'RSS Reader... continuo a seguirvi, Grazie!

[Chicky]

Wow, late to the party! 4:37 am and I have insomnia, so I came here to see what's new! Carson is a fierce warrior, and she makes us all proud to be her pseudo family, I suspect you will be racking up frequent flier miles as you travel to her games around the country...Lucky for you you have friends in just about every state who would be honored to put you up and join you in rooting for a very special young lady. (Do they play in Minnesota?)

[Linda S to Sarah]

Thank you so much for the nice words about Carson!

[Sarah Janosek]

Congratulations to Carson! I have seen her in action at CATZ and she is a top-notch athlete and very sweet young lady as well. I wish her the best in her college career - and as the mother of a college athlete, Linda... Yes, bring lots of Kleenex!

[Theresa from Virginia]

Congratulations to Carson on her achievements thus far, but I'm sure we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. It's always refreshing to see such a gifted young person put her talents to good use!

[Ame]

Ironic you will be leaving Texas to join Rudy in CO (?) while Carson stays "home". Well done!! I saw the pic on FB, and forgot to come read the announcement here. Congratulations!! I can't believe she will be in college next fall. It doesn't seem possible. We have all had the honor of watching your girls grow up. Thank you for that, Linda!! (Now I am crying!!) ♥

[Linda L]

A BIG congrats!!!

[NH/NY Diane]

Congratulations to you all. I wish more people would be like Carson and understand that hard work is the #1 thing needed to "get ahead."

[Nikki in NYC]

Congratulations, Carson! Well done, young lady! I am sure you will continue to be a source of pride to your parents on and off the field.

[Robin in NM]

Linda - If UTD plays UNM, you have a place to stay, and I will go to the game with you

[Pat]

Well done Carson!

[Jennifer]

Congratulations to all of you - a long journey well travelled, with only bigger and better things awaiting Carson in the future. I wish her every success. Cheers!

[Jennifer]

Congratulations to all of you - a long journey well travelled, with only bigger and better things awaiting Carson in the future. I wish her every success. Cheers!

[Another Lori in TX]

Reading this, smiling, with tears streaming down my face! Carson is an amazing, strong young lady and athlete, and your willingness to go the distance with her has had a big impact on that as well.

Keep us posted on her games at UTD - I'd love to come down to see her play!

[Liz in CT]

Through your ability (and her permission) to share her journey, Carson has amassed quite the fan base nation wide. I, for one, look forward to her next four years and hope to make it to the stands for at least one game. I'll BMOK (bring my own Kleenex!) Go Comets!

[Katy]

well this brought tears to my eyes, so expect me to be crying right along with you when she heads out for UT....