Keeping The Game in Perspective

Keeping the Game in Perspective

October 27, 2015

By Chris LeGates, TCS Co-Host

As a college soccer coach for the past 24 years, you would think that I’d seen it all…

This past week we were training in preparation for a huge conference match. We would face Saint Rose College – currently ranked #17 in the country.  Our approach all week was very intense, and the players responded knowing it was a big game. One being played at home, with major implications on the standings and our playoff future.  We had watched hours of video and walked through our roles on the field. We felt we were extremely prepared for our opponent.

The day before the game, Coach, Adam Cohen, received an interesting email. It was sent from the mother of a player he had coached in youth soccer some time ago.  She was running an organization called IRIS that housed refugees from war-torn countries around the world. Would it be okay to bring a group of women to the match the next day – without hesitation, Coach Cohen agreed.  The women ranged in age from their teens to their forties.  They all loved soccer, but, because of the persecution that they faced in their countries, they were never allowed to play.

It was a perfect fall day in New England, and the match did not disappoint.  We went up 1-0 in the first half, only to see our opponent equalize in the second half. Eventually, they beat us in sudden death overtime.  Our team felt gutted after such a hard-fought defeat and there is very little that the coaches could say to make it better.  As the players were gathering their gear to leave the field, they were able to meet the brave ladies who were starting a new life here in the United States.  In an instant, smiles broke out, and introductions were being made.  Players from the US, England, and Spain were speaking with women from Sudan and Syria – sharing stories about the game, their homelands, and about soccer.  I sat back and took and took it all in – listening to the interactions, and smiling at what this impromptu meeting was doing to all involved.  We took some group pictures, and others filtered out to take individual pictures with their new friends. Before parting ways, we hugged and invited them to come back any time they wanted – we all hope they do.  

On a Saturday afternoon in October, a group of seven women showed that sports can bring people together.  Through our student-athletes, they saw that anything is possible is in the United States.  The sport they loved to watch, but could not play before, was right there for them to participate in.  Our athletes learned that there are battles in life that go way beyond the place of competition, social media, or the dormitory. In sports, we use words like, “battles”, “warrior” and “heroes”.  After meeting these ladies, those words do not apply to sports at all – they apply to real-life situations.  Imagine the atrocities these ladies had seen, what persecutions they had to endure – those are battles. They are warriors. They are heroes!  Lastly, when the players and the staff met afterward, there was no mention of the game, it all had to do with what occurred after the game.  In time, the score and details of that match will fade, however, the experience of what transpired on the track around the stadium will never be forgotten. Isn’t that truly what sports are all about?!  

TCS is always here for you, so, please do not hesitate to contact me at chrisltcs@comcast.net with any questions or comments. Our next podcast will be coming this week with Tim White of White House Athletics and the University of Michigan.  

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Good Luck and ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST,

Chris

  
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