Keep The Game Beautiful

John OSullivan of Changing The Game Project is an advocate for youth sports and is always sharing how important it is we remember to keep the kids front and center. He has coached from the youngest of ages up through the WPSL in his thirty years of coaching.

Tracy Noonan is the founder of Dynasty Goalkeeping a residential training program for female goalkeepers that has 3 to 1 training ratio. She is also a former United States Women's National Team (USWNT) Goalkeeper and played at the University of North Carolina. 

April Heinrichs joined the first US Women's National Team at their fourth game ever. She would serve as Captain for the 1991 Inaugural Women's World Cup hoisting the trophy as champions. April would then coach collegiately before returning to the US Women's National Team as an Assistant Coach and then Head Coach for the 2003 Women's World Cup and the gold winning 2004 Olympic Games. She would continue to coach with US Soccer Youth National Teams and this past summer joined FIFA Leading the Technical Study Group during the 2019 Women's World Cup. 

Grace Sokolow is the Head Women’s coach at Finlandia University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She is a strong advocate for the women’s game and for the rights of all athletes in the sport. She serves on the LGBTQ Advocacy Council of the United Soccer Coaches in an effort to model her behavior of acceptance, tolerance, and advocacy to her athletes.

In this special episode Anna speaks to three student athletes from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. The teams coach briefly had mentioned on Twitter some of the stories from his incredible athletes late last year. We reached out and learned more. Despite the challenges that Lauren Fleming, Olivia Thompson, and Rylie Wehner each faced the team lifted one another up. These are some amazing student athletes and we hope you appreciate hearing three stories from this remarkable team.

Henk Rook is an AYSO Regional Commissioner and was my coach when I first started to really play soccer. I will always appreciate his encouragement and the faith he put in me as a player. The AYSO Region in Cedar Rapids Iowa has around 2400 players, as a volunteer organization there are many dedicated people who make The Beautiful Game accessible to kids in this community.

Geoff VanDeusen started coaching college soccer in the nineties leading both mens and womens programs. He has had the opportunity to work with NCAA Leadership at the Division 2 level, assisted as a FIFA Match Commissioner, and today is the Director of Operations for the United Soccer Coaches organization. In his current role he helps to lead the United Soccer Coaches Convention as well as other special events. He has been a big supporter of my Podcast and I appreciate having him on as a guest.

Nick Rizzo is the womens soccer coach at Monmouth College in Western Illinois. You may also have heard of the podcast he co-hosts with Shaun Soderling, SoccerChat. He and his team had an amazing season this year. We talk a bit about his background, his team, and some of the joy he gets from the game. 

Molly Grisham coached soccer for over twenty years before deciding to shift her work towards developing individuals through her own organization. Today Molly Grisham helps individuals, teams, and organizations to maximize their potential.

Corey Rockwell is a FIFA Assistant Referee who recently worked the MLS Championship, he was also at the 2018 World Cup, and has worked multiple college matches including several College Cups. He is someone who does an exceptional job putting in his best effort each and every match. I've learned a great deal from him and appreciate his help as a referee.

My guest Andy Seraphin will graduate with his Doctor of Physical Therapy later this year from Duke. He hosts a podcast of his own, the Soccer Fitness Experience. Andy has always enjoyed the sport as a recreational player. Now he concentrates his career on helping others discover and maximize their performance, and looks forward to helping those he serves return to active lifestyles. He posts often on Instagram using his account @thefutbolphysios about current trends, exercises, or even reviews of specific injury cases.

In this episode I talk with Adelaide Gay. Ade and The North Carolina Courage just won the NWSL Championship for the second year in a row. We talk about the championship, a bit about coaching, and some of Ade’s challenges as a professional athlete. Ade, with Tiffany Weimer, cofounded Duktig Brand. I appreciate her taking the time to share her knowledge with me. I look forward to seeing her in Baltimore in just a couple of months for the United Soccer Coaches Convention.

Brianne Reed is a professional football player in Denmark on the FC Nordsjælland women’s senior team. An injury guided her towards making a decision to pursue soccer over her other love of gymnastics at the age of 13. She would play at Rutgers University before making the decision to play professionally. We talk about what it is like to be an athlete living abroad, the challenges of deciding to pursue one sport over another, and how faith and family impact and support her. About a week before recording this episode Bri was in Ghana with the Right To Dream Academy. It was exciting to hear her love for this work.

Coach Shay Haddow is the founder of Alpha Girl Soccer Academy. She is doing some great things in Sacramento and sharing her successes often on social media. I encourage you to check out the way she invests in each of her players and the ways she works to grow confidence on and off the pitch.

In this episode I interview Terry Vaughn, retired FIFA referee. Terry has an excellent reputation as a referee and worked games at all levels, including CONCACAF and around 250 MLS matches even locally as an AYSO volunteer. Terry unfortunately had to retire in 2012 as Huntington’s Disease began to affect him. I am lucky to know that I, and other referees, have such a strong supporter in Terry, his wife Kim, and daughter Kyla. I would like you to watch this story of Terry's life with HD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKSZ5tYtFO4 Please also consider supporting me in the Huntington’s Disease walk on November 2nd with a sponsorship at: http://vaughnwalk.keepthegamebeautiful.com

Ross Moffat of Iowa   Soccer joins Keep The Game Beautiful. He shares his background growing up in Scotland and participating as a youth national player, in the Scottish Premier League, and as a student athlete at Grand View University. Ross shares his insight about what he tries to instill in the athletes and coaches he supports. We close by talking about the Para Pan Am Games, US National team that he helped coach this past summer. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Jameson Kronser is the founder of Ideal Performance in Madison, Wisconsin. Ideal Performance is dedicated to developing the whole athlete through high quality goalkeeper training, nutrition, leadership, and strength training. We talk about his journey as a walk-on goalkeeper at University of Wisconsin. Jameson shares how he prepares youth for their journey, regardless of their goals. Lastly we talk about a special project he is a part of. I encourage you to listen and learn more about Project Winter Camp Jamaica. He and Kaitlin Kelly will be traveling to Jamaica to teach The Beautiful Game to children. I encourage you to visit his Instagram for additional details.

This episode I talk to Tiffany Weimer. Tiffany recently retired from her professional playing career. She had the opportunity to play both in the United States and beyond. She founded Our Game Magazine to highlight stories from women’s soccer and with Adelaide Gay started Duktig Brand. Tiffany is concentrating on her coaching career with Oakwood Soccer Club DA and as Director of Soccer Operations at Yale University. I met Tiffany at the United Soccer Coaches convention in January and look forward to seeing her again there in a few months.

I sit down with Stan Anderson of Camp Shutout, FC United, and the University of Illinois Chicago. Stan was one of the first people I talked about my idea for a podcast with and has always been a quick call for advice or ideas. He has a long and storied career and holds a special place in his heart for goal keeper, especially the youth GK. We talk about promotion and relegation, challenges in youth sports, and GK Union. Stan is currently raising funds for Big Joe Velasco, a goal keeper coach in California. Make sure to check out Stan on social media. Instagram: @camp_shutout Twitter: @campshutout

In this episode I interview Christina Unkel. I learn more about the challenges of being a referee as well as the work she is doing to improve the climate for female athletes. Also be sure to check out the WeSports WISP Podcast interview of Christina Unkel here.