President’s Message

Rachel Harken, MS, RD, LDN

 

I took a giant leap this past February - the month I thought I would never see grass again. This was the same month that broke the record for inches of snowfall in one month for Pittsburgh (48.7”) and probably for many other regions across Pennsylvania. The schools did eventually reopen, so my boys did return to school that month. And one day in late February they came home with spring soccer registration forms bursting out of their homework folders. It was no great surprise that the soccer association was looking for volunteers to coach or to assist in coaching. I thought to myself, “Sure, why not volunteer to help? We’re not going to see grass again anyway. There probably won’t even be a soccer season this spring.”

 

Well, the snow finally melted, the grass did appear, and I received an email from the soccer association with team rosters. And, lo and behold, there was my name listed as assistant coach for the yellow team. The head coach and I were responsible for reining in eight boys and girls, K-2nd grade, and teaching them the game of soccer.

 

Coach and I struggled a bit at first, but then we established a good routine for practices. Team yellow almost tied one game a few weeks ago and we finally got our first win the week prior to our last game. We finished the season with a big loss. The score was 8-0. But the kids were happy because the blue team only managed to score two goals in the second half! The game was all but forgotten once the snack and trophies were distributed.

 

Coaching team yellow was a challenging leadership position. I was very nervous going into the season and out of my comfort zone - I haven’t played soccer since high school and I have never coached. I was surprised by what a rewarding experience it was. I learned a lot from those eight soccer players, and I enjoyed watching them grow and get better at playing soccer and being teammates.

 

At the end of every game, team yellow would put their hands in together for the team cheer. It was usually “TEAM YELLOW!” But after the last game (when we lost 8-0), the kids all had their hands piled in and the head coach asked, “Johnny, what do you always say? We all won today because…” And Johnny replied with a huge smile, “Because we all had fun!” So the cheer on the last day of the season was “HAVE FUN!”

 

I invite you all to have fun and to get involved. Volunteering at any level has its challenges and rewards. From my experience, the rewards always outweigh the challenges. I encourage you to volunteer for and/or participate in events in your district, PADA, or ADA. As you read this newsletter, you will find many opportunities to get involved in PADA. The 2010-2011 membership year will be exciting, and I hope you all participate and have fun.

 

Fondly,

Rachel

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