USWNT-Mostly Pinoe

It’s extremely difficult for me to try and find the words to express how much Pinoe has meant to me over the past (almost) 13 years.

I used to play right midfield in soccer, but lost my love for the game nor did I enjoy watching any form of it.

One day, my dad randomly happened to be watching a 2011 WWC group stage match. He just stumbled across it flipping through channels and only knew who Wambach was.

He started listening to the broadcasters explain how a player had been benched from being a starter right before the WC started due to not performing to the coaches’ liking.

This player was then subbed onto the field and almost immediately scored, proving the coaches all wrong. She proceeded to run to the corner, pick up a furry microphone, and belt “born in the USA” for all to hear in celebration.

My dad yelled for me to come witness this player with “a shock of blonde hair.” As the highlights replayed, he explained the events that just occurred, knowing that he had just witnessed the start of something great.

After that, I was glued to the rest of the WC. Then, the quarterfinal match against Brazil happened… To this day, I have never seen a match quite like that: the highs and lows, the drama, the fairy tale ending… the cross that changed everything. Going forward, I was not only hooked to this team, but I felt a very special connection to Pinoe.

I started watching every video I could find that was about Pinoe (I will never forget roomies for life [wild turkeys, chocolate croissants, Gumby, megan rapinoe I went to the casino…], hometown visits, the video with the shins music, I could go on and on).

I fell in love with the sport of soccer again. I worked on tricks in my house, watched every game I could, started this blog dedicated to soccer, etc.

But it was bigger than just the renewed interest in sport. Megan Rapinoe became the first person who I did not personally know who I genuinely cared about. Up until that point, I had never had a hero (outside of my parents of course) like others around me did. As a socially awkward, reserved, low self esteem teenager, this was important for me.

I didn’t know what it was about her at first. But I found myself wanting to be just like her. I changed my hairstyle, my fashion, my music interests, and tried to be a more confident person. I’ll be honest, I was obsessed with her. I even questioned my sexuality, thinking it might explain why I’m so fascinated with everything about her (eventually realized I’m actually asexual).

After the team won the Olympic gold medal in 2012, I wanted nothing more than to see the team play in person. The problem was, back then, they rarely ever came to the Midwest. So my family and I decided to take an 18 hour road trip to watch them play in Rochester, New York.

I will never forget that trip as long as I live. My family happened to be staying at the same hotel as the team (I swear it was purely a coincidence). I met a lot of players that weekend (Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd to name a few). I cried like a fan girl while speaking to Rachel Buehler in the lobby due to my excitement.

And of course, I met Pinoe. I was terrified to talk to her. Thankfully my dad was there. He had no problem calling her over to get a picture as she was leaving the restaurant part of the hotel for practice. She graciously took photos with my family, but I was at a loss for words.

Later, I ran into her in the lobby. She came over to where my brother and I were standing. She asked us where we were from and was impressed to hear how far we traveled to support the team. She went out of her way to have a conversation with us, was interested in what we had to say, and made us feel like we were talking to a friend. She shook our hands at the end of the conversation and said she’d look for us at the game.

After that conversation, I’d never felt such a high in my life. I felt like if I could have a normal conversation with my hero (without humiliating myself) that I could do just about anything.

I continued to watch the games and attend as many as I could depending on the drive. It was so fun to get to watch her play in person. The creativity, vision, and play making skills that woman has makes her one of the best players the team has ever seen.

And just when I thought it couldn’t be possible to be more amazing, Pinoe started to unselfishly use her platform to advocate for others. As someone who comes from a family with some unique needs, advocating for all groups is very important to me. Her work for lgbtq rights, women’s equality, and bringing awareness to racial injustice is helping to change the world.

As someone who works with kids as well as individuals with disabilities, I strive everyday to be kind, empathetic, patient, and understanding in order to help make the world a better place. I strive to advocate for others.

Megan Rapinoe is everything I want to be. She is so genuine, confident, and empathetic towards all people. She’s my hero, she’s my role model, she’s a good person.