Tag Archives: soccer

Soccer and a Giveaway

It has been a while since I blogged. I feel as though I am finding my feet again to be able to step in the right direction. While my chest still feels tight, straining against the weight I imagine on my shoulders, there are moments and days I can take for myself now.

Soccer Week

Last Sunday, I had a booth at the Wizard’s School put on by Wizards of Washington. The charity organization does a wonderful job supporting local authors, so I was one of around eight authors offering my books. I went straight from the event to the OL Reign game that evening, so I did not have time to change. While only one person commented on my Renaissance attire, I’m sure other soccer fans wondered what drove my strange garb.

I mixed up a couple of boxes, and my partner had to make a trip home and back to bring copies of Hidden Promise. Oops!

Friday was another Reign game and a special event for many soccer fans. Megan Rapinoe announced her retirement earlier this year, and Friday’s game was her final home match of her final NWSL season. I envy her confidence and self-assurance in the face of controversy and opposition. A record-breaking crowd turned out to see her off and thank her for her contributions to US women’s soccer and other social issues.

Finally, Saturday was fan appreciation night for the Sounders. After over a decade, I have still yet to win any of the big screen giveaways, but my sister and I got a lunch box they were offering out front and some championship trinkets. Both weekend games were exciting, despite ending up as draws.

Upcoming Giveaway!

I teased this on Facebook yesterday, and there will be more posts about it in the coming days. In celebration of reaching the fifty-review mark for Hidden Memory on Amazon (thank you all!), I’m giving away another paperback copy of one of my books!

The entry process will be similar to last time, where I will receive entries via replies to the October newsletter. If you signed up for my newsletter at the faire this summer, I will add all those emails this week. If you don’t see a welcome email by Friday, I recommend signing up on the website.

This event will be open to all, but I’m capping shipping at $25. If you are outside the USA and win, I would ask that you cover the difference in shipping or it would go to another person randomly selected.

If you win, you will be able to pick the Hidden Series book you want to receive. So, if you have the first three already, I’ll hold your win until Hidden Strength comes out and send you that one if it is your selection. Your reviews mean the world to me, and I am so excited to send another signed copy of my book to another recipient.

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World Cup 2023 Begins!

How many nights in a week can I go with only three hours of sleep? We might find out in the coming month with the world cup being played in New Zealand and Australia. The majority of the games are scheduled to start between midnight and three AM in my local time zone. I should be grateful the times are not during the work day. I don’t think I could spare the time away to watch at all if they were.

The first US game was Friday early evening against Vietnam. While I don’t think this US team has the same flare as the one in 2019, they are still fun to watch. The rest of the world is also catching up in quality, which is making for much closer matches than in the past. It’s exciting to see the progress of women’s soccer, and I hope that starts to better translate to things like jersey availability, broadcast contracts, and especially pay.

For the group stage, I have the US, Canada, and England on my calendar for reminders, and then all the games in the knockout round. A handful of players from the OL Reign were called up for the world cup to play for their countries, so I’m excited to see what they can do there before coming back to Seattle for the remainder of the NWSL season.

Rapinoe is still my favorite. She brings such energy to the game right along with her attitude. She might be younger than me, but I still want to be her when I grow up. The combination of confidence and consideration in the face of the vehemence she far too often receives is reflective of inner strength I can only imagine.

On the field, I would have liked to have seen more shots on target for the US. Given the control, opportunities, and skill, you would expect more fireworks. Vietnam put up a good effort, but it couldn’t stop the shots from eventually chipping away. That PK was weak though, so work on getting more power behind those.

Canada and England’s games were a bit lackluster with great showings by their opponents. No big upsets as there were at the men’s tournament late last year in the group stage, but the heavy hitters have some things to think about and kinks to work out.

The next US game is against the Netherlands on July 26th at 6 PM PST. It is one of the last chances to watch a game at a reasonable time of day in the Americas. The game will also be a test for the US with their opponent ranked fifth by FIFA. Other top-ranked teams have yet to play their first game, so I’m excited to see what the tournament has in store.

Catch the action on various FOX channels in the US and support your favorite players.

Sounders Season Starts Early!

*Game spoilers if you haven’t watched yet!*

This month kicks off the Sounders’ MLS season, but this morning the fun started a little early. Last year the team won the CCL trophy and earned a spot to represent CONCACAF in the Club World Cup, a tournament including the champions from each of the world’s soccer/football regions. They are the first USA team to participate with the first US coach, and today we had the first MLS shot on goal in the tournament. 

The Sounders were underdogs going in, and the MLS is not considered a top league in the world. While expectations were not high, I think most Sounders fans believed they could win and advance to play Real Madrid. For eighty-eight minutes, the rest of the world wondered too. 

It was, unfortunately, not the day for that next piece of history to be made. A messy play, a bad deflection, and Al Ahly scored in the final minutes of the game. Until that moment, I thought they could sneak one past the goalie and get the win. They played better in the first half and held off against some nice counters in the second half. For a team whose season ended in October and who only had one practice game to prepare, they looked really good out there. 

I wish those last two subs had come on sooner (my expert, “I’ve played rec soccer a few times” opinion). I think they could have used fresh legs out front earlier than that to regain some of the pressure they put on Al Ahly in the first half. The finishing was also lacking, which is the only piece worrying me. Last season, they lost too many games because they couldn’t get the shots on target. 

Overall, I feel good about this MLS season and getting back to the Sounders’ playoff ways. The first game is on the 26th, and I will be there!

OL Reign – 3 Reasons to Go

The OL Reign moved to Seattle again this season, which removed the final barrier for me grabbing up a couple of season tickets. I brought my niece and nephew to a few games and we all love the experiences. It is a shame that, as big as soccer is in Seattle, even more people are not yet taking advantage of great players in their own backyard. So, here are a few reasons to buy tickets to a National Women’s Soccer League game today! 

(Disclaimer: I am no expert, just a fan. Take all of this with that grain of salt.)

1. Great Soccer 

On every team and in every game, you will see multiple national team players and probably at least two world cup champions. I find it difficult to pick a favorite player on the team, but I usually return to Jess Fishlock. Check out these moves from the pride match: 

My niece liked Tziarra King and Alana Cook in the games she attended, and my nephew got excited watching Phallon Tullis-Joyce make saves. I could go on to list the entire team, but you can look them up here or, even better, comment with your favorites. Right now, the OL Reign are undefeated at home this season (yes, I knocked on wood), and they look to continue the run.

2. Value Entertainment

I call it ‘value,’ but you get more than you pay for with these games. All the great soccer and amazing players are available for your viewing pleasure at a reasonable price. My seats are only four rows back, nearly at midfield, and they are less than half the cost of my Sounders seats further back. You can purchase tickets for as low as $17 each, and they are all in the 100- and 200-level sections right now.

In addition to the game, you get performances by Reign City Riot, the OL Reign band. The band also marches out to the main concourse steps after the game, with the drum line playing the entire time. Then, for special events, they often have additional small performances from local artists or groups.

Another plus about soccer games is that you can easily plan your day around them. They are about two hours, start to finish, every time other than playoff/championship games. I usually grab a bite in Seattle before the game, but you can easily plan something afterward.

3. Support & Inclusivity

To be fair, I have zero scientific evidence to support this part, only my own experiences. Looking around at the games, at all the people attending with friends, partners, and families, you feel at ease and welcome. I only tick one diversity box, but I sincerely hope others feel the same as I do. 

Another piece I will mention here is related to the phrase ‘representation matters.’ I hear it all the time, and I support the concept wholeheartedly. Course correction requires a concerted effort beyond simply turning the wheel straight. I felt the lack of women leaders and role models highlighted when I was young, but the monumental weight of representation did not hit me until I witnessed the impact on my niece and nephew of seeing the OL Reign play. 

They have an awareness, acceptance, and expectation of greater equality than I ever did. We are not where we need to be, but we are clawing in that direction one generation at a time. I hope these and similar experiences help them stand a little taller and reach across barriers a little further than I ever thought possible. Take the kids in your life, and share the strengths and accomplishments of these players with them. 

Call to Action

So, with all these reasons and more, go to the website and make plans to attend a game (or two, or more!) this season. Get out there, watch some soccer, and have some fun. If you don’t know the game, I’m sure there are some new friends around your seats to help you out! 

To Sounders season ticket holders, the team is offering a discount in their latest Full-90 email for tickets to the 7/10/22 rivalry match. 

What a Week

Last weekend, I polished three more chapters of book three to send to my alpha readers. It kicked off a busy bunch of days for me, most of which subsequently had little to do with my writing. Work has been long hours packed with deliverables and meetings. 

If you don’t know much about working in finance, the first two weeks of the month are usually busy. In the first week, accounting is closing out the books with all the final transactions coming in. This week, week two, is when the data makes its way to us finance analysts for performance analysis.

I spent much of the week working through variances and presenting performance to various people in the organization. The rest of the week, and my long workdays, were driven by some capstone project presentations. These are fun because I get a chance to work with new company leaders kicking off a new role, but they are also draining.

Each one lasts one and a half to two hours, and I attended four this week. 

That all adds up to a lot of people. I am exhausted, and it is shaping up to be another busy weekend. Tonight is a Sounders game, and tomorrow a Reign game. I will be having fun watching soccer this Easter, and I will have to take my mom out later for missing lunch. 

The Sounders won their game on Wednesday evening, which means they are heading to the CONCACAF Champions League Final. The second of the two-game series will be played in Seattle, and I’m excited to attend with some friends in early May. It should be a great game. 

With all of this going on, I have two updates for you before I sign off for the weekend:  

  1. The book cover for Hidden Sanctuary is done! I will be sharing it with my newsletter first (probably tomorrow or Monday), so sign up on my homepage today if you don’t want to wait a month to see it on the rest of my accounts!
  2. The Hidden Sanctuary manuscript is with my beta readers, and my editor is lined up. If my current progress holds, I will release the paperback around the same time as the ebook. Fingers crossed!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday!