Break-up's are hard to take, no matter who they're with

I watch pretty much any sport, but I can undoubtedly say I am a football fan. I've been a Giants fan for as long as I can remember. I got the Giants genes from my brothers, which were passed down from my dad. My dad emigrated here from Italy in the 80's, and at that time the Giants had just drafted arguably the best defense player of all-time, Lawrence Taylor. With his arrival the Giants were a playoff contender, making it fun to watch. My dad became an instant fan. So I couldn’t help being a fan too, I grew up rooting for big blue.

During my time watching the Giants, I remember watching and loving many players. If it were Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer, Jason Seahorn, Eli Manning, even Tiki Barber (before he bashed our two-time Super bowl winning MVP), and now Ahmad Bradshaw, Jason Pierre-Paul, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, I never had just one player I loved over another. I didn’t like a bunch, but never had an absolute favorite.

The only exception I ever had, that I could call my favorite player was Steve Smith. He wasn't the best player on the team, he wasn't even noticed as a great draft pick (picked by NYG with the 51st overall pick out of USC). He just always got the job done. He wasn’t the biggest, or the fastest, just a quiet guy who knew his role in the slot, and got the job done. 

I think what made me really love him, was his role during his rookie year for the Giants. They would go on that year to win Super bowl XLII, and Steve Smith's play during the playoff run made it possible. Many would give most the credit to Plexico Burress, and don't get me wrong, without Burress’ play we wouldn't have been able to even get to the big dance anyway. But Smith was such a key piece for that playoff run that it landed him a special place in my heart. It literally made him my favorite Giant in one season. He was drafted by the Giants and I thought he would continue his career as a Giant too.

Smith backed up his great play during the 2007 playoffs, by having a contributing sophomore year in a limited role. Then in 2009, Smith had a breakout season, stepping up as the best receiver on the team. His record breaking 107 catches was the best in the Giants long history. I figured he would have great things to come after that, and I was excited to watch him in a blue uniform for years to come. I always felt as though he had great potential, even coming out of college. In my opinion he could have become one of the most dominant receivers in Giants history. Unfortunately, after a pelvic injury ended his 2010 season early, Smith became a free agent. Reportedly, the Giants were in talks to re-sign Smith. There were no doubts in my mind he would re-sign with the organization that drafted him.

I was dead wrong, because that day never came. I remember exactly where I was when I found out the heart-breaking news.

I was at a soccer practice over the summer, and I looked to check the time on my phone, when I realized that my friend had texted me. She, like me, loved Steve Smith. She was lucky enough to have gone to the Giants training camp that past year in Albany, and got to meet him.

She told me he was officially a Philadelphia Eagle. I honestly thought she was playing a sick joke on me. An Eagle? No possible way. If he signed with another team, he had enough respect not to go to a division rival, especially not the Eagles. 

Let’s just clear one thing up. If you are a true Giants fan, you loathe the Philadelphia Eagles. It's more than hate. It gets as serious as, you won’t even date someone if they are an Eagles fan. That is a legit deal breaker.

But, it was sadly true. My favorite player went to the dark side. Or you can say, the dirty green side. I know people can say it's a business or whatever, and things like this are a part of football, blah, blah, blah. What I say to that is bullshit. It's not like the Eagles gave Smith a killer contract ($2.281 million for 1 year). And it isn't as if he would have been the starting receiver either, with the Eagles having DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin, being there top three receivers going into the year.

The reason he signed with them was because he sold out, bottom line. No one can convince me otherwise.  He sold out and played into the whole "Dream Team" talk that was going on that summer, becoming another “hot” free-agent signing for the Eagles that off-season.

His signing literally broke my heart. Not to get all sentimental, but it felt like my boyfriend of three years just broke up with me, and then a day later, I find out he has begun dating the girl I had hated forever. 

Ironically enough, Smith did virtually nothing for the Eagles, with his only touchdown catch being against, guess who? Yes, my New York Giants. It's really okay though because the boys in blue had the last laugh becoming Super bowl Champions again, while the "Dream Team" Eagles didn’t even making the playoffs.

Interesting enough, the Eagles did not re-sign Smith at the end of this year, and the Giants were looking for a receiver. And as sad as it is, and as much as I feel as though Smith betrayed me, and stomped on my heart, I really wanted the Giants to re-sign him. 

I know. I know.  I feel as stupid as you think I am right now. I guess once you have a favorite player you just want him to come back to you, so you can have the relationship you used to have with him.

God, exes really do suck.

Sometimes I just wish I was just back in high school

Throughout high school I was involved in many sports. I was proud to say I was a member of the Mahopac Girls Lacrosse program and the Mahopac Girls Soccer program. I was not only a player and teammate, but also a mentor to the younger athletes who wanted to one day play on the Varsity team. I was starter on both teams by sophomore year in high school, and I contributed to both teams playoff runs. 

What I loved about being a multi-sport athlete was that I never once got bored of the sport I was in season for. I loved both sports so much that I was glad my coaches understood enough that they never made me choose one.

But eventually I really did have to choose. Senior year is when I had to make the decision to which sport I wanted to pursue in college. I didn't know how to choose, but I ultimately made the decision to stick with soccer. I don't regret the decision. I love my school, my team and my friends. I just wish I had chosen lacrosse too. I'm mad that my laziness clouded my judgment of me having the ability to play both. Was it laziness or realism that made me give up that thought?

I was curious to see if my teammates from high school and college felt the same as me. Many of them played multiple sports but for some reason they always had that one that they were more serious about. That was never me. Every sport I played was serious to me while playing it. I had too much fun and put too much into the program not to take it seriously.

I was talking to my friend Caitlin Hynes on the phone. Caitlin was involved with so many teams, she was a great athlete. I played lacrosse and soccer with her in high school. Along with soccer and lacrosse, she also played basketball and Gaelic football. She, like me, had to make a decision on what sport she wanted to pursue in college. She finally made her decision to stick with lacrosse and accepted a scholarship offer to play at Manhattan College where she is an Engineering Major.

"I don't regret the decision at all," Caitlin said, "I love my school and everything about lacrosse. I just wish I was able to play basketball too, I'm just so busy with lacrosse playing basketball isn't really realistic for me."

It’s sad for an athlete to play a sport all of their lives and then come to a school and no longer be able to play that sport anymore. I just look back and I miss the memories I had playing lacrosse competitively. I don’t even have the same opportunities like Caitlin has, because my school does not offer even intermural girls lacrosse unfortunately.

The things I used to love about being multi-sport athlete unfortunately is a thing of the past, and I sit here writing this I wonder if I should have been more proactive about starting a team on my own. But then again, let’s get real; I’m doing my best keeping up with all the things that being a collegiate soccer player brings.

"Wait..what's a goal kick?"

The other day one of my friends on my collegiate soccer team asked me if I could help do some goalie trainer with her U-9 girls’ soccer team.

When I got to the practice and began teaching them basic skills, I didn't realize how some girls are more coordinated than others, so I quickly realized the drills I was going to do with them wouldn't work for everyone.

This got me thinking. As a town, during camps and programs, why don't we develop players early when it comes to certain positions? For example teach every player the proper way to pick up the ball, or the proper technique to catch a ball in the air, or how to punt or take goal kicks. Like field players who are taught how to pass and shoot I believe that developing a skill set for certain positions will help develop true athletes, not just players. Their coordination would improve and the young kids would be more adept to pick up basic skills, such as catching and throwing.

“I try to work with the girls on all types of skills, but it’s hard because I’m the only coach and it’s tough for me to work on everything, especially when I do not have a background in goal keeping,” coach Lauren Gonyea said.

As a child, my brother would always play catch with me, if it was with a baseball or football; I was developing hand-eye coordinating skills at a very young age. This helped me later in my sports career in basketball and lacrosse as well as soccer. Learning those skills at such a young age allowed me to adapt to whatever sport or position I was playing. I believe that if all children were taught basic skills from day one it would make for all around better athletes.

This idea can be applied to other sports, not just soccer. Sports such as hockey, football, baseball etc. all have their unique specific positions, like goalie, pitcher, kicker, punter, quarterback etc. If at a young age we developed our youth with multiple skills I think that would build better programs as well as better athletes.

“This is such a vital age for the development of athletes, so we like to mold them to certain positions and just work on that but were seeing that they need to be able to play multiple positions if they want to continue to grow and develop,” assistant coach Leigh MetCalf said.

In my experience being a three-sport athlete in high school, I realized that the best team's we faced were the ones who started developing athletes at a young age with various skills. Especially at the high school level more times than not, a team with more athletes on it will beat a team with just players who are skilled in one position. Athleticism at that level is what make players become more coachable and creates better players.

When I first arrived at the practice, my teammate introduced me to her players, and said I was the goal keeper for Plattsburgh State. She asked the team of about 15 if anyone wanted to try goalie, most screamed and ran away (nearly sarcastic there). But then there were the three brave kids who stepped up and decided they wanted to try out the position. As the practice went on, turns out they loved the position, and they loved learning new skills. The drills I was doing were basic, we didn’t even get to the fun stuff of dives or anything like that, but the girls had a blast. At the end of practice they begged me to come back again and teach them more.

I strongly believe that if all these girls started doing these drills, it will help all of them to become better athletes, which ultimately in-turn will allow them to become better soccer players in general as well.