Signing Day

The soccer story began when Brittany was around four years old. We were at the park waiting for Devin to finish baseball tryouts when we found an orphaned soccer ball. I kicked it to Brittany and she kicked it back with ease. Soon, a man approached and asked me how long she had been playing. Ten minutes, I said. He then told me that he was a club soccer coach and offered to work with her for free. I didn’t take him up on his offer, but enrolled Brittany in a “little kickers” class at the park the next day. She figured out everything the teacher had to offer in about two seconds, so we moved on for more of a challenge. That search continued for the next thirteen years. Clinics. Practices. Games. From Utah to Hawaii to everywhere in between. For 52 weeks a year, we drove, she played. Brittany loves the game. We all do. Watching Brittany play soccer is my greatest joy. But there have been plenty of sacrifices. Soccer has often taken the place of birthday parties, family get togethers, vacations and countless school functions, ceremonies and whatever else normal people do. But we all understood early on that if Brittany continued to excel and love the game, it would open up doors that would not otherwise be opened for her. Today is proof of that. Today is the day that a small percentage of high school athletes sign a national letter of intent to play a NCAA Division I sport for the university that successfully recruited them. At 7:10 a.m., with Hemingway offering his support, Brittany signed on the dotted line to play soccer for the University of California – Riverside Highlanders. To quote Anthony Hopkins in Legends of the Fall, “Am Happy”.