Soccer is only what they do, it isn't who they are. - U13 Colorado Rush Girls
The life lessons soccer gives young players can help them become the person they want to be! The 11 Rush Core Values are often a tool to teach and develop these life skills to our young Rush players. Rush believes in developing good people to become good soccer players.
"I’m so very grateful to be a part of a club and a team, with a coach that stands behind their mission of developing character, competition, and enjoyment. I was able to witness and be a part of all 3 aspects of that mission statement this past weekend in Utah. It is clear that Coach Russell embodies the Rush Way" - Alana Smith, Rush 04 Parent
The Alarm went off at 3:30am on Friday, September 16th and 16 twelve year olds from Denver awoke early to be at the airport by 4:45 to catch their early flight into Salt Lake City. They greeted their teammates with smiles, because when you are with your friends, it really doesn't matter what time it is! Not to mention when you are traveling to play a sport that you love, that in and of itself is reason to smile. What these 16 girls didn't know was that the weekend would be about far more than soccer, and they would be learning things about themselves and others that they will carry for the rest of their lives...
Upon arriving in Salt Lake, their leader decides to surprise them with a "Mystery Room" team building exercise. Being locked in a room, and having to work together as a team to solve 8 cryptic clues is one way to build Team Unity outside of the soccer field. Rush Core Value "UNITY" : Problem Solving is much easier when you collaborate and work together as a team.
Despite a very early morning, and a Mystery Room for breakfast, the girls were ready to take on LVPSA for their first game of the weekend. The team in Blue went down early, giving up 2 quick goals in the course of 10 minutes. Not to be discouraged, the girls rallied and got on the board with a great set piece to end the first half, and in true Rush '04 fashion, they like to make it exciting and scored the equalizer with a penalty kick with 5 minutes left in the game.
Final Score Rush 2 LPSA 2
Rush Core Value "TENACITY": Don't ever Give Up!
Game #2 had The Colorado Rush team facing another Rush team from New Mexico. It was a physical battle, with both teams earning 3 yellow cards, but ended with Colorado Rush scoring 3 goals to New Mexico's 1.
After an afternoon of pool recovery and ice baths (another great team building exercise), the leaders wanted to challenge the girls in a different way. It’s custom to order takeout, catering or head to a restaurant for dinner, however....why be ordinary when you can challenge the team and prepare them with life skills that they will utilize in the future.
Each room was given a task of preparing one aspect of the team dinner for the evening. The room leaders had to designate roles to each girl in the room and work together to prepare their part of the team meal....and what came about was the BEST meal of the weekend and another team building experience and memories that these girls won't forget.
Rush Core Value "LEADERSHIP" : Learning Life Skills
Game #3 called for another early morning, and the team arrived at the fields at 7:15 with horns from the team vans blaring. This is a "passionate" bunch! After 70 minutes of true Rush Way style soccer the game ended with the Rush girls scoring 3, and earning a shutout against the opposing Storm team from Colorado.
Rather than head to the airport or hang out at the hotel, the team brought together all of the leftover food from the weekend, including 2 huge party trays of Pasta and delivered it to the large population of homeless that exists in Downtown Salt Lake. Truly and amazing thing to witness.
Rush Core Value "EMPATHY": Being empathetic to others and realizing that worlds exist outside our own bubbles.
And in true Russell Finch, and Rush 04 girls fashion, they proceeded to head to Park City to end the trip at the Olympic Adventure Park to take part in Extreme Tubing.
Rush Core Value "ENJOYMENT": Stepping outside of our comfort zones and taking risks sometimes leads to enjoyment
The weekend in Salt Lake wasn't just about soccer: although the team was undefeated in their 3 games, it was also about this team working together to solve clues to get out of a mystery room, it was about cooking and preparing their own dinner and learning life skills, it was about stepping outside of our comfort zones and taking risks while extreme tubing at Olympic Park and it was about empathy and learning that other worlds exist outside our own little bubbles.
And when the team gets in the van and says "We need to deliver food once a month in Denver to the homeless," well, we can't help but think the weekend was a total success.
“I couldn’t imagine going on a trip with any of my teams and not thinking of ways to allow growth, unity, enjoyment and personal development in ways other than with the ball. To be a successful team you need to enjoy what you do, trust one another and be able to look at your teammates and fully confide in them. This group has bought into our club’s philosophy and bonded quickly since the birth year mandate. This will allow us to become successful in a short period of time.” Russell Finch, Youth Girls DOC, 2004 Rush Head Coach.