As an athlete,
I've always belonged to a team.
And like most sports teams, my squad’s goal has always been to win. But after my first season on the University of Maryland women’s soccer team, we did anything but win. Not only did we lose a lot, and badly might I add, but we also dreaded playing together. We lacked chemistry both on and off the field — and boy did it show.
That next summer, we had a team meeting. We decided that instead of focusing all of our energy on winning, we wanted to focus more on
CREATING A CULTURE
centered around family and let the wins come as they may. Our first attempt at fostering a soccer sisterhood involved a
TEAM PARTY.
Unsurprisingly, 30-some girls in one apartment, rampant and opinionated ended up being a
DRAMA-FILLED
DISASTER.
Absolutely awful. Zero stars. Would not recommend.
After the failed festivity, I proposed the idea of starting a vlog series called Beyond the Bench. As a player who hadn’t racked up a single second of playing time yet, I thought this could be
my way of contributing to the culture and success of the team.
And perhaps, this might help others discover the role they were meant to play, too. Not everyone can be a starter after all—and if I couldn't make an impact on the field, then I was going to do it off the field.
Everyone seemed to like the idea of starting a vlog and so,
BEYOND THE BENCH
was born. Every few weeks that season I produced a two-to-five minute video for my squad, giving viewers an inside look at the University of Maryland women’s soccer team. Beyond the Bench helped everyone not only discover their role, but also
RESPECT EACH
OTHER'S DIFFERENCES.
It even became somewhat of a campus-wide sensation, playing on a myriad of phones, monitors and projectors around the school.
But the best part?
As Beyond the Bench developed, so did our love for one another — and our record. Check out the 10-video vlog series below!
BEYOND THE BENCH
BEYOND THE BENCH 000 | Full House Parody
BEYOND THE BENCH 001 | Preseason Part 1
