The Classics

I joined The Classics the year I was eligible to, thus being the baby of the group of women who had been playing soccer with each other for as long as twenty years or more. I was a newbie to the sport, starting to play with the Fairfax Women’s Soccer Association only the year before, following a long break after playing the sport for the first time during the first year of my marriage while trying to establish an identity in a new environment (new country, new state, new marital status, new employment status, new uncertainty). I was welcomed with open arms and introduced to indoor soccer and soccer tournaments and non-soccer trips and outings, things that I enthusiastically participated in and very much enjoyed. Over the years, the group contracted and expanded as the team went through changes, large and small. We lost some members to cancer, but their spirits live on and a core of spirited, strong-willed, fun-loving women remains. As they aged, so did the age group of the team. As the team lost older members, we gained younger members. I am no longer the baby of the group, except when counted among the core. I think of the core as The Classics. They still have fun. They still go on tournaments and trips. They meet regularly to socialize and have fun. The core is still there, playing and being the role models for younger players, many of whom say they want to be just like these women when they grow up.