Wambach gives youths advice on soccer, living healthy at clinic
Victoria Mayer, 10, wasn’t shy about the reason she was at Unity Health System Total Sports Experience on Sunday.
“I wanted to meet Abby Wambach,” Victoria said.
But what she came away with was much more than just the chance to meet the soccer star.
“I learned to shoot with my laces, to eat healthy and to exercise,” she said.
Victoria understood the message Wambach was trying to convey to 750 area youths at a free soccer clinic sponsored by MVP Health Care, which signed Wambach in February 2004.
“They come because she’s a hero and a role model and they listen to her,” said Mike Traphagan, director of public relations for MVP. “She’s interested in the same things we’re interested in.”
And what Wambach and MVP are both interested in is the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
“Choose to be healthy,” the Pittsford native told kids. “I want you to have a chance at a better future than what I’ve had.”
And what does the future hold for Wambach?
“Moving forward I think the next five years are going to be the years I’ve been training for in terms of really making the major impact that I want to make on this game,” Wambach said. “For not only myself but for my team, my community, my professional team, and not just the national team.
“But I’m hoping to continue what I’ve started and really cap off a career and allow myself the latitude to make mistakes and allow myself the ability to grow because I still have a lot to learn, and it’s not necessarily what I need to learn in my head but what I’m capable of performing.”
Wambach is also pondering life after her playing career ends.
“My legs can only run for so long, but I think my brain and my heart is going to continue to stay involved in soccer on some level,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll end up coaching, if I’ll end up doing these clinics, do my Abby Wambach soccer camps, but I think that whatever it is, I’m really excited for the next chapter. I’m not quite done with this one yet; I’ve got a solid seven years left in my legs.”
Wambach is interested in living overseas, traveling and opening herself spiritually to different ideas that she’s come across.
“Summer camps for kids is a cool idea, and I’m not just talking about soccer camps,” Wambach said. “I’m very into the outdoors and very into teaching from the grassroots level up.”
But on Sunday, it was about the area youths who are in a position to be healthy for the rest of their lives.
“In two hours are they going to learn some soccer skills that are going to take them to the next level? Probably not,” Wambach said. “It’s a way to get them here, to mobilize them so that we can start talking about these key issues that are so important and really will affect the rest of their life.”
Wambach’s message isn’t just for the youths though; it’s for their parents as well.
“I think it’s important for their parents to not just sit inside with their kids watching television; to get outside, to limit how much these kids use the Internet, to limit how much these kids are on their cell phones texting each other,” Wambach said. “I think it’s important that they know the statistics and they know what’s ahead of them. If you eat right, you can live a life that is fulfilling and a life that they deserve.”
Wambach realizes that kids have peer pressure and other factors that will affect how healthy they are.
“These kids aren’t going to be around their parents 100 percent of the time,” Wambach said. “They still need to be strong and say: ‘This is what I want for my life.’
“I’m trying to give these kids a tidbit of information that they didn’t know when they walked in here today,” Wambach said. “So when they do go back out into world, they can make those right decisions.”
