Tips From a D1 Soccer Player

EASTERN PENN SOCCER ALUMNA SHARES HER TRAINING SECRETS

By Terry Jacoby

Toni Washington turned a successful club career into a successful college career. While her career at Delaware State University is over, she isn’t quite done with the game of soccer. She’s currently playing with Huntingdon Valley’s U23 women’s team under Brad Sorkin. She also has plans to coach at her alma mater, Abington High, under Rick Tompkins.

Washington, 23, has been playing with HVAA since she was 10 for Brad Sorkin, the 2015 Eastern Penn Travel Coach of the Year. In 2015, HV Pride won the Presidents Cup Championship.

She credits her club experience with HVAA for helping her succeed at the college level.

“I played with some of the best players on each level,” she says. “There also were the tournaments and the bonding that comes from traveling with your team. The bonds and friendships that I made and still have. The platform that Eastern Penn provided for college coaches to see me play against top-flight teams and the coaching.”

Washington says she picked Eastern Penn because of the high level of competition on every level.

“I hate to lose more than I like to win, and I know that the girls on the team shared a similar passion and desire to be better and work hard,” she says. “I also had the ability to face some of the best talent in my age group from all over not just in Montgomery County. Some of those players I have had the pleasure of playing on the collegiate level.

“EPYSA offers the ability to receive top-rate coaching along with playing with and against some of the best players in your age group that you are able to connect with and sometimes even form lifelong bonds with.”

Washington also had a chance to play with the Olympic Development Program (ODP).

“My ODP experience was so much fun,” she says. “Rick Tompkins (ODP Boys U16 Coach) was my high school soccer coach and suggested that I try out and it was a great experience. Being a part of that team I had the opportunity to train with Hannah Alexander and Emily Keitel (Temple), Krista Kissell (Lafayette) and Shea Tomlinson (Drexel), who I ended up playing against in college, along with Shea Moyer (Penn State). When you are training with players who are that skilled and that talented you get better each practice.”

TONI’S TIPS FOR PLAYING CLUB SOCCER

1 2 3 4

BE COACHABLE

PRACTICE AT GAME SPEED EVERY PRACTICE

EARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY YEAR

CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO BE BETTER HYDRATE

STAY AWAY FROM JUNK FOOD & SUGAR

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF PRACTICE, GAMES & ROAD TRIPS

5 6 7

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GIVING BACK TO THE GAME

HEATHER MITTS HELPS YOUNG PLAYERS DEVELOP SKILLS

By Terry Jacoby

Heather is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. Women’s National Team and played for the USA in the 2011 FIFA World Cup.

Well known for her hard work and leadership on the pitch, Mills has taken those qualities into the business world, where she has been a winner as a soccer analyst/reporter. Her latest venture, Train Like Legends, is a new online training platform.

Mitts, who announced her retirement from soccer in March of 2013, created Train Like Legends as a way to help athletes take their game and performance to the next level.

“I feel like strength and conditioning allowed me to have longevity both in college and with the U.S. National Team,” she says. “I never lifted a single weight until I got to college. I feel like if I had spent more time practicing and becoming more familiar with that aspect of my game, it would have helped me even more.

“When I retired, I saw that nothing existed for the female athlete to reach their full potential, both on and off the field. So, we created Train Like Legends to help educate, guide and inspire young athletes.”

The digital platform of Train Like Legends allows athletes to train like professional athletes – just like Mitts did – without having schedules or locations interfering with the workouts. Available to coaches and players at the high school, club, ODP or academy levels, Train Like Legends is designed to help players and their teammates improve. It combines world-class instructional videos with a digital platform that allows coaches to assign workouts and track individual development to help ensure consistent, tangible results.

Mitts, now 42, played for several teams in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league, including the Philadelphia Charge and the Philadelphia Independence.

Her kids are even giving soccer a kick with the Rose Tree Soccer Club (EPYS) out of Media. Mitts, who is even volunteering her time as a coach, says her Train Like a Legend program is ideal for club soccer players – and the program is done on an app on your phone so it’s very convenient.

“I love the fact that the program holds you accountable,” she says. “We send a workout to them every single day. They don’t have to do it every day but we at least offer it for those who want it. It will help you build your stamina and make you stronger and reduce injuries.”

Mitts said club soccer not only helped her achieve her goals on the soccer field but also in the business world and in life.

“It’s about competing, and not only against others but also against yourself, and trying to become the best version of yourself,” she says. “It’s about teamwork. Some of my best friends to this day were my teammates and I know I wouldn’t have been as successful without the help of others.

“It’s also about overcoming adversity. You have to learn how to overcome an obstacle whether it’s an injury or beating a really good team. Same with life. There are always obstacles. Sports helps set you up for life and the lessons you learn you take with you for the rest of your life.”

TO LEARN HOW TO TRAIN LIKE A PRO LIKE HEATHER MITTS, VISIT HER WEBSITE AT TRAINLIKELEGENDS.COM