Help Naomi Compete in Summer Soccer Tournaments

I'm Naomi and I have a lot of travel planned for this summer!

My soccer team, Oregon Surf ECRL 09G, won the Oregon State Cup, which sets us up for two different tournaments: the ECNL Regional League Playoffs (West) in Los Angeles (June 13 - June 17), and the USYS Far West Regional Championships in Boise, ID (June 20 - June 25). With luck, we'll move on to a national tournament. Of course, this costs money - flights, hotels, team fees - and your support will help make it possible for me to participate.

I've played soccer since age five. Well, I started earlier than that, kicking a ball on the sidelines of my older brothers' soccer games.

But my own soccer career started with a recreational soccer team, the Northeast United Tigers.

When my coach started suggesting my teammates use their hands to make it fair for everyone, I realized it was time to switch to competitive soccer. I first moved to United PDX, and then to Portland City United. With that club, my team won back-to-back state championships.

When Coach Holly moved to ECNL, I followed her, and I've played with Oregon Surf (formerly NW Elite) ever since.

The kind of soccer I like to play is aggressive, creative soccer. I'm not afraid of a tackle and I seem to spend a lot of time getting knocked down. I'm also not afraid of a header, much to my parents' dismay. I am learning not to argue with referees quite as much, since at my age they tend to penalize that.

I mostly play midfield, sometimes forward and occasionally defense. This year I've been held back a little by a chronic knee problem and a couple minor concussions, but I'm in physical therapy and working on conditioning leading up to the June tournaments. I hope I'll be able to do my best and support my team.

People who contribute will get several gifts of appreciation, starting with the feeling of knowing they are supporting someone in doing what they love. Secondly, they will get frequent updates during my trip, including game results, travel updates, and photos and/or video clips. When available, they will get live game video links, in case they're into that sort of thing.