In Ottawa at Parliament Hill with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, President of FIFA Sepp Blatter and teammate Rhi Wilkinson

Also yesterday was the unveiling of the Host cities for the 2015 World Cup. (Please click on the picture for the link)

VANCOUVER

EDMONTON

OTTAWA

MONTREAL

MONCTON

WINNIPEG

This event will change the sport of soccer in Canada I have no doubt. For the young girls and boys this will make their dreams seem more like a reality because they will get to see first hand one of the world’s biggest events being played right in their backyard. For me growing up, daring to dream a dream of playing in a World Cup or an Olympic games seemed so far fetched and different. For these kids, it is a reality and  that I am sure  will change the sport of soccer in this country.

What’s amazing about playing in this game tomorrow (or today for when most of you will read this) is, as we go after our dream of our women’s team qualifying for the London Olympics, the young girls will now be there watching this game, dreaming a dream that I at the time couldn’t even fathom. It is pretty special to know that in doing what you absolutely love, you allow others to either start dreaming a dream or inspire and challenge others,never give up on that old dream.

It has been moving the tweets, emails and letters my teammates and I have received since this tournament has started. Even walking downtown Vancouver and people recognizing us and yelling “Go Canada” is something special, something we’ve never really had. Tomorrow’s atmosphere will be my dreams coming true (even though they came later in my life).

It is not everyday I have the opportunity to say that tomorrow I play for a chance to go the Olympics. It is not everyday I get to play in front of my family and friends in such a big game knowing that this moment in time means for different reasons, just as much as it does for me. As players we represent so many different people and things and it’s pretty cool that tomorrow, so many parts of our life may come together.

A special day definitely…Off to bed

Vancouver Is Ready for OLYMPIC QUALIFICATIONS

How beautiful does my home city look? Jan 19-29 is our ONE AND ONLY chance to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics, games being played in Beautiful British Columbia at BC Place. It means so much to each and every one of us to be able to play at home in front of our friends and family and get that support. We hope everyone comes out to support us live for at least one game, if not ALL and if you are not local, catch it on one of the Sportsnet channels. If you are in the US and know how I can tell my family and friends who are there where they can watch it, please send me a message on twitter (KarinaLeBlanc) so I can spread the word.

I cannot wait to be back home and going after my Olympic dreams once again!

http://canadasoccer.com/sportsnet-announces-olympic-qualifying-broadcast-schedule-p148828

Be sure to tune into Sportsnet to watch live coverage of every game of the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament:

Thursday 19 January at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT: Group A – Costa Rica vs. Cuba on Sportsnet One, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific
Thursday 19 January at 22.30 ET / 19.30 PT: Group A – Canada vs. Haiti on Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific
Friday 20 January at 17.00 ET / 14.00 PT: Group B – Mexico vs. Guatemala on Sportsnet Pacific
Friday 20 January at 19.30 ET / 16.30 PT: Group B – Dominican Republic vs. USA on Sportsnet Pacific
Saturday 21 January at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT: Group A – Haiti vs. Costa Rica on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Saturday 21 January at 22.30 ET / 19.30 PT: Group A – Canada vs. Cuba on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Sunday 22 January at 17.00 ET / 14.00 PT: Group B – Mexico vs. Dominican Republic on Sportsnet One
Sunday 22 January at 19.00 ET / 16.00 PT: Group B – USA vs. Guatemala on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Monday 23 January at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT: Group A – Cuba vs. Haiti on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Monday 23 January at 22.30 ET / 19.30 PT: Group A – Canada vs. Costa Rica on Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Tuesday 24 January at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT: Group B – Guatemala vs. Dominican Republic on Sportsnet One
Tuesday 24 January at 22.00 ET / 19.00 PT: Group B – USA vs. Mexico on Sportsnet One
Friday 27 January at 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT: Semifinal #1 – B1 vs. A2 on Sportsnet One
Friday 27 January at 23.00 ET / 20.00 PT: Semifinal #2 – A1 vs. B2 on Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Sunday 29 January at 19.30 ET / 16.30 PT: Final – Winner A1/B2 vs. Winner B1/A2 on Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific

2011 was quite the year. Many ups and downs but I suspect it was that kind of year for many people. With out national team we started on a high by winning tournaments, fully committing to the team (many of us not signing professional contracts at the request of our old coach) and moving to Italy to prepare for what should have been, Canada’s best showing at a World Cup. Unfortunately, it turned out to be our worst and for a short period, all seemed lost. It was as darker time for me as an athlete, feeling a similar feeling with my teammates like we’d given up so much for so little. Disappointment would not even justify how we all felt. Some of us took short escapes, and some were able to find clubs to play with, but the biggest thing for us all was to find a way to move forward and not dwell on what had just happened. Our old staff brought a lot to this team and no matter how the World Cup ended, our team did become a better team and better players, but unfortunately things did not end the way any one of us would have wanted it to and that left a deep hole in all our hearts.

In moving forward, our association (CSA) hired John Herdman who we’d known for many years as the New Zealand coach. We really didn’t know much about him. We all sat down in that first meeting with him, like kids on the first day of school, excited but not sure what to expect. Soon, the many questions running through our heads would slowly be answered. He had a belief in us that many of us had doubted. He had a plan with strategic clarity, which was needed. He had an open communication policy, which was geared in him trying to get to know us to figure out what was best for the ACTUAL team, and not his IDEA of the team. For a team which wanted to believe in themselves, but wasn’t sure how to go about doing that, he was a great answer. We joke that he is still in the ‘honeymoon phase’, but from what we’ve learned about John is that he is as genuine and driven as any person we’ve all met. What he expects from us, he does himself and as a player that is so important to know.

Our results since have been impressive, a tie and a loss to the US; a tie and a win against Brazil that led to the GOLD medal at the Pan Am games; and a win against Sweden (all top 5 teams in the world). As nice as those stats may show, we know we are far from where we want and need to be. As from our past, results are great but it’s the big picture that matters most. We are hungry for success and because we all feel like we’ve failed, there is something extra within us.

Whatever it is that you do, I think if you’ve been through something disappointing, you know all to well the strength it sometimes takes to come out of it optimistic about the future. For me personally my faith, the people that I’ve been surrounded by and my teammates have been the reason I am here, working my butt off and a belief about the future. They say that when you have something to prove, you worked harder and want it more. This is not the only reason in our case, but it definitely has something to do with it.

There are some that chose to say that we’ve seen Canada succeed and then drop but I have to say that in life, you go through difficult times to learn lessons and each and every person on this team has had time to reflect and dissect themselves and our team. We are accountable for the past, but we also know that from the past are the lessons that we needed to learn to be successful in the future. Success does not come at an easy price or else everyone else would have it. We know that our competition is out there working just as hard as that is what the women’s game now demands.
There are no longer just a couple superstars in the world, but many and with them, great teams.

2012 will start our road to success very quickly with Olympic qualifications at home in Canada. It will be very close to my hometown of Maple Ridge that is outside of Vancouver, but I cannot think of a better way to start off this Olympic year. I have high aspirations along with my teammates for that tournament. I also have high goals with my professional team of Sky Blue in the WPS. I am so grateful that the league is around so that players like me can have a place to play every single day and prepare for once in a lifetime events such as these. We are all so fortunate to be able to live out our dreams and play this sport. Being able to share my passion not only with my country, but those who will get to see me play professionally daily, is a huge honor.

Even though 2011 did not all go well, I believe everything happens for a reason and because of that, I see so much promise for the future. As my father would always says
“FORWARDS EVER, BACKWARDS NEVER”.

As a child I dreamed of playing in the Olympics and as great of an experience that Beijing was, it can get better. You cannot drive forward if you’re busy steering in the rear view mirror; so looking forward is the choice that my teammates and I have chosen for 2012.
May it be a year filled with the greatest possibilities to not only myself, but to you and your loved ones.
Thank you to my family, my friends and my fans that have believed and never lost faith in either my teammates or myself. I am so blessed for the opportunities that lay ahead. You too, should feel the same way no matter what 2011 may have brought you.

Karina LeBlanc

'My Day, My Life'-PUMA series

I want to thank the folks over at PUMA for this video. I think it captures a lot of who I am and what is important to me.

With 5 days until our opening game against Germany in what will be an amazing environment with a sold out stadium nearing 80,000 I cannot feel of a better place to experience my 4th World Cup. My parents will be in the stands and spiritually the many people who have helped me get to this point will also be there with me. I am so grateful of the blessings I have had and the team and staff that I am here with which makes this all that more special.

I hope you enjoy this series, coming up will be other PUMA athletes: Marta from Brazil, Arod from the US and Alex Scott from England. This will be an exciting world cup filled with unbelievable moments. Please do check out not only our games of Canada but all games to see how the game of women’s soccer has developed. In 1999 I was just a kid enjoying and being part of something remarkable having posters of the players I was playing with and against on my wall at home. That introduced the world the level of the women’s game and turned a lot of nay-sayers into fans. We hope that in what you see in this world cup, for those that haven’t given this women’s game a chance, that will change. You will see some of the most athletic women go after perfection of the sport. You will see laughter and tears and all that lay in between. You will see girls who dreamed of this moment, living it out because they chose never to give up. You will see little girls cheering on with their eyes glued to the field hoping that one day that can be them, and most likely because of this opportunity to see this either live or on the television, there will be hope instilled within them. I was that girl many years ago and no matter what happened along the way, I never stopped believing.

So many emotions run through all our minds as an event like this begins. Things changed once we landed here in Berlin as we had photographers snapping pictures once we got out of the airport. Even walking in the streets somehow we gathered extra attention. It still feels serial to get this much attention when to us we are just doing what we love to do. We all take honor in the fact that people care enough, that kids want our autographs and that so many people support us.

Thank you everyone for allowing these moments in our lives to be what they are. We hope to make you all proud

KK

I am so honored to be representing Canada for the 4th time in a World Cup. To be honest it doesn’t feel that it has been that long because I truly just love what I am doing. I have had the best teammates in the world from the beginning and been surrounded by the most amazing people. My faith, my family and friends have always meant the world to me and those who have been there since the start and are still in my life today, I am so grateful and thankful to you. To those I may have lost touch with, please understand that everyone who has come into my life has affected me in some way so thank you. We are 10 days away from the first game in Germany and for everyone who loves this game as much as I do, I hope this is the best World Cup yet! Thank you all for your love and support, I truly could not have done it without you. GO CANADA!
KK
SEE OUR FINAL ROSTER FOR WOMENS WORLD CUP 2011

http://canadasoccer.com/news/headlines.asp

Articles:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2011/06/16/sp-womens-worldcup-canada-roster.html

We are now on the countdown with less than a month to go to the first game of my 4th World Cup in Germany. It has been quite an interesting time since my last entry. I’ve been training a lot, played in a couple games, traveled with the team and personally and this experience will definitely be one I will never forget.

Every World Cup has had a different feel for me and this one is not any different. I am older and wiser now ☺ of course, but having residency out here in Italy has something I will never forget. As I told you in my past entry, living in a country where there is such passion for the game almost makes you fall in love with the sport all over again. I now may find it odd when I am back home if I walk into a restaurant or any public place where somewhere within eyesight there is not a game on with everyone around interested in the outcome. For my fellow NHL and Vancouver Canucks lovers, imagine the excitement of Vancouver now as we go after the Stanley Cup everytime our local team of Roma is playing or a Champions league game is on? It is almost unheard of for a place not to show these games and no matter what language you are speaking, the love for the game needs no language.

We had 10 days off so I traveled to some surrounding countries. I visited my old high school friend Cristy in Paris.

I have been to Paris a couple times prior but by far this was the best. Seeing a city through the eyes of a local is so much better as you get to experience the truth of that area. We ate at spots that were not on the tourist ‘radar’ but rather her favorites. We had a picnic in Versailles, which for those history buffs was the residency for the Kings back in the day, and particularly of interest to me was Marie-Antoinette. It’s amazing to see how they lived and the architecture and richness that is maintained to this day. I of course took Cristy to the puma store in Paris and as we were looking though the little ipads I found my last journal entry so of course we took a picture of that and the items we were deciding on.

which one do we want?? ok we will take them all #lovepuma

I also attached a picture outside of the Louvre where the famous Mona Lisa and many other famous paintings are held. Somehow our idea of taking fun pictures attracted extra attention….I’m still wondering why.

Mona Lisa jump outside of Louvre

The funny thing is after we walked away, some of the people who thought I was weird for taking a jumping picture, took some action pictures themselves. We had a good laugh about this.

I then traveled to see my old WPS LA Sol teammates Camille Abily in Lyon for 2 days. Her parents were in town for a night and her mom spoiled us with some French Crepe cooking. It was nice to see her in her environment and see how professional her club is and she is in a very nice atmosphere. Congratulations to her club of Lyon by the way as they just won Champions League 2-0 against a strong Germany squad.

I then met my cousin Niki in Venice, which I had never been to. With what I do, I get to travel the world and see many different cities and I can honestly say, Venice is a city like no other. It’s beauty and character makes it so unique. I will post pictures on my website over the next couple weeks to try and do justice but this is a place that I highly recommend. Transportation is either walking or via water either the private gondolas or water taxi’s and again the architecture is astounding.

small view of Venice from Bell tower

pic from the famous Rialto Bridge in Venice with cousin Niki

at the vineyard in Tuscany with Kaylyn,Emily,cousin Niki and Carm

We traveled to Florence where we did a cooking class and wine tasting in Tuscany with a couple of my teammates (Kaylyn Kyle, Carm Moscato, and Emily Zurrer) and then back to a day in Rome.

It was a nice break to get away from our everyday thinking. Sometimes people forget that no matter what you do and how much you may love what you do, having a balance is just as important. I love every single moment I am on the soccer field yet at times, to get a break even for the mental part is important to keeping myself sharp and fresh. We had programs we followed while on the break and there were mornings I got up at 530am to make sure I got the workout in because of the day we had planned. I am not much of a morning person but in order to achieve any goal, you have to stay dedicated to it no matter what circumstances are presented before you. We got back into camp and a series of double days but I had such an extra pep in my step meanwhile not losing my physical condition, which was important. I could tell the break was worth it.

A couple days later, PUMA came in for the shoot for the documentary “My Day, My life”. It’s a series where PUMA has taped it’s athletes from different countries as they prepare for the World Cup. Marta, ARod, Alex Scott and myself are the fortunate enough ones to be with this incredible brand and series. I cannot wait to see how it all turns out. The crew followed myself and my teammates and fellow PUMA athletes Desiree Scott, Kaylyn Kyle, Mary-Eve Nault, Robyn Gayle, Rhian Wilkinson on a typical day for us on and off the field. I’ll send a video with some footage once I figure out just how to work this stuff. We did some fun stuff outside of the Coliseum, Trevi fountain, the Vatican, the Spanish steps and of course us eating gelato and pizza. One highlight was as we were driving to the Spanish steps our van was stopped and told to take a detour. Of course we asked what the detour was and it was because Hilary Clinton was out shopping. Of course we hoped out of the van like in the James Bond movies and were lucky to catch a glimpse of her as she walked down the street. It’s amazing the amount of security required just for her to walk a couple blocks.

As a team we are preparing with anticipation for the opening game against Germany. We’ve had a couple international friendlies against Switzerland, one here in Rome and the other in the beautiful city of Zurich. I had never been to Zurich and it has always been one of the cities I wanted to see and it lived up to my expectations. I controlled my love for chocolate and only ate some Lindt chocolate after the game but our visit was very short. Switzerland is a country I will return to enjoy as a tourist one day.

As I said before, the days to the first game are coming closer and closer. My next entry I will tell you about the different emotions I feel at this time. Know that I feel so blessed to be in this position at this point in my life. I truly love what I do and try to make sure I take nothing for granted. Till next time…..thanks for checking in

KK

more pics:

Cristy and I at the end of Champs Elysse

Versailles

Versailles

The truth is yes we tweet about the good and each individual has their reasoning for the way they communicate via social networking but let’s remember that since we are living out in Rome we have limited ways to communicate to our family, friends, loved ones and fans on how we are doing.

For the little kids who dream of being a professional one day, they see in these same tweets how difficult it is. They see us write about the days our bodies are struggling and how we mentally find a way to overcome such physical defeats.

When we are back home and chatting with our fans they say how they love knowing what our lives are like on a day-to-day basis and enjoy getting to know us on a personal level. I remember growing up and wishing I knew more about my idols and mentors. In this day and age it is possible for that to happen so why try to limit that? I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder. You see what it is you want to see.

Sometimes some of these bloggers and reporters need to remember whom we write to at times. For example, I know some of my tweets are for the younger kids who want to hear about the additional rewards on and off the field of working hard. There are rewards other than dollars and especially in the women’s game it needs to be emphasized. Our monetary situation in terms of compensation has not changed at the moment. We all have sacrificed a lot in committing fully to this program but because we do not continue to bring it up and choose to look more at the positives or what we find funny, people think these issues have just gone.

The truth is that we were all young girls with a dream to one day be a professional or play for our country. We remember what it was that we each wanted to know so we write to those kids yearning at knowledge that we can give. I wanted to know about how tough it was because as a kid going through so many emotions and changes, I felt if I heard someone else was going through it, then it wasn’t the end of the world. I wanted to know the good and the bad. To me, as a young girl, to hear that a camera crew was following around the person I looked up to in a foreign country would be a cool thing and something I could not wait to watch. To hear that the person I look up to goes to the beach, or to the mall, or to the Coliseum that I am studying about in my history class…that is exciting. I think people get so wrapped up into what their thoughts on a story are, they forgot the rest.

For example, I wrote a message a couple weeks ago as a message to my family which I have not seen since Christmas. For those who are close to me, you understand how much my family is. I know no matter what age I am, my mother will always worry about me in her own little way because that is just what mothers do. The message in the eyes of someone looking to find something wrong could be taken a completely different way, but I was just telling my mom and the world how blessed and spoiled I am. Spoiled is a word that means something different to different people. I know the fact that within 2 hrs me being in Florence and spending time there can be seen as ridiculous to some. To further that, when we have a day we do go and see the beauties of Italy, some find it as us not focused which is quite interesting to me. What people need to know that success is also reached by finding a balance. As much as we all love soccer and have the greatest passion for it, it is also necessary to give yourself a mental break from it. Not all of us are as enthusiastic about getting to actually see a country we are in, but for those of us that are enjoying the opportunity, please back away from attacking our character and what is important to us. We travel the world and the thing is that for most places we have been to, we have seen the hotel, the field and the airport.

I guess is angers me that people just assume that because we are expressing how much we are enjoying ourselves and choose to see the glass half full, we are not ‘focused and just having fun sightseeing’ in Italy. Get over yourself people! Guess what because we love what we do and on our days off we are having fun and enjoying our surroundings, be sure to tell you kids ‘how bad that really is’ because I guess the point they are messing is if you work really hard at what you are talented with…you do get to enjoy yourself.

Somewhere people seem to forget that they are not living out of a hotel room for 90% of a year but in their own beds at home surrounded my their friends, family and loved ones. If anyone ever heard that achieving greatness is easy then please come speak with me because easy it is not.

I love what I do folks there is no doubt about it. The sacrifices we make is not something I need to go into detail with because clearly we are all willing to give up all we’ve given up for it. This is a difficult lifestyle but the end result is worth every step of the way, so do me a favor and stop insulting the process that we choose to share with you. Instead, see the good in each situation (post or tweet) and know that as with most things in all our lives, we find the positives out of it and choose to thrive off of that.

Follow me on twitter: karinaleblanc or my FANPage Karina LeBlanc (KK) to follow my journey. The good, the bad and the ugly…yet to me, most of it is not ugly.

Buona notte (which means goodnight in Italian)

Just updating the site. We’ve had just under 2 weeks off here and back into training camp in the morning here in Rome. I’ve enjoyed my time off in Paris, Lyon, Venice, Florence and back here in Rome so a lot of traveling but got to see some old friends, make new friends and enjoy myself while here in Europe. I am so happy to be back on the field in the morning. I will update with pictures and thoughts from my trip soon so please do check back. Until then enjoy the article, my tweets and Fanpage on Facebook. Here’s a pic from the trip…

Check out the article on CanadaSoccerwebsite. CanadaSoccer websiteKarina LeBlanc remembers herself as the quiet one when she first joined Canada’s national team in the late 1990s. It is funny how that sounds today, because chatty, inspirational, spiritual, funny: that’s the ‘KK’ we know today.

Quiet, Karina, really?

Well, when LeBlanc was still a teenager, she was joining the ranks with pioneers and veterans like Gerri Donnelly, Charmaine Hooper, Silvana Burtini, Andrea Neil, Janine Helland, Suzanne Muir and Nicci Wright. She was on the team, yet far less experienced than the older stars that would win the 1998 CONCACAF Women’s Championship and qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for a second time.

“I was the new kid on the block, so I was the quiet one,” said LeBlanc, who remembers fondly her past teammates like team stars Hooper and Neil, first roommate Helland, and goalkeeper mentor Wright. “There were some younger players at the time, too, however, like Amy Walsh and Sharolta Nonen, players that helped me feel not so young.”

In 1999, LeBlanc was part of her first FIFA Women’s World Cup team at USA 1999. Twelve years on, she hopes to take part in her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup at Germany 2011. Only Neil, her one-time teammate and now assistant coach since 2009, has participated in four FIFA Women’s World Cups for Canada.

It didn’t take long for LeBlanc to become her lively self and a stalwart in the national program. She had her breakout year in 2002, which turned out to be Wright’s last season. She tied Wright’s single-season record for clean sheets in 2002 (five) and then broke Wright’s all-time record in 2003.

Today, LeBlanc is part of one of the world’s best international goaltending trios heading to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Her and Erin McLeod have been “1a” and “1b” since the mid 2000s, while the addition of Stephanie Labbé has arguably given Canada a “1c” in goal, too.

“I think our relationship is great,” said LeBlanc. “It is different, definitely a relationship that is rare. It has just been that way from the start. In the end, it has made us all better goalkeepers.”

LeBlanc is Canada’s all-time leader in several goalkeeper categories, most notably matches played (86) and clean sheets (37). She is Canada’s only two-time CONCACAF champion (1998, 2010) and also a one-time Olympian (2008).

At the professional level, she most recently played for the Philadelphia Independence (2010) and Los Angeles Sol (2009) of Women’s Professional Soccer. She won a regular-season title in 2009 and reached the playoff final in both in 2009 and 2010. She previously played for the Boston Breakers in the old WUSA in the early 2000s, but also played for the New Jersey Wildcats of the W-League where she won Goalkeeper of the Year honours in 2005.

From watching 90,000 fans cram the Rose Bowl for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Canada was eliminate in group play) to experiencing 80,000 expected fans at the Olympiastadion Berlin for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup opener against Germany, it will have been quite the ride for LeBlanc the goalkeeper should she make the squad come June.

“You want to live each moment like it is brand new because every FIFA Women’s World Cup is different,” said LeBlanc. “It is going to be a completely different environment in Germany.”

Every three days in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™, CanadaSoccer.com will highlight a prospective player that will take part in this summer’s big tournament. The series will run in the two-month lead up to Canada’s opening match on 26 June against host Germany. Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck, will take part in its fifth FIFA Women’s World Cup™ from 26 June to 17 July. Canada has also already qualified for a sixth time as host of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2015.

For entire article click on the picture and it will take you to the PUMA women’s soccer website where you can find more fun pictures of me in my puma gear and other puma products and athletes….

MY BLOG…
In light of the opening weekend of WPS, I want to wish all the players, coaches and organizations the best of luck this season! I know that the players in this league are living out their dreams everyday. Every time they step on the field, they recognize this, and that feeling is worth every single struggle we all go through to get to this stage.

I am living out the other half of my dreams as I am with Canada preparing for the 2011 World Cup in Germany this summer. We are currently based in Italy and have been training here because our new coach is from here. Her name is Carolina Morace and she is a highly decorated female soccer player- and out here in Italy, she is a true legend. Whenever we mention her name, no matter the age of the person we are talking to, they know who she is and almost immediately start to praise her. To be honest, I have “name-dropped” a few times since I’ve been here (haha it never fails) and just using her name makes things happen. She is a genius of the game. Her intelligence for the sport allows all of us to learn something new daily and I am absorbing it all. Since her hiring, we have jumped up to 6th in the World and our only loses in the past year has been to Germany, US – ranked 1 & 2, and Sweden (this past weekend) here in Rome. She has made a name for herself in Italy not because on the side she practices law, but also because she was one of the main commentators for the Serie A TV (which is like ESPN/CNN to Italians). Everyone watches and even with such a tough and critical following, she has somehow has come out with people loving her. This clearly means she knows what she is talking about, as soccer is life here in Italy.

We are staying in Rome at the same hotel where the away teams of Roma and Lazio stay as well (Serie A teams). Our training facilities are a part of the hotel, so the gym and field are within 100 yards of our rooms. We get to watch their “day before” training sessions, which has been a blast to see the players we see on TV weekly, training right outside our bedroom doors. Last weekend, I got a chance to go with my fellow goalkeeper Steph Labbe to see the Roma vs Juventus game. Juventus’s goalkeeper is Gigi Buffon, also Italy’s goalkeeper (and one of my all time favorites and fellow PUMA athlete), but he did not play. I have to admit, initially I was disappointed not to see him on field, but the other goalkeepers did not disappoint, as there were several great saves. It is interesting to watch a game live because the energetic Italians were up in their seats screaming, whether good or bad, at just about every play on the field. There were times I caught myself looking more at the fans than the game because it was an experience in itself. Italians love their soccer and I truly appreciated seeing such passion from the fans- I can see how this sport means so much to everyone here.

More on my Italian speaking, where we’ve been and what else we have been up to at http://www.puma.com/football/news/karina-leblancs-journey-to-the-womens-world-cup