The Board of Pleasanton Girls Soccer Assn is grateful to the 200+ coaches and assistant coaches who take lots of time out of their busy days and weekends to bring soccer to about 1400 Recreational soccer players. It is your dedication to the sport that has helped make RAGE one of the top twenty girls’ soccer clubs in the entire United States, according to the industry journal, SoccerAmerica.
Most of the Rec coaches are moms and dads, but that does not lessen the commitment they make to their daughters’ enjoyment of the game. Yet, some coaches are not parents. We would like to bring to your attention that two coaches are “only” high school students. Morgan Dorsey and Sarah Ramirez are neighbors and best friends, as well as Amador students, where they played on the Varsity soccer team last winter. We asked Morgan, a junior, to tell us a little about her life and devotion to community service. Sarah and Morgan personify a life lesson we believe team sports participation can engender.

- My Experience As A Coach -
I was born into a family of five, my mother, father and two siblings who were born with a profound hearing loss. My mom adapted very quickly by changing her career from a graphic designer to an at home daycare provider in order to help my siblings learn to talk and communicate like their hearing peers. Living in this environment I was always helping younger kids with their homework, teaching them different games, and working on a variety of projects. Coaching became a natural part of my life.
 Through the leadership program at Harvest Park, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Special Olympics soccer program where I refereed a number of games. The people we worked with were extremely kind and wanted to learn all there was about the game of soccer. This hunger for education was incredible and the fact that I was able to help them obtain this knowledge of the sport left me with a feeling of complete satisfaction. Leadership and service carried over into High School where I continued to help out with Special Olympics and volunteered at a local program called TOP Soccer, which stands for The Outreach Program for Soccer, for physically and mentally challenged youth. I realized from this program how important coaches are to society and that they have contributed to all our success in sports.              
This past soccer season Sarah Ramirez and I coached a U10 Rage recreational team. I was spending time with my best friend, helping out younger girls who idolized us, and learned from this wonderful opportunity. I had a chance to start with 12 individuals, some experienced in the sport of soccer and others just beginning, and find their strengths and weaknesses in order to figure out a position that fit them best. In doing this we needed to find a way to bond our team and teach them to work together to achieve the common goal of winning. Although this was difficult, it was manageable and our team came together really fast.

            These young children share a common passion with us girls who play soccer. They looked up to us as players and people so the least we could do is help shape their personalities. Coaching has taught me more responsibility in managing time and planning ahead. I have also learned to work with other people and deal with them in a way that bonds conflicting personalities together and find the common interest, the love of the game. In an attempt to give back to my society and all those who have helped me I have done a number of things for my community, my school, and others.  Coaching being one of the most fulfilling experiences has given me the opportunity to shape the personalities of others. I plan to continue touching the lives of others through coaching and other volunteer opportunities throughout my lifetime as there is no activity as self satisfying as giving back to the community.