By Joao Massimo

Our CATS Academy Girls Soccer Team competed in the Girls Independent League (GIL) Playoffs this week. Although they lost in the semi-finals to Bradford Christian Academy, 5-1, the team and its coach feel this was a successful season. Team sports is not just about wins and losses. There were 28 girls on the team this year and most had never played competitively before. CATS Academy Director of Athletics and Activities, James Wilkins, observed, “ Not only did they compete for a GIL title, but they also learned how to play a new sport, how to work as a team, how to communicate and how to help each other along.….I am very proud of the way this team came together and how they finished the season.”

” Soccer is more than just a game, it provides experience and learning opportunities that can help you in life.”, according to Julia David, the Girls Soccer Team Captain, who is Brazilian. Last year was her first on the soccer team and she was a major contributor. This year Julia was pleased to be invited to be captain of the team. “What really matters is that we are learning things like any class or teacher might teach us”, she said. In a game, when our emotions are really high, we learn teamwork skills and how to be successful as a group. Maybe that’s an important reason for playing sports at school. Not to win big championships or acquire gold medals.” But, Julia said, “Sometimes sports are also about just having fun!” Maybe that is the whole point of being on a sports team: Learning how to work and be successful together.