| What The Lightning Club
Means To Me Marshall Leonard, Lightning 80 Gold |
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| Dear Fellow Lightning Soccer
Players, My name is Marshall Leonard. I have been a member of the Atlanta Lightning family for almost four years now and have enjoyed every second. Throughout the past four years I have attained many personal accomplishments for which I credit the club and coaches. I began by making the Georgia State Team, then the ODP Region Team and finally the U17 and U20 National Teams. Although being a member of these prestigious teams, my most memorable accomplishments have come in the last year. In the month of December I won my first State Championship with a victory of 2-0 against United. Later our team gained the recognition of being the U18 Region champions with a victory over South Texas, 1-0 in overtime. We finished the long journey by becoming National Champions with a glorious victory over the Baltimore Stars from Region I: 3-1.....And that will be the most memorable experience of the past four years. As I look back on the variety of team accomplishments, I ask myself what made the Atlanta Lightning '80 team what they are today. Was it the young, phenomenal players that we had on the team years ago? Was it recruiting of players from other smaller clubs to benefit the status of ours? Or was it the progression of young determined, committed, yet unskilled players, coached by qualified coaches who worked for the sole purpose of making their players best? I believe that our club answers the first two questions 'NO' but the last a definite 'YES'. In the weeks before Regionals and Nationals our team trained twice a day. Because of this, many of our players who live miles from Fayetteville, as did I, had to live away from our families. We trained in the intense heat always pushing ourselves to the limit because we knew we could attain National Champion status. It was a big commitment that our whole team had to make, but we all did. We had to give up something to get something in return. Our team had to give up our family time, our social activities, as well as our energy to get something in return. But no one complains now. We received the best in return: the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP trophy. No one can take away the history we have begun for Georgia. We are the first team in the state, male or female, to ever win a National Championship. We will not be the last. There are many more chapters in our history book waiting to be written. The game of soccer is similar to a roller coaster. At times you play unbelievable and at times you feel you should quit and find something else you are good at. Every player feels this way throughout their career. The ones that succeed let their mental determination and commitment carry them on to be the best they can be. Yours truly, Marshall Leonard member of Lightning 80 Gold member of US U20 National Team |
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