Female empowerment needs to be re-defined. There's a lot of fear mongering going on in girls sports that's actually dis-empowering female athletes. "You have wide hips!" "You're more susceptible to ACL injuries!" "Your period and menstrual cycle increases injury!" These are some of the defeating messages our girls are being...
This post was originally published by Erica on Girls Soccer Network. We here it all the time. "It's just growing pains." When a female athlete is going through her growth spurt and experiencing a myriad of physical, emotional, and hormonal changes, we chalk it up to "well...
This blog was originally published by Erica Suter on Girls Soccer Network. Warning to girls soccer players: never sacrifice your health for performance. Mary Cain, a pro mid-distance runner, was the fastest in the world at one point. In 2014, she won the 3,000-meter event at the...
In season strength training is a non-negotiable for the ECNL girls soccer player of today. The girls ECNL is the most intense and competitive soccer league in the United States, with the average team practicing 3-4x a week, with 1-2 games on the weekends. Go time for...
This post was originally published by Erica Suter on the Girls Soccer Network blog. Don't make girls hate exercise. This is your #1 job as a coach and/or parent to young girls. When it comes to instilling healthy habits for a lifetime, your job is to make exercise,...
This blog was originally published by Erica Suter on Girls Soccer Network. Full disclosure: I never jogged two miles around a track. I hate long distance running, so I avoided it like the plague during my 20-year soccer career. I'm proud to say I hardly did any long...
This blog was originally published by Erica on Girls Soccer Network. Enjoy: The girls ECNL is one of the most competitive leagues for girls soccer players. With great competition, however, comes great responsibility. The girls ECNL runs practically year-round, with play beginning in September and going through May...
This article was originally published by Erica Suter on Girls Soccer Network: Attention female athletes: missing your period is a major red flag. I know what you're thinking: 'but I'm not trying to be pregnant!' Of course having a period is critical for pregnancy one day, but adolescent...
It felt like impending doom. In 2023, my anxiety became unbearable. I was in the midst of a chronic health issue from mold toxicity that wrecked several systems in my body - neurological, digestive, hormonal, and immune. All of the symptoms were horrible, but nothing beat the...
This article was originally published by Erica on Girls Soccer Network blog. It’s time for a blast from the past. Back in the 1990s, strength training was foreign to girls soccer players. They feared getting under the iron because they thought they would become bulky, slow down...