Meet Coach Terra!

“[I was] able to grow into a great player due to the incredible parent coaches who volunteered their time to teach us the game. It was those coaches that donated their time & expertise to their communities that inspired me to follow in their footsteps. Now here I am, coaching for an incredible organization with the first & foremost goal of raising a generation of female athletes to not only be strong players on the field, but also strong leaders off the field.” -Coach Terra 

Where did you grow up and what brought you to the Bay Area?

I was born here in San Francisco, but moved around the country when my dad joined the Navy. After spending six years stationed in 3 different places, my dad decided not to reenlist so we could move back to the bay area to be closer to family. I currently live with my Grandpa in the city while attending SF State University. 

What is your soccer story? 

[Soccer} is a huge part of my identity. As a kid, I participated in multiple different sports that were stereotypical "girl sports." I tried ballet, tapdance, cheerleading, gymnastics, etc. While those are all very intense sports & deserve more recognition than they are given, I found I wasn't really passionate about any of them. But every day, on the drive home from my dance school, we'd pass the soccer field & I was just awestruck by the cleats, pre-wrap, ponytails, & fierceness radiating off the players. So my mom signed me up through the free league under the US Navy, thus igniting my love-at-first-sight relationship with the game. I was lucky to be able to build my understanding of the game by playing across the country as my family moved around. We didn't have the financial resources to be able to afford joining a competitive team, however, economic barriers weren't able to stop me from being able to grow into a great player due to the incredible parent coaches who volunteered their time to teach us the game. With their guidance on top of countless hours of individual hard work, I was able to make my highly competitive High School Varsity Team. 

Where & what are you studying?

I'm currently attending San Francisco State University & have also enrolled in CCSF to study Kinesiology in hopes to one day go to Graduate school to obtain my DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy).

How did you end up at GLG?

I had just graduated from high school & was moving into the city the summer before I started at SFSU. I had been coaching for another program in the East Bay called Kidz Love Soccer, & I wanted to continue my coaching career. What's funny is that I made a long list of various soccer programs throughout the city that I was considering applying to, but when I stumbled across the website for GLG, I literally deleted the list I had spent an hour accumulating. I knew I didn't want to coach for anybody else. Their philosophy & their mission resonated with everything I stand for & I applied on the spot.

What GLG team/school do you coach?

As well as after school programs & running club, I have coached my lovable, rambunctious, energetic team of 2nd graders, Sol Fire, since the Fall Season of 2019. I also coached the 4th graders on Inspire for the small amount of time we had together during the Spring Season, but it was amazing getting to know them over our Zoom Meetings! 

What's your superpower?

My superpower is I can wake up at any time during the morning without an alarm. If I go to bed intending on waking up before 7 am the next morning, my body will naturally do so.

Why is it important to have women coaches?

I coached for a program called Kidz Love Soccer. The first day coaching for them, there was a little girl who was attached to my side the entire time & seemed so happy to be able to play soccer with me. It happened to be that at this specific camp, all the coaches were male and all the players (other than she) were also male. After practice, her mother walked up to me & expressed that a few days ago her daughter had asked her, and I'll never forget these words, "Mommy, do girls even play soccer?" She was only 4 or 5 years old, just entering the world of soccer so this camp was her entire view of sports. She had wanted to quit, but simply by my presence as another female on the field, especially in a leadership role, she changed her mind. I remember being that little girl on a field or play yard full of boys asking the exact same question she asked, and I know how isolating that can feel. Representation is everything.

Why is it important to get more girls into sports & keep them in?

In a society where we are leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles, especially with rapidly growing rates of obesity, sports & athletics are extremely essential. Not only does it give all children the opportunity to participate in physical activity, which is important for their development, but also a chance to be a part of a team. Young girls often find themselves avoiding sports due to the stigmas against female athletes & women taking part in "boy's things." Girls need to have the same access to sports teams to improve their confidence in themselves, their skills in leadership, & give them the chance to exercise while surrounded by a supportive community.  

What's the best advice you've ever received?

"Don't watch the player, watch the ball." Meaning when you are defending & approach the other team's player who has the ball, they'll likely try to fake you out. Often the ball will tell you where they truly are going while their body is trying to deceive you. Your focus should always be on the ball. How I translate this into real life is "actions speak louder than words." Someone can say whatever they want, but it's their actions that can tell you where their true intentions lie.

Do you have a female idol that you look up to?

Before I changed my major to Kinesiology, I was studying political science with dreams of one day running for office. I greatly admire and look up to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez who was one of the catalysts for that dream. I was just amazed when she unseated the incumbent of her district, who held his seat for two decades, by running a grassroots campaign. She gave a voice to entire communities who were previously rendered voiceless & became the youngest female to ever serve in congress. She continually advocates for marginalized communities and stands for the people, not big corporations. AOC is my hero.