Jessica Raybe 5/20/12 English 10 Honors Per.

3 Final Independent Reading Assignment

1. The Vision of a Champion, written by Anson Dorrance, is a book giving advice and inspiration to the many soccer players out in the world who plan on playing soccer at a college. When Anson Dorrance was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008, it marked his journey on becoming legendary throughout the womens soccer program. Dorrance led his University of North Carolina team successfully through one of the most competitive College Cup fields in history, the NCAA, winning its 21st overall national title and its 20th NCAA crown in 2009. Dorrance became the first coach in NCAA history to win 20 championships coaching a single sport. Under his direction, the UNC Tar Heels collected national and conference championships at a stupendous rate. They compiled an amazing overall record, and are continuing to establish records that are likely never to be approached, never ceasing to achieve greatness. His monumental achievement in founding and building North Carolina's women's soccer program has given him the opportunity to succeed as a coach and discover the truths and guidelines pertaining to womens soccer. This book was not a bestseller and did not win any awards, but it is a guide to soccer. Anson Dorrance, after coaching girls for over 30 years, has learned the secrets to how women can be successful in the game of soccer.

2. The Vision of a Champion gives any soccer player the tips to achieving greatness and why girl soccer players do what they do. He discusses the differences in types of soccer players, and how in order to play soccer an individual needs to be able to do more than just play the game. The mentality of a player and the physical side of the game are more demanding than many sports.

With all of the injuries involved in soccer, players have to overcome many mental and physical demands that could keep them from reaching their full potential. The mind of a girl is also completely different than the mind of a boy, which as a coach is very important to know. Dorrance states that girls dont like to take responsibility of the leadership role because it is stressful and they worry about what others will think of them when they are yelling on the field (Dorrance 163). This mindset for girls is completely different from guys because instead of the letting the yelling affect them and make them not like that person, boys will use that anger to push themselves, making them work harder and improve their game. Then when the game is over, boys will make fun of each other and so on, whereas girls will hold a grudge and are bitter about it for a while after that moment. This book displays every inch of detail on how to become a champion in soccer and inspires young players to work harder, teaching them what it takes to get to the next level. Dorrance says, Going to college is a new situation (Dorrance 238). He says this because many people around the world envision soccer the way that they usually see it, but nothing can compare to the level of college soccer. A player can stand out at a high school game, but when he or she steps onto the college campus it is a whole different situation. The things that he or she used to be able to do best, half of the team can already do better. The world is full of competition, and in this book, Dorrance discusses how to overcome all of these challenges and reach greatness.

3. One part of the book that I believe is most memorable is when Anson Dorrance discusses being a team player. This part in the book is important because many sports are individual and all a person has to worry about is himself or herself, but in the game of soccer there is more than just one person to depend on. The game involves a team, and if not everyone is on the same page, the team is only set up for failure. No one person can try to do everything. Each player

needs to be able to depend on one another and trust each other to make the right decisions for the team. There can be many parts that conflict with having good team chemistry, and as a player, he or she can either be a person that takes all of it in and just lets it be, or he or she can have an impact and change things. Sometimes, a freshman can come in and take a seniors spot, which will cause conflict between the team and that player. Sometimes that freshman may not be accepted, but in order to change this attitude and be a team player, a senior must take action and make people respect the freshman. He or she must encourage that player to keep doing what they are capable of. I think that Anson Dorrance put this in the book so that everyone can understand that being a team player can be a lot of work, but the better of a bond between the team, the better the team will play on the field. Another part of the book that I found most valuable is when the author talks about how to become the total athlete. This part talks about how there is more to soccer than just the basic skills. The physical demands of soccer are so high that if he or she is not in the best shape of his or her life, then he or she will not make it in the college world of soccer. Dorrance also talks about how being a total athlete means that each player needs to have the mentality to improve and push herself on her own. There are only certain days that one goes and practices with the team and the coach, but as much as they push a player on those days, the days the player is not at practice are the most important. Each player needs to be able to make herself go out and work on what needs the most improvement. 4. The authors writing style is very descriptive and detailed. The author also engages the reader by not only describing the different ways to become a champion, but by putting in real life stories as an example to prove his point. Anson Dorrances diction shows that he is educated and has a good understanding of the material that he is presenting. He says, Theres an important quality among great soccer players that I have alluded to in earlier chapters (Dorrance 65). His

word choice of alluded proves that he is educated because he uses a more complex word instead of using a word like referred. Another example of his complex diction is when he says, Adequate training and good role models are vital (Dorrance 176). Using the word adequate is just another time that shows Dorrances complex word choice. Another way that he grabs the readers attention is by putting his own perspective on certain cases and expressing his opinion. This is shown when he says, All that being said, I believe that the majority of coach/player relationships are positive, or millions of young people wouldnt be playing soccer (Dorrance 216). The author also does a good job of varying up his sentences from simple to complex. He will use a sentence that is approximately three lines long, and then he follows it up with a sentence like, Players dont use these skills in games (Dorrance 168). It is very easy and simple. He just uses these types of sentences to vary it up, allowing him sum up the main points presented throughout the book.

5. Personally, I really enjoyed this book because I felt that as a high level soccer player, it was very helpful. A lot of the issues that the book discusses, such as being strong mentally, is a major problem that I struggle with today, and it is really helping me to overcome this situation. Ever since reading this book, I have gone out on the field more confident in myself and using my abilities and personality to become a vital leader on my own soccer team. Anson Dorrance brings up many great points that allow players to analyze themselves and use these tips to improve their game. It has given me more knowledge about the game of soccer, and it also helps me for the future. This book talks mainly about ways to improve players, but there is also a little section about coaching. I am planning on being a coach for my side job, so the guidelines that he presented for coaches gives me a better understanding on how to get through to the kids. I would definitely recommend this book to others because it is very useful. I would recommend it mainly

to soccer players because if you play soccer and understand the game, then the book will be more useful to you. I definitely recommend this book to any soccer player that has hopes and aspirations to play at a high level, because it will help a player gain confidence in his or her own abilities and will give tips on how to practice the skills needed to improve the game. It was very fun to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.