Celebrating International Women's Day with DC SCORES stories

Written by Dahlia Chaudhury 
Communications Intern

In honor of International Women's Day, we're sharing some of our favorite stories and poems from an incredible group of DC SCORES young women. These are just a handful of the thousands of girls who find their voices, their power, and their sense of belonging through DC SCORES.

1. Alumna Ingrid Melendez

Ingrid Melendez was a DC SCORES student at Tubman Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School. She met some of her best friends playing at Lincoln as well as a coach, Asa, who served as a mentor and life coach during Ingrid's most difficult years. After aging out of DC SCORES, Ingrid stayed involved and worked for four consecutive summers at Marie Reed Elementary as a Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) counselor. After overcoming great obstacles during her high school years, Ingrid headed to college in the fall of 2015 -- the first from her family to attend college. Through all of her hardship, Ingrid found an outlet in playing soccer. On her time as a summer coach: “I always tell them it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl,” Ingrid said. “A girl can do anything a guy can do.”

Read Ingrid's inspiring story here.

2. A poem by Delaney B.
Kelly Miller Middle School poet-athlete, 11 years old

"Yes, I understand that I may have some ups and downs, but all people do/ But the fact that I'm black and I'm a girl makes it even harder too. These are the things you don't know about me/ I'm smart, intelligent, wise, strong and also pretty"

3. Alumna Claudia Umaña

Claudia Umaña participated in DC SCORES at Bancroft Elementary School. With her mother working to support the family, Claudia was tasked with taking care of her younger brother, and so encouraged him to join SCORES as well. Claudia went on to play soccer in high school, and became not only the first high school, but also college graduate in her family. Her brother followed in her footsteps as well. Claudia went on to work for the nonprofit Women's Policy to create opportunities for women and girls in sports and other areas. “I take a great amount of pride because that means these girls are being active but also being treated equally and taking advantage of sports in general that maybe before —even before my generation — (they) could not,” Claudia said recently.

Read Claudia's full story here.

4. Nohemy S. speaks on Capitol Hill

DC SCORES poet-athlete Nohemy, who participated in the Soccer for Success program at Chavez Prep Charter School, spoke in 2015 alongside professional athletes and members of Congress on Capitol Hill at the "How Sports Can Improve Girls' Health" briefing about her experience playing soccer and being on a team through SCORES.

"The biggest thing that I have learned from playing soccer is to feel confident in myself," Nohemy said. 

Watch her whole testimony here.

5. Arnye Y.'s poem at the 2016 Poetry Slam!

"I am a powerful young woman who raises my hand to speak/ I should be treated like who I am, and should always be offered a seat/ They say 'man down' but what about 'woman down?'/ They say 'man up' but what about 'woman up?'/ There has never been a woman president, that's what I see"

-- Arnye' Y., 10 years old
Thomas Elementary School

6. Alumna Nijah Armstrong

Nijah Armstrong scored a goal in her first DC SCORES game with the Burrville Eagles. After playing for one year with the Tigers, Nijah played for a year at Kelly Miller Middle School, though she never forgot her time at Burrville. Nijah went on to graduate high school and attend North Carolina A&T State, where she double majored in forensic science and psychology. She hasn’t played much since that year, but Nijah carried the lessons instilled in her by the Burrville coaches to where she is today. “They taught me never to quit even if it’s tough -- life in general and in sports,” Nijah said.

Read Nijah's story here.

7. Alumna Myiah's poem

As a DC SCORES poet-athlete, Myiah attended Burrville Elementary School. She is now a student at Georgetown University, and performed at the Our Words Our City poetry showcase earlier this year. Myiah embodies the confidence and passion DC SCORES fosters, and thinks that one of the best things in life is working with young minds to create.

8. Alumna Ana Galeas

Ana Galeas joined DC SCORES to play soccer, but in doing so found confidence and a voice that she has used in multiple avenues. After playing for three years in elementary school and in her final year at Lincoln Middle School, Ana kept lasting connections to her team and coach which led to her becoming the assistant coach at Lincoln, as well as a summer camp coach during her high school years. With each year of coaching, Ana’s confidence rose along with others’ trust in her. She became a strong leader and advocate for her team. In May 2015, she spoke on a President’s Council on Fitness panel about her DC SCORES experience, and in 2016 she spoke about the program in front of 150 people at a Brookings Institute event. “Continue to not stop and to never look back,” Ana tells her summer campers. “The more things you’ll do, the more you’ll be happy about yourself.”

Read Ana's story here.

Alumni profile: Edwin blossoms into leader under coach Popsie Lewis

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

Edwin Ordoñez's story, by now, is known by many. A front page Washington Post article April 11 documented Edwin’s incredible journey.

From an El Salvadorian village where he lived with his grandparents and worked on a farm. To Guatemala, then Mexico, then walking across a desert and swimming across the Rio Grande River with his dad to enter the United States -- at age 9.

From not knowing a lick of English upon entering Washington, DC’s H.D. Cooke Elementary School as a fourth-grader. To graduating valedictorian of his high school, Bell Multicultural, after taking 12 AP classes and six college courses.

To, finally, Princeton University, to which Edwin, a first-generation college student, is receiving basically a full scholarship.

On a mid-July day, Edwin is already at Princeton, taking two courses that take up six hours each day as part of freshman orientation.

“At this point, I’m really excited about all the opportunities that this school has to offer,” Edwin says by phone. “I feel like I will accomplish a lot and I will grow not just as a student but as a leader, and become someone who can really contribute to my community and to the world as a whole.”

That Edwin will lead, that Edwin will achieve -- he can just let his work speak for itself. But how did Edwin become someone all his peers look up to and admire? And how did soccer, the game he grew up loving in El Salvador, fit in?

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Fourth grade for Edwin at H.D. Cooke was about getting his bearings in a new land. He knew, however, that he wanted to play on the soccer team. He saw the aqua jerseys with the school name on the back his peers wore every Thursday for game day. He made that a reality in fifth grade, making many friends in DC SCORES. The poetry aspect assisted him as he continued to learn the English language.

“I feel like I received a lot of help from them,” Edwin says of his two poetry coaches at the time.

Edwin’s next stop was Lincoln Middle School in Columbia Heights. Because of great interest, the boys soccer team was split into a sixth and seventh grade team and an eighth grade squad, which was coached by Popsie Lewis. Edwin enjoyed his first year and a half at Lincoln, but it wasn’t until Popsie took over the seventh graders during the spring of Edwin’s second year that he blossomed.

Edwin with his MVP plaque after one of Lincoln's
Capital Cup middle school championships. 

Popsie didn’t waste time in making Edwin his captain and teaching him at every opportunity what makes a great leader. Edwin embraced each lesson. From early on, a bond was formed that would shape Edwin’s path all the way through high school.


“At that point, I felt like I was more than a player when I was on the field,” Edwin says now. “I was like another coach.”

Whenever his teammates got out of line or “a little bit carried away,” Edwin made sure to speak up and restore order. “That was when I really realized what it meant to be a captain,” he says.

Popsie, now a DC SCORES coach of nine years and the recent recipient of D.C. United’s MLS Community MVP, preaches respect more than any other value with his kids at Thomson Elementary and Lincoln, and with his alumni team. He didn’t need to say a word to Edwin.

“That kid had it down pat from Day 1,” Popsie says.

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Popsie describes Edwin as a “kid that naturally led,” but as Edwin tells it, leadership only came easily on the soccer field. It took him growing in that role and learning from his coach to become comfortable leading in other capacities in and around school.

“I was always really uncomfortable with taking leadership positions outside of the field,” Edwin says. “But getting that practice on the field really gave me confidence to take on leadership positions outside the field as well, and I feel like that really reflected in the way I started high school and the way I carried myself through high school.”

By the time Edwin reached 11th grade, he had four years of soccer captainship under his belt. Not only had he played at Lincoln, but he was one of the original members of Popsie and Simon Landau’s first DC SCORES alumni team that competed in DC Stoddert leagues year-round. Edwin was the no-brainer captain choice.

Edwin (center) with coach Popsie (left), coach Simon (right) and teammates at an indoor alumni tournament. 

Popsie recalls a handful of occasions when both he and Simon were unable to attend the weekly Saturday game. That presented all sorts of challenges for the group of teenagers, chief among them making sure everyone knew where the game was -- locations varied throughout DC -- and how to get there.

“Edwin was always the one kid that I could call and say, ‘Hey, man, call the kids, get them together, make it to the game, coach the game,’” Popsie says.

“A kid at 16, 17 years old taking that responsibility to not only do what I ask but more importantly having a group of kids under his supervision and always doing the right thing and always putting them in the right situations -- meaning nobody ever got in trouble, nobody ever wandered off from him -- I think that itself spoke volumes about Edwin.

“Because to have those younger kids kind of look up to him -- not only look up to him but obviously have a lot of respect for him -- that’s the only way that was able to work.”

Edwin didn’t play high school soccer. He wanted to, but he didn’t take the chance. The interest at Bell far exceeds the number of spots available. There's only a varsity team. So he just played on Popsie and Simon’s team. And as his workload at school got bigger and bigger, his time away from all of it meant that much more.

Edwin (2nd from right) also found time to become a certified volunteer referee for DC SCORES game days. 

“Soccer has always been a way to relax myself,” Edwin says, “a way to forget about the schoolwork for a little bit. During my time at Bell, I felt like that was something I really needed a lot of the time.”

In that 11th grade year, generally considered the hardest of high school, Edwin, in his own words, fully embraced leadership in all aspects of his life. He became the Vice President of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club at school, a position that meant representing hundreds of students from all across the District who are interested in business.

Edwin thrived in the position and his stature in Bell’s hallways continued to grow, too, with more and more students looking up to him. If being named valedictorian was a campaign, this was the beginning of Edwin’s political journey.

“It was a bigger position, a bigger responsibility, and I felt like it was because of the way that I felt after all those years of practice on the field,” Edwin says now of his decision to take on the VP role.

Just this past June, he delivered the valedictorian speech to his fellow graduates.

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When Edwin thinks back on the impact of DC SCORES, he calls it “literally … a second family for me.”

Edwin was relatively calm when he found out about his acceptance to Princeton -- one of 25 schools, six in the Ivy League, he applied to -- but his coaches weren’t. Simon called Edwin 10 seconds after hearing the news.

“They were really happy,” Edwin says. “They were even more happy and excited than I was.

“Popsie has been more than a coach, more than a friend, and I’m really, really happy with the bond that we’ve created -- not only with him, but also with Simon and with my teammates as well.

“I feel like those are people I always can count on.”

Many of Edwin’s toughest obstacles are behind him. Crossing the entirety of Mexico. Learning a new language. Making friends. Getting the full scholarship despite not being eligible for federal loans or grants because of his immigration status.

And one thing is certain: As Edwin embarks on this next journey, studying computer engineering and hoping to play club soccer, Princeton University has a seasoned freshman leader on campus.

“He had so many things stacked up against him,” Popsie says. “But never once did he lose track of what his ultimate goal was.”

Alumni profile: With DC SCORES' support, doors open for Ana Galeas

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

When Ana Galeas joined DC SCORES as a third-grader at Raymond Education Campus in 2006, there was one reason.

Soccer.

Now, 10 years later, here is Ana, 18, speaking for six consecutive minutes about the program in front of 150 people at a Brookings Institute event in her hometown of Washington, DC. Ana sits alongside the likes of former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter.

She only mentions soccer a couple times during the testimonial to the program she’s been involved in for a decade.

“DC SCORES has helped me a lot starting with helping me be a better leader, helping me to be a mentor to little kids and reminding myself that I was one of those little kids,” Ana says.

“When you see them smile you just remind yourself that it’s something that you’re helping them in.”

Ana is poised, comfortable and confident. She laughs along with the other panelists when talking about kids using disposable cameras -- they still exist! -- at camp. She describes how important it is for kids her age to serve as mentors for younger youth. She uses nonverbals -- learned during her DC SCORES poetry performance sessions -- to communicate her points, and nods in agreement with things the others say. She barely mentions soccer.

Even if one didn’t know Ana before July 14, 2016, it’d be clear after hearing her speak that she’s a well-rounded, confident young woman ready to take the next step.

This fall, Ana will attend Montgomery College. But first, she has a couple weeks left of leading kids at DC SCORES summer camp. This is her fourth year as a Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) counselor for SCORES.

From left: Rising sophomore at Trinity University, Ingrid Melendez, alumnae soccer coach Asa Davis, and Ana.

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Ana grew up in DC with soccer. Her father, originally from El Salvador, was the president of a local soccer team that played matches every weekend. Ana would tag along with her older sister to games, watching intently from the sidelines.

Because of academics, Ana’s mother held her back for a year in third grade. Her second time through, Ana joined DC SCORES because she wanted to play soccer. Her grades improved, and she loved the feeling of being on a team.

In fifth grade, Ana moved from defender to goalie and wasn’t good at first -- “I remember my first time playing goalie, they made like 20 goals. I was so bad,” Ana says now laughing -- but stuck with it and enjoyed playing the position. But then the year was over, and Raymond at the time did not have middle school programming. All of a sudden, Ana was without the team and opportunity to continue playing and improving her skills.

Sixth and seventh grade were rough for Galeas socially.

“Those were two years when I really fell off,” she says. “I just went to school and came back home. I didn’t do nothing.”

Galeas transferred to Lincoln Middle School in eighth grade, in part so she could participate in DC SCORES again. She missed the sport, the camaraderie. She didn’t play goalie at Lincoln, instead taking on her third position, forward, and she bonded with her new teammates.

Additionally, that year was when for the first time in her life, her parents were able to attend a game of hers. Galeas’ mother had never been fond of her playing soccer, as it’s never been a cultural norm for Latinas. That game day helped change her perception.

“They were like, ‘You could have done better,’” Ana says with a chuckle of what her parents told her afterward, referring to a play when she fell down, “but then at the same time they were like, ‘I’m really proud of you that you did something.’”

That could have been the end, and a nice one at that, of Ana’s DC SCORES story. But really, it was just the beginning.

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During her lone year at Lincoln, Ana met Popsie Lewis -- a fixture in the school community and the longtime boys soccer coach. When Ana moved to the other side of the Columbia Heights Education Campus building to attend Bell Multicultural High School, she kept in touch with Popsie and frequently saw the girls still on the Lincoln team.

In ninth grade, Ana learned that the team needed an assistant coach. She jumped at the opportunity. She also began refereeing elementary school games on Thursday afternoons at nearby Tubman. Not only was she satisfying her service hours requirement, an essential obligation as she began to look toward college; Ana was also imparting her knowledge from several years of SCORES on a group of girls that could be hard-headed but listened to their peer.

Ana (second from left) with other DC SCORES alumni who became certified referees. 

Ana told the girls about the importance of getting service hours in high school. She made sure they attended poetry sessions, a requirement for them to play in games. She celebrated with them after winning the Capital Cup middle school championship.

With each year of coaching, Ana’s confidence rose along with others’ trust in her. She was becoming a leader, both on and off the field. Even as Ana took up rugby in 10th grade and began traveling every weekend for games, she continued to coach Lincoln and even helped lead poetry sessions in 11th grade.

“I feel like it was important to me to be with them,” Ana says now.

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DC SCORES was there for Ana beyond Lincoln’s soccer field and classroom, too. During 11th grade, she was nominated VP of the Alumni Leadership Board. With peers from throughout DC, she planned and ran events such as the highly successful annual soccer tournament. She served as a conduit for other former poet-athletes to stay engaged with the program.

With each visit to the DC SCORES office, Galeas’ world opened up more and more. Staff helped sign her up for Youth Leadership Greater Washington in 2014, a 6-month development and community and education program through which Ana met others from DC, Maryland and Virginia. In May 2015, she spoke on a President’s Council on Fitness panel about her DC SCORES experience.

If Ana didn’t visit DC SCORES for a couple weeks, Greta Poku-Adjei, Ana’s closest confidante, asked why. When it came time to apply for colleges, they worked together to knock out the applications and apply for all the right scholarships that could make her dream a reality.

Assistant coach Ana (in the back with the hat) and the Lincoln girls team that won the Capital Cup title.

Ana’s family history didn’t portend college: Neither of her parents and just one of her four older siblings, a sister who’s currently enrolled at Montgomery, took their education that far. Even her sister struggled because of a lack of support with all the hoops one unfamiliar with the process must jump through.

“She didn’t have that much help with college,” Ana says. “So that, too -- DC SCORES came into that. They helped me a lot in (applying for) college.”

Galeas didn’t apply to her dream school, the University of Maryland, because she was scared of rejection. Now, she realizes that was a mistake but also sees a road that will lead her there -- a pathway program that would involve two years at Montgomery followed by a transition to College Park.

“It feels nice, it feels awesome,” Ana says, anticipating the beginning of her next life phase.

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But she’s not there yet. Ana has unfinished business at summer camp. With each day, she imparts knowledge on the third- fourth- and fifth-graders from her 10 years of involvement with DC SCORES. She lets them know that yes, soccer is great, but there’s also so much more they can do. There are multiple paths toward being successful and happy.

“I told them, ‘You guys can focus on two things,’” Ana says. “There’s always more than one thing you can do. I told that to some of the girls. If you have the ability to do more than one thing, you will never feel empty.”

Ana beams with pride when mentioning that girls she’s mentored are now exploring playing other sports. They also talk about being doctors. And then mention another possible career path. Their minds are open, overflowing with possibilities.

And that’s what she’s learned from her first game in a Raymond uniform all the way to sitting in front of hundreds of people alongside the former mayor of Philadelphia: With a strong support network, so much is possible. Horizons are expanded.

Dreams, whether old or new, are realized.

“Continue to not stop and to never look back,” Ana tells her summer campers. “The more things you’ll do, the more you’ll be happy about yourself.”

15 stories to celebrate 2015

Wow, what a year it's been. Thanks to your support, you have seen DC SCORES build teams for more kids in more DC communities than ever before! We've forged new partnerships, celebrated the many successes of alumni now in college, given out myriad awards — both to poet-athletes as well as coaches and volunteers — and so much more.

This is never an easy task, but below in link, photo and video form are our Top 15 from 2015. Please help us continue to grow and serve more DC kids with a tax-deductible donation before the ball drops Dec. 31

Thank you!

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No. 15 — Lincoln Middle School visits the White House

In February, Lincoln poet-athletes had the special opportunity to visit the White House for the President's ceremony with the MLS-winning L.A. Galaxy as well as the NHL-winning L.A. Kings. The kids not only got free gear from the Galaxy but got to ask questions of the professionals!

BLOG
Photo album

No. 14 — Jency and Leron take on the Big Apple



It was a weekend they'll never forget. In April, poet-athletes Jency of Barnard Elementary and Leron of Imagine Hope Community Charter School took the train to New York City for the 9th Annual America SCORES National Poetry SLAM!. There, they made friends with kids from 13 other cities; ate NYC-style pizza; played soccer in Central Park; and performed on stage at the Reuters Building!

BLOG diary
Photo album

No. 13 — Celebrating our coaches and volunteers

Our 200 coaches and 400 volunteers are the people who make SCORES possible for the poet-athletes. That's why the SCORE Awards in May is such a special night. As is custom, we spent the evening at LongView Gallery celebrating the incredible people who change the lives of DC kids!

Photo album

No. 12 — Creating change throughout DC

At Truesdell Education Campus, students ran a campaign to clean up their school. At Raymond Education Campus, students got their hands dirty creating from scratch a school garden. And throughout the District at 40-plus other sites, DC SCORES kids made a difference in their communities through service-learning projects!

Photo album
Truesdell blog/video series

No. 11 — A HUGE Jamboree! celebrates spring season 



There's no better way to celebrate the spring season than with the culminating Jamboree!, which was bigger than ever with 2,000 people congregating at Anacostia Park for an action-packed Saturday of nonstop soccer games as well as family-fun activities such as facepainting, arts and crafts, highlighting service-learning projects, and much more!

BLOG recap
Photo album

No. 10 — A DC SCORES Cup for the ages 

The DC SCORES Cup keeps getting bigger and better. In 2015, more than 500 DC professionals met at the Maryland SoccerPlex for a day full of soccer games, teambuilding, fun and supporting DC kids.

BLOG recap
Photo album

No. 9 — Summer SCORES! 



Summer camp doesn't get much better than with DC SCORES. During three action-packed camps (free of charge, as always), kids picked up new soccer skills, made tons of friends, learned new arts disciplines (T-shirt screening, dancing!), went on field trips, and kept their bodies and minds fresh and engaged leading into the fall season!

Photo album

No. 8 — Alumni success stories



Summer is also special for DC SCORES because we watch alumni of the program head off to college — many the first from their families to do so. Such was the case for three young women whose stories we documented: Nijah, Ingrid and Claudia!

Nijah's story
Ingrid's story
Claudia's story

No. 7 — New members of our team!

In September, we welcomed six new staff members (not pictured above but in D.C. United photo below: Travis Worra) to our team. We take great pride in embodying the values the program instills in kids — teamwork, leadership, commitment — as a staff and also having a fun culture, and the additions have fit in really well!

Podcast with new staff

No. 6 — A huge partnership made official!

On Oct. 1, we announced a partnership with D.C. United that included consolidating with their United Soccer Club to serve more students through our program model. In the three months since, we've already gained greater visibility through being the charitable soccer arm of the Major League Soccer team and look forward to a very bright future together!

Press release

No. 5 — Volunteer explosion at Fall Frenzy

Yes, there were 1,000 elementary school kids at Trinity Washington University for the 18th Annual Fall Frenzy in late October — there were also hundreds of volunteers in their yellow shirts, demonstrating perhaps more than ever on one day how many people in DC are committed to and passionate about DC SCORES. Because of the volunteers, the action-packed day ran as smoothly as could be asked!

Blog recap
Photo album

No. 4 — An afternoon with the USWNT



In late October, Brightwood Education Campus poet-athletes got a treat when they visited President's Park just south of the White House for a soccer clinic and photo shoot. They learned skills from U.S. Women's National Team coach Jill Ellis, and then gasps ensued as the entire World Cup-winning team from the summer walked toward them across the grass. Minutes later, the kids were asking questions of Carli Lloyd and Abby Wambach and getting autographs from Megan Rapinoe, Sydney Leroux and Christen Press. It was an afternoon they'll never forget!

Blog recap
Photo album

No. 3 — Meet Christian, all-star volunteer



There's a staff member we forgot to mention in No. 7 — Christian. During the past year, the now-sophomore in high school program alumnus has become a volunteering fixture at our office almost every day after school. Christian embodies DC SCORES' core values, brings a smile to the office every day, and also excelled as a summer camp counselor. Thanks for all you do, Christian!

Blog profile

No. 2 — Capital Cup champions relish the journey


When Capital City Public Charter School got a mini soccer pitch built this fall, members of the DC SCORES middle school team started coming to school early every day to play. So it's no surprise that CCPCS' dedication paid off and the girls team bonded together to win the Capital Cup middle school championship in late November. The same could be said of the Raymond Education Campus boys team that often practiced so hard, coach David Peterson had to tell his kids to tone the intensity down a bit. The strong soccer communities at both schools held up trophies on Nov. 24.

No. 1 — Hope Avenue at the Poetry Slam!

The season-culminating Poetry Slam! in early December never ceases to amaze and inspire, and this year's 18th edition more than met such expectations. During a time of turmoil and despair in the world and on a day when yet another mass shooting occurred in this country, students took the stage at Columbia Heights Education Campus and reminded us — the adults in the audience — that there, indeed, is a bright future. They guided us down "Hope Avenue" while celebrating each other's similarities and differences.

And that was just the first night of the event. The second night at H.D. Woodson High School, the students exemplified the message guest poet Malachi Byrd had for them at the show's onset: "I am powerful! I am enough." Just watching one or two of the 37 performances over the two nights, one thing was clear:

DC SCORES poet-athletes are powerful, proud, and much more than enough.

From our team to yours, thank you for an incredible 2015. We can't wait to share an extremely exciting future together!

Students take audience down 'Hope Avenue' during inspiring Westside Poetry Slam!

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

“I come tonight bringing tidings from our mayor, Mayor Bowser, who wishes she could be here… Tomorrow I will tell her and councilmembers this: The first thing I would tell them about is the fantastic dancing. The second thing I would tell them about is how when teams were on stage and someone was having a moment not remembering (their poem), the support that all the (capacity) audience was giving. What I went to tell them most about tonight is the Power of the Poetry, that you are all going to change the world and that you are taking on — when you hear about in the news people not being respectful and not honoring (life) — what YOU bring to the table is what our true United States is. That’s what I’m really, really proud of and that’s what I’m going to bring back to the mayor tomorrow.”

-- District of Columbia Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles

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If ever there was a time in this world and a night when the DC SCORES Poetry Slam! was especially needed, it was Wednesday night.

In a matter of two hours, 19 teams of poet-athletes reminded a capacity audience at Columbia Heights Education Campus that included DC's Deputy Mayor for Education that there is plenty of hope in the world.

Feeling empowered and strong from 12 weeks of poetry workshop sessions this fall season, one school-based team after another took the stage and delivered united, inspiring, stirring, eye-opening, tear-jerking and poignant works of creative expression.

On a day when yet another mass shooting occurred in the United States and there remain massive equality gaps and widespread acts of racism, the performances left Niles -- and the 500 or so others in attendance -- feeling so, so much better about the world and communities they live in.

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Truesdell Education Campus Middle School won its second Golden Mic trophy for first place in three years with a performance dedicated to longtime coach Charles Robinson who couldn't be at the Slam! due to health reasons.

Wearing T-shirts plastered with a photo of Robinson -- who we profiled with this video recently -- the Trojans spoke candidly of struggling but persevering in many ways: a girl struggling to learn English; a boy struggling to make friends at school; and, of course, dealing with Coach Robinson's health setback.

Through it all, they persevered. "The struggle is real but we MADE IT," the students said in unison. 

Seaton Elementary School also won the Golden Mic trophy for the second time in three years with a performance punctuated by the line, "Love is power."

Decked out in their soccer uniforms, the Stingers lined the stage -- taking up its entirety -- and reminded the audience about imagination. 

"Use your imagination/The future beholds/Stories untold/Use your imagination!"

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There was no complaining on stage. Teams touched on the issues plaguing society, but instead of sulking about them spoke passionately of hope and resolutions -- future politicians, perhaps?

Capital City Public Charter School did a Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump back-and-forth, with the boys reminding the girls that women are just as powerful as men and that when it comes to being president, "What matters is that they care about the people."

Bancroft Elementary School, dressed in their customary yellow soccer jerseys, spoke of "equal education for all" punctuated by a girl throwing her fist in the sky and yelling, "I have the right to envision a bright future. I HAVE THE RIGHT!"

LaSalle-Backus Education Campus, in just its second Poetry Slam!, finished in second place -- the performance highlighted by 9-year-old Dezeray S.,'s poignant poem about school shootings: 

"My heart beats with fear that this could happen at my school. Not again. Not again. NEVER again."

Each school performed three poems, and LaSalle's was upbeat as the kids in their green soccer uniforms rattled off everything in their futures from research papers, to getting an apartment, to discovering a cure for cancer, to taking a trip to the moon, to taking a trip to Mars, to "How about Jupiter!?"

Barnard Elementary School's performance centered around dreams: "I dream to go to college to get more knowledge." ... "What do you want to be in the future? I dream to travel the world and learn all kinds of languages.

"Hey, future, you better be ready for us because we are the Barnard Bears. ROARRRRR!"

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The host Lincoln Knights let Donald Trump know that Latinos "are united and it is not in vain. I always support my Mexican brothers," and that "Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador, Dominicans, we all come from the American dream." The Knights spoke of the struggles and risks of immigrating, but also the rewards.

KIPP WILL brought a similar message to the stage, with 20 kids dressed in black leading with the struggles of African-Americans before letting the audience know that "we will be proud and we will be loud and we WILL RISE!."

"We need to unite as one," said Jaquan W., mic in hand, as the Shine Award winner performed in front of his teammates. "I'm done!"

And finally, 3rd-place finisher Marie Reed Elementary School brought us back to "Hope Avenue." Yes, there are many reasons for despair, the large team of kids in orange told us, but there's always hope, too.

"Have you ever heard of Hope Avenue or Change Way!? I want to go there someday. Don't you think there's hope in all of us? In order to cope, NEVER lose hope."

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Elementary Schools
1st place — Seaton Elementary School
2nd place — LaSalle-Backus Education Campus
3rd place — Marie Reed Elementary School
Spirit Award — Capital City Public Charter School
Shine Award — Dayana P., Thomson Elementary School

Middle Schools
1st place — Truesdell Education Campus
2nd place — KIPP WILL
3rd place — Brightwood Education Campus
Spirit Award — Lincoln Middle School
Shine Award — Jaquan W., KIPP WILL

First-time Capital Cup victors Capital City and Raymond relish the journey

(View the full Capital Cup album on Flickr)

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager

In recent weeks, even as the weather has gotten chillier, more and more students at Capital City Public Charter School have arrived earlier in the morning before school.

Braving the cold, members of the schools' soccer teams have taken to the new mini pitch built by the U.S. Soccer Foundation to practice — on their own, in addition to their usual after-school practices with DC SCORES.

About 2 miles south of CCPCS at Raymond Education Campus, members of the boys soccer team waited anxiously on practice days to hit the field together. Their leader David Petersen even said something you don't often hear from coaches.

"They practice so hard against each other," Petersen said. "I have to tell them to scale it back a little bit."

At both CCPCS and Raymond, soccer is an embedded strength of the school community. On Tuesday evening, both schools brought out large throngs of fans to watch the CCPCS girls and Raymond boys win their first Capital Cup middle school championships in thrilling fashion.

The CCPCS girls relied on the communication of their star forwards Precious and Tatiana to hold on for an exciting 2-1 victory over Lincoln Middle School. The Raymond boys outlasted Lincoln on penalty kicks to conclude a tremendous fall middle school season.

And across the city, Paul Public Charter School beat Kelly Miller Middle School in an equally competitive co-ed championship game.

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Precious and Tatiana, seventh-graders, have been playing together for several years. So it's no wonder that the pair of forwards communicates well on the field. What impresses one of their coaches, Claudia Rojas, the most is how they verbally also ensure their teammates are in the right positions on the field to be successful.

"They talk, they organize the rest of the team," said Rojas, now in her fourth season coaching. "They've been playing together, they've been working together since way before I met them."

Precious laced a beautiful shot from deep on the right right side into the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead against Lincoln. After the Knights answered to tie up the score, that communication paid off when Precious found Tatiana on a deep ball down the right side for the game-winning goal.

After the final whistle blew, you couldn't remove the smiles from the faces of the CCPCS poet-athletes.

"They're just so proud of being a soccer player, being a school team," Rojas said. "Soccer is a big deal in Capital City."

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The boys game was, simply, great soccer. Petersen marveled at how well Lincoln — winners of three of the last four Capital Cup boys titles — passed the ball and spread the field, a testament to their longtime coach Popsie Lewis. 

The game is a neighborhood rivalry, with the schools less than a mile apart. Most of the kids know each other and play pick-up games outside of DC SCORES. A few weeks before the game, Raymond scored two late goals to forge a tie with Lincoln that helped them get into the playoffs.

And again, this one came down to the wire — a first-half Raymond goal equaled by Lincoln in the second half. Ultimately, penalty kicks decided a game that both teams deserved to win.

"We're really excited," Petersen said afterward. "The kids came a long way. We lost a lot of eighth-graders last year, so it was cool to see their progress all year. They got a lot better."

After the final kick, Raymond parents, teachers and others from the community rushed the field to celebrate with the kids — one last reminder of just how much soccer and DC SCORES mean to these communities. 

"We have great fans," Petersen said. "They come for the away games during the regular season, they bring signs, make posters. It's a fun atmosphere, big soccer atmosphere."

Thanks to all the middle school coaches, parents and communities for another great fall soccer season. We'll see you at the Poetry Slam! Dec. 2-3. 

Alumni profile: Ingrid Melendez overcomes great obstacles, heading to college

Written by Jake Lloyd
Communications Manager
@jakelam2116

Video by Steve Christensen

When everything was falling apart for Ingrid Melendez, she turned to her escape -- soccer.

It was Ingrid’s 12th grade year at Bell Multicultural High School in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC, and she was overwhelmed.

Taking all AP classes was hard enough. Throw in a daily commute from east of the Anacostia River that meant waking up at 6am daily; afternoon soccer practices followed by five-hour shifts at Cactus Cantina in Tenleytown (the opposite corner of the city from her home); and no computer at home to finish papers on, and life was exhausting.

That was before she suddenly lost her uncle -- the fourth person in Ingrid’s extended family who died during high school.

“I really had so much on my plate,” Ingrid recalled recently, “but my uncle … that was like shock. I was just like, ‘This cannot be happening.’ I was just in denial about things. I even slacked off in school because it hit me -- this is not a dream, I have to wake up. It was hard going to school because I had to put all my feelings aside and focus on my schoolwork.”

All of the above would be a load to handle for anyone, but add it to the pressure Ingrid felt trying to become the first from her family to go to college and she could have been excused for slipping.

Thanks in large part to soccer, she didn’t. This fall, Ingrid will indeed be the first member from her family to continue her education past high school when she enrolls at Trinity Washington University. She will study forensics, pursuing a career that hits close to home for her.

“I couldn’t imagine not knowing who killed my loved one,” Ingrid said. “I want to bring justice to families that have no answers, trying to get DC as safe as possible.”

Ingrid will also try out for the soccer team at Trinity this August. It’s hard to imagine the game not being a part of her life.

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When life was the most chaotic during 12th grade, Ingrid had three consistent positives in her life -- supportive family, a coach who wouldn’t let her walk away, and the game she could always escape to.

Growing up with two older brothers -- and, much later, a younger brother -- and a dad who coached soccer, Ingrid was constantly around the game. She tagged along with her father to weekly El Salvadorean league games at Cardozo High School. She was envious of her brother Christian, three years older than her, coming home from DC SCORES games at Tubman Elementary School.

She waited impatiently until 3rd grade, when she could join the DC SCORES team at Tubman. And once she put on her first soccer uniform, it didn’t take long for Ingrid to feel a part of a second family.

“Once you’re on a team, I feel like they’re welcoming you into a family,” Ingrid said. “They’re not friends but they’re somebody you can rely on both soccer-related and otherwise.”

Ingrid with her soccer coach and mentor, Asa Davis. 

Speaking of relying on people, fast forward back to 12th grade. By her senior year, Ingrid had played competitive soccer -- year-round -- for a decade. The game was a part of her identity, and Ingrid’s DC Stoddert league coach Asa Davis knew this.

Asa first met Ingrid when she was a 9-year-old at DC SCORES summer camp. Now, for the past two years, he has coached a girls team of program alumnae including Ingrid. During the toughest of times -- feeling depressed, sleep-deprived, and with her dreams waning -- Ingrid leaned on the support of her coach.

“The harder he pushed us, it motivated me,” Ingrid said. “(I’d think), ‘I’m doing this for my uncle. I’m not doing this for me.’ He’d be like, ‘Don’t stop, you can do it. I’ll be here to push you. We all are here and you’re not by yourself.’”

Those soccer practices are where Ingrid found the resolve to stay on top of her AP courses -- English, followed by Spanish, then Biology, and finally Probability & Statistics -- and to keep college in the equation by passing the difficult Capstone 12 class that was required for graduation.

With no computer at home, Ingrid visited public libraries to finish her homework. Sometimes, she’d complete work on her phone and then print it out at school the next day.

“It was overwhelming, but I got it done,” she said.

“Soccer got me focused. It was my distraction from everything around me. When I was having a bad day, I was looking forward to passing or touching a ball.”

Getting to do so often with her best friends made it all the more cathartic.

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Ingrid, left, with members of the DC SCORES Lincoln girls soccer team where she met her best friends. 

The summer before her sixth-grade year, Ingrid’s family had to relocate. Their Columbia Heights home was being redeveloped, and becoming too costly. Moving across the Anacostia River was the best affordable option. Ingrid could have gone to a school in her new neighborhood, but she wanted to follow in her brother Christian’s footsteps at Lincoln.

And she wanted to be on the DC SCORES team there.

Lincoln is where Ingrid found her soccer community. She met Sandra, Leila, Jennifer and Anely, and they played together at Lincoln and then Bell for seven years. In August, Ingrid will be joined by Sandra, Jennifer and Anely at Trinity; Leila is heading to UVA.

Looking back on their journey, Ingrid can’t imagine being on the cusp of college and having played so many years of competitive soccer without the friends she met through DC SCORES.

“Each one of us, some of us are stronger in one aspect but weaker in another,” Ingrid said. “And when you combine us, we actually have a working team. We know what we’re doing.

“There’s always arguments and stuff, but at the end of the day we always manage to put everything aside and just focus on our game.”

There will be many more to come.

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Ingrid has mentored kids for the last
four years as an SYEP counselor. 

Ingrid gets it. Sure, she says, she likes to win. Who doesn’t? But soccer has meant so much more to her that it’s unquantifiable.

That’s why she’s back at DC SCORES’ Marie Reed Arts & Soccer Camp for a fourth consecutive year as a Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) counselor. She wants to impart the many lessons she’s learned along her journey onto the third- and fourth-graders she interacts with daily.

An example -- don’t let being a girl and societal norms hinder you from becoming an all-star soccer player. Ingrid thinks back to what her father always told her -- “If you like (soccer) then go ahead; I’ll be your backbone. I’ll support you.” -- and to the lessons Asa included in practices such as trying different positions and facing new chapters.

She passes along everything she’s gained to young girls playing soccer for the first time.

“I always tell them it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl,” Ingrid said. “A girl can do anything a guy can do.”

Or more. This summer, Ingrid is also getting a bit more rest as she prepares for her next chapter as the first of her siblings to go to college. Her younger brother Dennis, 3, -- a big reason why Ingrid wanted to stay local -- could be next.

“Here is the moment,” Ingrid said at camp last week, a smile plastered on her face. “All of them sleepless nights and everything that’s happened to me throughout these four years.

“Here it is -- I’m going to college.”

DC SCORES coach's journal, part VIII: Lessons learned from a year of SCORES

Zachary Gomes moved to Washington, DC, last August from Albany, NY, to begin working at DC SCORES as a Coach Across America AmeriCorps volunteer. Zach has a passion for working with youth, and as part of his time with DC SCORES is coaching poetry, service-learning and girls soccer at Lincoln Middle School. Throughout the year Zach will share his experiences, providing insight on the impact of DC SCORES -- through the eyes of a coach.

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Written by Zachary Gomes
Soccer Coordinator

The last game of the spring season is today against the 2014 DC SCORES Capital Cup champions from Raymond Education Campus. It will certainly be a challenge, but the girls have grown so much and I know it will be a great game.

Watching the girls develop as a team over the past year has really been a joy. Things certainly aren’t perfect and there is always room for improvement, but isn’t that the case with everything? That’s one of the great lessons playing on a team can teach — keep working hard, keep improving, keep learning because there are a lot of other individuals and teams out there working just as hard or harder than you.

As a unit the team is stronger than ever. Win or lose, the team is understanding more and more that it is the support of their teammates — through the good and the bad — that is really what makes a team so special.

The eighth-graders have stepped up and taken leadership roles. The older girls lead the stretches, run the drills, invent new drills, suggest new lineups and give the team talks before and after games. They are enjoying every moment of their last season as DC SCORES poet-athletes.

Jossellyn A., who has been a DC SCORES student since the fifth grade at Marie Reed Elementary School and is one of the team captains, is already getting a bit emotional about the end of the season. DC SCORES has been a part of her life for the past four years and clearly means a lot to her. She wants to end the season on a positive note and so does the rest of the squad.

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My first ever DC SCORES game day as a coach at Lincoln was last September. We played E.L. Haynes and we lost 6 to 0. Last Friday we got a chance to play them again and we looked like a completely different team.

E.L. Haynes has a great team, and 5 minutes into the game one of their forwards ripped a shot from outside of the box to put them up by a goal. This would be a test for the girls. How would they react to being down a goal so early in the contest? Would frustration get to them or would they respond as a team and keep going strong?

I reminded them from the sideline that there was a lot of time left in the game, but they looked at me with faces that read ‘we already know that coach.’ They were not going to give up or get down on one another. They rebounded and rebounded fast. Noelia A., a seventh-grader whose skills have continued to get stronger throughout the season (her first season ever playing!), scored a goal 2 minutes later to tie things up.

A couple of minutes later, Jossellyn caught a hold of a ball that was rattling around in the box. She volleyed the ball out of the air and slammed it into the back of the net. It was a pretty goal. We ended up winning the game 5 to 2. It was a well-played game on both sides.

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Our service-learning project has continued to move along. And although the kids have hit a few road blocks while planning for their Community/Family day, they are still going to make it happen.

As the team began organizing the special day for their families and friends, it became clear to me that they just thought they were planning a party. Coach Popsie and I decided to have the team take a step back from the planning process and re-evaluate why they were planning the day in the first place.

This sparked a lot of interesting conversation over what family means, why family is important and how family and friends can help an individual succeed.

The kids strongly rejected the traditional definition of family — “a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. A group of people related to one another by blood or marriage.”

Instead they defined family as a “group of people who share a bond and are connected because of experience, values, emotions, culture and a love for one another. They do not need to be related by blood.”

In the end, the kids figured out the main concept of the day by accident. In an invitation letter addressed to their parents and friends, the kids wrote, “Modern technology keeps us from communicating with our families a lot.”

We began to read articles and talk about the negative and positive effects of technology — how technology has affected the concept of family dinner and the socialization process. It was pretty interesting stuff.

The kids have decided that the Family/Community day will focus on spreading the message that quality family time without the distraction of technology is important to create meaningful relationships. We might even ban phones from the event … or for at least a portion of it. We’ll see if it happens. I have faith it will.

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Stay tuned for my final blog about the service-learning project and a recap of the May 30 Jamboree!.

DC SCORES coach's journal, Part VII: A visit to Georgetown

Zachary Gomes moved to Washington, DC, last August from Albany, NY, to begin working at DC SCORES as a Coach Across America AmeriCorps volunteer. Zach has a passion for working with youth, and as part of his time with DC SCORES is coaching poetry, service-learning and girls soccer at Lincoln Middle School. Throughout the year Zach will share his experiences, providing insight on the impact of DC SCORES -- through the eyes of a coach.

View the full photo album from Lincoln's visit to Georgetown on Flickr HERE. 

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Written by Zachary Gomes
Soccer Coordinator

This past Tuesday, some of the Lincoln Knights, Coach Popsie (the boys coach) and I were lucky enough to visit Georgetown University. One of DC SCORES’ amazing interns, Liselot - a student-athlete at Georgetown herself – organized a fun-filled afternoon for the kids complete with a tour of the campus and a soccer clinic run by some of the players from the men’s and women’s varsity soccer teams … and I almost forgot ... it all ended with lots of pizza!

The kids, Coach Popsie and I left school in Columbia Heights at around 3 pm and took a city bus to Dupont Circle. From the circle, we hopped onto a commuter bus that brought us right to the heart of Georgetown’s campus. Liselot and her friend Daphne, who plays on the women’s varsity soccer team, were waiting for us when we arrived. And so the tour began.

Liselot asked the kids if any of them had ever been to Georgetown. To every adult’s surprise, almost all the kids had! I panicked a bit. In my head, I was sure the kids that had already been here would get bored quick and start asking the dreaded question, “Is this almost over?? Can we go home now??”

But I was mistaken, as Liselot’s tour proved to be a lot cooler than the last one the kids had taken. Liselot was full of interesting facts and stories about Georgetown’s campus and history. She showed the kids the varsity soccer field and explained how Messi had practiced on it a few weeks ago while the Argentine national team prepared for a game in DC against El Salvador.

She brought the kids into Healy Hall, a building which closely resembles something out of either the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter books and is one of the oldest buildings on campus. She showed the kids a famous step that has been stood on for commencement ceremonies or speeches by 14 presidents spanning George Washington to President Obama.

By the end of the tour, all of the middle school kids knew what the word sophomore meant and had received an in-depth view of a student’s life on campus. But the day wasn’t over yet.

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Liselot led the group to Georgetown’s multi-purpose field. Now it was time to have some real fun! As the kids walked out onto the huge turf surface in the middle of Georgetown’s campus, they were met by five women and two men from the Georgetown varsity soccer program.

The Georgetown players were great and really made the kids feel comfortable from the beginning. Austin Martz, a senior at Georgetown, led the kids in a warm up session and got them stretched out. After splitting up into two teams and doing some team chats, the scrimmaging began.

Halfway through the scrimmage, the kids took a quick break and partook in a shooting drill. Coach Popsie played keeper and was pretty hard to score on. I think Gabriel T., a seventh-grader, was the only one to score. After soccer, everyone sat in the stands and ate pizza together. The kids asked the Georgetown players questions.

“How hard did you have to practice to get on the team?”

“What’s the hardest thing about playing sports in college?”

“What do you guys eat?”

“Who’s your favorite soccer player?”

The Georgetown student-athletes were super friendly and answered all the questions really well. Their answers summed up? Time-management and hard work are the ingredients to making it as a college athlete. After kids consumed the last few morsels of pizza, we headed back to the bus. It had been a wonderful afternoon. Good conversation, soccer and food. No one could ask for anything more. The kids thanked the players and Liselot and we headed back up to the Heights of Columbia and home.

I want to thank Liselot and everyone at Georgetown University who made this visit possible. Everyone was welcoming and the kids had a blast. These kinds of experiences can really stick with a child. Thank you!

DC SCORES coach's journal, Part VI: Service-learning begins

Zachary Gomes moved to Washington, DC, last August from Albany, NY, to begin working at DC SCORES as a Coach Across America AmeriCorps volunteer. Zach has a passion for working with youth, and as part of his time with DC SCORES is coaching poetry, service-learning and girls soccer at Lincoln Middle School. Throughout the year Zach will share his experiences, providing insight on the impact of DC SCORES -- through the eyes of a coach.

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Written by Zachary Gomes
Soccer Coordinator

Spring is finally upon us! And with spring begins another DC SCORES season.

At Lincoln, DC SCORES is built into the school day and continues throughout the winter months (which is great because we get to continue practicing, as long as it’s not too cold). All winter Katie S., an eighth-grader, the team captain, a central defender and a DC SCORES student since elementary school, practiced free kicks. Every day she would say, “Watch this, Zach. I’m getting more strength in my shot!”

Katie’s practicing paid off. In the first game of the spring season after a scoreless first half, we were awarded a penalty kick in the box. Katie jogged up confidentially from her central defense position and placed the ball on the penalty marker. She took a couple of steps back and blasted the ball into the lower left corner of the goal!

Katie’s confidence was contagious and Jossellyn A., another 8th grader, poked a ball by the keeper a couple of minutes later, after not giving up on a botched cross. The girls played great, we won our first game, and I was happy that they were happy.

Spring season also means DC SCORES service-learning. When I first learned about DC SCORES, I was super excited to coach soccer but the idea of getting to teach poetry classes and work with students to create a service-learning project equally pumped me up!

The Poetry Slam! was the highlight of the fall season, and as the team began talking about our service-earning project I got excited thinking of the change for good the kids could create.

Service-learning is all about empowering the kids to be the leaders. Through service-learning, youth are no longer considered the recipient of services but are rather people who are willing to give, have vision, and can contribute positively to the community.

The exciting and important thing is that DC SCORES service-learning allows youth to actively engage within society. It gives them a voice and proves to them that with work, that voice will be heard.

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As we began to talk about what our service-learning project would be, it was an important first step to define community. Did community mean the neighborhood, the school, or did it mean the whole world!?

By breaking the kids up into groups and asking them to define community through a collage of pictures and words, the discussion over what community meant began. The collages also helped point out positive and negative issues that existed within the community.

I then asked the students to think about community groups — neighborhoods, families, friends, social groups, school, ethnicity/racial, cultural and religious groups — and answer these two questions: What would you like to see changed? What are you proud of?

Almost every student chose to write about family. It was overwhelming. The messages were very similar.

“I love my family but we need to speak more to each other. One thing I am proud of is celebrating holidays together.”

“My family helps me when I am in need.”

“My family is important, they care about me and I wish I could do more activities with them.”

“I like eating with my family.”

“I like going places with my family.”

“I would stop arguments in my family.”

These are just some of the things the kids wrote about. Consistently, family was the number one focus for the students.

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After sharing this information with the team, I asked the students to tell me what the theme seemed to be. Family and quality time spent with family is what they got from it. And so organically began the discussion of how we can address this issue.

The kids had a million good ideas.

“Let’s have a family day where we all go to Six Flags!”

“Let’s make bracelets that say Family First!”

“We could have a cookout and soccer tournament for family at the park!”

The ideas are flowing and — as part of the curriculum — the kids will make the final decision on their service-learning project soon. I am excited to help them sort through the ideas and create an action plan.

DC SCORES participant and alumna star on Aspen Institute panel

"I think my game talks for that."

That was the line of the day from Madalin G. at The Aspen Institute Project Play Summit on Feb. 25. Madalin, 13, an eighth-grader at Lincoln Middle School, was responding to a question from panel moderator Allyson Felix, an Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter, about showing people that she can play soccer as a girl.

It was just one highlight from the day, during which Madalin and Erin B., a DC SCORES alumna, spoke alongside other youth sports participants as well as policy experts. The goal of the summit was to share ideas about how to get more youth engaged positively in sport and stay involved. Having kids speak about their ongoing experiences was a great idea.

Madalin and Erin had plenty to share.

Madalin, speaking on the panel 'What Good Looks Like in Youth Sports' alongside Little League World Series star Mo'ne Davis and two other youth, spoke about the importance of her coaches and peers. She told the audience that she was nervous when she first joined the DC SCORES team was ridiculed for being a girl and playing soccer.

The support her coaches and peers provided helped Madalin overcome that obstacle, and now everyone knows she can play. All they have to do is watch her.

"It's always that one person that's going to help you out, that's going to teach you," Madalin said, "and most of that time, that is your coach or best friend that is on the team."



Erin, who participated in DC SCORES for six years -- beginning in third grade at Arts and Technology Academy and continuing through eighth grade at Cesar Chavez Parkside Charter School -- was on a panel called 'Ask Kids What They Want.' Erin was the only kid on the panel, sharing the stage with policy expert Amanda Visek of George Washington Public Health, John West of Whistle Sports, and Eli Wolff of the Inclusive Sports Initiative.

Moderator Gary Hall Jr., a 10-time Olympic gold medalist, asked Erin what she wants in a sports program.

"What I want is a program that is going to be engaging and show (me) more beneficial things I can do in my life," Erin said. "I want to see what college opportunities they can give me and what social opportunities they can give me, like what other kids outside of my school I can talk to, what other programs are out there for me."

Erin took advantage of the opportunities to discover new interests and grow through DC SCORES and believes more program that are available for all youth are needed.

Erin was asked to describe her experience in DC SCORES, and she talked about how she joined the program in third grade and not only began playing soccer regularly but discovered a passion for poetry.

"It helped me become a better scholar because in class they set certain standards for you to have certain grades and to stay focused," Erin said of her DC SCORES coaches.

Both poet-athletes were engaging on their respective panels and made a tremendous impression on audience members. They were heard, and their ideas won't be forgotten as policy decisions are made going forward about how to get more youth involved and enjoying playing sports.

Lincoln Middle School students visit White House, ask questions of pro soccer players

Written by Zach Gomes
Soccer Coordinator and Lincoln Middle School coach

The DC SCORES Lincoln Middle School Knights got to meet the MLS Champion, LA Galaxy, and NHL Champion, LA Kings, — and we got to do it at the White House!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I was informed that the White House wanted to invite around 30 middle school-aged kids to join the Galaxy for their championship presentation and, possibly, a soccer clinic. The Lincoln Knights were a perfect fit, so it was decided that we were going.

It takes a lot of work to get 30 kids to the White House. It involves permission slips and a lot of other data collection. After all, the White House isn’t your everyday field trip.

With help from Ms. Pugh (the DC SCORES champion at Lincoln) and my colleagues, we began planning for the trip. I couldn’t have been more excited. I had wanted to bring the kids on a field trip since day one as their coach in the fall, and to finally be going somewhere was awesome; the fact it was the White House was icing on the cake.

I was flabbergasted at the response from some of the kids when I told them we had been selected to go to the White House.

Me: “We’re going to the White House next week, guys!”

Student: “Why?” (Unenthusiastically)

Me: “Why!? Why does it matter!? It’s the White House, people!”

Student: “Hmmmm okay. Well do we get to miss class?”

Me: “Well yes … but that’s not the point! It’s the White House!”

I couldn’t believe some of the kids, but I got over it. After all, they’re kids.

My colleagues and I got all the paperwork in on time. We would go to the White House on Monday.

The Friday night before our trip, I got a call from Soccer Program Manager Carlos Fonseca. Carlos had good news and bad news.

Bad news: The clinic on the White House lawn is canceled!

(My mind at this point: ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! NOOOO!!!)

Good news: We are still going to the White House and we are going to watch President Obama congratulate both teams.

(My mind at this point: ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!! YESSSSS!!!!)

Monday came and I wore my best suit (my only suit) and headed to Lincoln to get the kids ready.

We got to the White House right on time and made it through security and into the White House’s East wing (not a bad-looking house).

The students and I were led into a packed room filled with cameras and fancy people. After a little while, the Kings and Galaxy entered the room and filled up the stage. Soon after that, there was an announcement: “And now the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.”

I looked over at the kids. Finally, they were impressed. If only the President could be present at all my classes and practices.

President Obama congratulated both teams and took some pictures. It was a short celebration, but only the beginning for the kids.

After the President exited the room, the entire Lincoln team was led into another room not far away. There was a stage and several chairs set up. Every chair had a Galaxy jersey, a soccer ball and a Galaxy winter hat on it. The kids loved their new gear.

After putting the jerseys on, the kids participated in a Q & A with some of the pros from both the Galaxy and Kings. The kids asked awesome questions.

“Did anybody ever tell you that you couldn’t make it?”

“How did it feel to score your first goal?”

“What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in a game?”

The kids got their jerseys and soccer balls signed and took some pictures with the pros. As we exited the White House and made our way back to the bus, every kid was beaming.

Katie S., an eighth-grader who has been with DC SCORES for three years, walked up to me as we left and said, “Coach Zach, we are really lucky.”

It was a great experience for every kid involved — something they will be able to talk about for the rest of their lives, long after they outgrow the soccer jersey.