When Heather O’Reilly recently came to Garden City to conduct a 90-minute soccer clinic, it was behind quite a professional résumé. A pair of national championships while attending the University of North Carolina, three Olympic gold medals and a bronze medal from the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. A consummate professional on many different levels, O’Reilly did a stellar job working with her young fans. She not only helped them out with soccer fundamentals, but also served as a positive role model in reinforcing how much of a role dedication, passion, commitment and hard work played in her overall success. It’s a message that needs to be hammered home all the more at a time when athletes are getting more newsprint for off-the-field felonious behavior than they are for on-the-field accomplishments.
– Dave Gil de Rubio
