Julie Walsh loves to flip and tumble as a competitive gymnast during the winter months, but soccer is where she gets her big kick during the sunny days of summer.
It’s not always about winning or medals with the 10-year-old Corner Brook native.
She’s just happy-go-lucky being able to play things with her friends and get to travel and meet other girls from across the province.
The number of friends she meets on the soccer field is equally important to the scoreboard when she hits the soccer field even though she works hard with hopes of winning.
Walsh will suit up with Team White, one of two Corner Brook entries, in an invitational Under-10 girls soccer tournament being held at Wellington Street Complex this weekend.
Kicking around the ball since she was four or five, Julie’s younger siblings Joe, 8, and Jenny, 6, are also avid soccer players. Her youngest sibling, three-year-old Jemma, will soon follow in their footsteps.
Julie’s dad, Cyril Walsh, said his daughter appeared to be losing interest in the game a couple of years ago, but then her interest level was amped up with Brooke Wiseman becoming her coach two years ago.
“Brooke has had a major impact on her love for soccer,” Walsh said Wednesday afternoon.
Julie had no problem talking about coach Wiseman as a positive influence. She likes how her coach shows the players how to do things, supports them when they make mistakes and doesn’t spend a lot of time screaming at the group.
“She’s always talking to us and helping us any time we need it,” Julie said.
She tried her hand as the keeper last year and spent some time on the back end as a defensive player keen about keeping the ball out of her net, but this weekend she’s hoping her coach will let her try being a forward to see if she can score a goal or two.
Winning for this cheery girl isn’t determined by the scoreboard.
All she cares about is seeing how many friends she can make, knowing there are girls coming in from places like Pasadena, Stephenville and Portugal Cove.
She plans on leaving the weekend with a few new friends and experiences.
