Kicking Grass Taking Games by Maddi Davidson



Kicking Grass Taking Games
  • Maddi Davidson ( pen name )
  • Paperback: 276 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 4, 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1983653322
  • ISBN-13: 978-1983653322

Synopsis

In 1971, fewer than 270,000 girls in the U.S. participated in high school athletics, and not a single school offered girls’ soccer. The passage of Title IX in 1972 heralded a sea change in sports and girls flooded the soccer fields across the country. Women born too early to receive the full benefits of Title IX refused to stay on the sidelines. They took to the field to play soccer and discovered a new passion that has endured into their fifties, sixties, and beyond. How did they come to play such a demanding sport? What were the challenges of learning the game, establishing teams and leagues, and finding fields? What were their experiences as coaches, referees, and administrators in the male-dominated soccer establishment? And now of an age when joints ache, vision has deteriorated, and running is painful, why are so many of them still playing? This is their story, in their words.



Review: Kicking Grass Taking Games by Maddi Davidson


Recently, I received a request to review Kicking Grass-Taking Games and have actually been reading it for a while now. While I limited myself to drop-in games,  those strong in competitive soccer know of the power needed to endure the challenges throughout the game and the precision it takes to place a  kick, which is where conditioning and teamwork play great importance.  

This book covers all this but it digs much deeper. It gives the nitty-gritty. We see the old concerns with knock-knees and diminished compacity to reproduce and we know that twenty years ago, women players who wanted to start a family, would quit the sport. 

Nowadays, women players enjoy motherhood alongside the sport they love and many feel as Kathy Carey did. She said, “The minute I went to that first practice and started running around, I was hooked. It was instant love. It changed my life. That one day changed my life forever. Soccer became all-consuming for me.” 


With a statement like that, it is surprising that Kathy had to be nagged by a friend to even try the sport.  Yes! It is much more likely to imagine that Kathy went on to be a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and hold the United States Soccer Federation National “A” license.  Kathy is only one of many women and men you will recognize in this book.


This book will influence many to start the sport of soccer. (If you haven't tried the sport there is an awesome appendix that breaks down the basics for you. )This book will also make those who stopped the sport - reconsider.


In closing, Kicking Grass and Taking Games is an inspiring read, not only about women conquering a male-dominated sport but about the camaraderie and zest for life we all need.


I received a copy of this wonderful book through the generosity of the author ( Mary Ann & Diane Davidson) for an honest review.