Rebecca Brown's Interview with
Leah Lauber
Author of
Soccer Dreams

Rebecca:
So, Leah, how long have you been kicking around a soccer ball? When did you realize you had a passion for the game? Did your school have a team, & what position do you play?

Leah:
I have been kicking the ball around since I can remember. My dad, sister, & I would go the beach & bring a soccer ball with us. I just finished my tenth season playing on a recreational team & hope to be playing again next year.

Following the U.S. National Team made my passion for soccer much stronger because I could compare things with my teams to that of the National Team. When we went to one of the training camps before the World Cup, I realized that these professional athletes were doing some of the same drills I was doing on my team, except they were obviously at a much higher level & perfecting them much quicker.

I played on my high school team for my freshman & sophomore year of high school as a midfielder, but I prefer to play forward.

Rebecca:
Have you always liked writing, & what, other than soccer, do you like to write about?

Leah:
Yes, I've always like writing. I loved making up stories about anything & everything when I was younger. My neighborhood friends & I would write short stories & plays about a number of different things that I can't even remember anymore. When I was 13, I went to a writing camp at a local college campus & that helped a lot with my creative thinking. Unfortunately, now that I'm in high school, with all the homework we are assigned, I don't have much time to use that creativity, & I only write essays that I am assigned in my English class.

Rebecca:
Each page of your Soccer Dreams leaps off the paper with vitality, color, sound & excitement. What are The Soccer Diaries?

Leah:
I wrote for the St. Pete Times, titled “Soccer Diaries”, the story describes my fun-filled soccer weekend which included three tournament games I played in, combined with seeing the U.S. National Team play &, more importantly, the fantastic opportunity to interview eight of the National Team players.

If you're referring to Soccer Dreams, as in the entire book, that was my unbelievable, but true, adventure of following the U.S. National Team as they prepared for the 1999 Women's World Cup. I was able to go to training camps, games before the tournament, & two of the World Cup games, including the finals. Throughout that time period, I interviewed most of the players & coaches & had numerous encounters, each one special in its own way.

Rebecca:
You won some prizes as a junior reporter -- do tell us what they were & who sponsored the contests.

Leah:
The contest I won to earn my trip to the Women's World Cup Finals was due to a photo contest sponsored by Hewlett-Packard that we found in the back of a soccer magazine. The contestants had to take a photo showing speed, accuracy, & no compromises. We also had to write a 50 word essay describing how our photo shows that. There were winners from many different regions of the country. Each received a Hewlett-Packard digital camera & the trip to Los Angeles for the final game. We stayed in the Hyatt, & were given access to a hospitality suite that had food, videos, tv's & other things to do. Some guests at the hotel were also given access were the parents of the players & people involved with Adidas & Hewlett-Packard.

I also earned an honorable mention for Newspaper Journalism from the Women's Sports Foundation for some of the articles I wrote for the St. Pete Times.

Rebecca:
I know it would be hard to say who is your favorite team member, however, what was the most breathtaking play during the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup?

Leah:
There were so many incredible plays during that World Cup that it's hard to choose, but one of my favorite plays took place in the final game, in sudden death overtime. Somehow, the ball got past the U.S. goalie, Briana Scurry, & it looked like China was going to win, but Kristine Lilly was standing in the goal & headed the ball out, saving the U.S. team from defeat. I remember being amazed at that, because if the ball got past the goalie in any games with my teams, it most likely meant a goal for the other team. I think that was the moment that I realized how much the U.S. team works together & fills in for one another wherever needed, no matter what.

Rebecca:
What was it like rubbing shoulders with all the other sports reporters? Does the reporter's life interest you?

Leah:
Being amongst all those sports reporters didn't really phase me at the time. I was just walking around getting comments from whoever I could. If anybody was surprised, it was probably the other reporters, seeing this twelve year old kid with a press pass. Now I realize how unique that experience was for somebody my age.

Right now, I'm not really sure what I want to for a career, but I know I want to do something creative, so journalism is a possibility. Most everything is a possibility right now.

Rebecca:
Who took all the photos of you in conversation with the team members, in the reporter huddles?

Leah:
My dad! He took mostly all the photos in Soccer Dreams, except for a chapter where I shot everything. There are also four team & individual shots provided by the photo service contracted by my league.

Rebecca:
When you were sorting through materials for your book, you write that you noticed a special attitude emanating from the players & your experiences. What do you hope Readers will take away from your Soccer Dreams?

Leah:
I hope anyone who reads my Soccer Dreams realizes that dreams do come true, & that they need to dream big. A lot of people have dreams, but think they are impossible. Those dreams are possible, but they most likely won't happen overnight or without any effort of making them come true. If Readers work hard to follow their dreams, amazing things will happen. Really!

Rebecca:
Thank you, Leah, for telling us about your grand adventure & your Soccer Dreams.

Do catch my review of Soccer Dreams, I hope it makes you want your own copy!

Rebecca Brown
(Published 03/07/04)