Former USWNT Player and Three-Time Gold Medalist Heather Mitts Featured in G3 Webinar Series
Olympic Gold medal champion: Heather Mitts is a three-time Olympic gold medalist as well as a member of the U.S. National Women‘s team in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Austin Lloyd, NJ Youth Soccer
New Jersey Youth Soccer recently hosted its fourth and final Growing the Girls Game (G3) Winter Webinar. The featured guest was Heather Mitts, former U.S. Women’s National Team defender and one of only four U.S. Soccer players who has won three Olympic Gold Medals.
Mitts played college soccer for the University of Florida, where she was the anchor of a defensive line that helped the Gators win their first-ever NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship in 1998. She then played professionally in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) and Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). During her club career, she suited up for the Philadelphia Charge, Boston Breakers and Philadelphia Independence before finishing with the Atlanta Beat, where she was coached by Galanis. During her international career, the three-time Olympic Gold Medalist represented the U.S. Women’s National Team on 137 occasions.
During the G3 Webinar, Mitts discussed her ability to differentiate herself from others and reflected upon what helped her get recognition and opportunities at the highest level.
“Focus on the things that you are really good at and make you unique from everyone else until you become so good at those things that they can’t take you off the field,” Mitts stated to the webinar participants. “Versatility also goes a long way. It allowed me to play multiple positions. The more positions you play, the better chance you have at playing at the highest level for longer. One of the best things that I could have done was being very open to playing multiple positions.”
Mitts also highlighted her attitude towards improving her craft and desire to improve every day.
“If you have the right attitude and the right work rate, good things are going to come,” she continued. “I always had something to improve on, I always wanted to be the best I could be. I always had the mentality where I wanted to get a little better than the player I was the day before. If you go by baby steps, it is more attainable and you won’t burn yourself out.”
Since concluding her playing career, Mitts has created a Q&A series called Passion for Success, which empowers females through sharing knowledge. Additionally, she has developed an online strength and conditioning platform called Train Like Legends, which combines world class programming and instructional videos with a supportive community that is designed to foster positive growth. The goal is to educate, guide and inspire young athletes to reach their full potential both on and off the field. The Train Like Legends innovative digital platform enables anyone to train like their favorite athlete without schedules or locations getting in the way.
The discussion with Mitts was moderated by accomplished journalist Renee Washington, who currently works with ESPN and Fox Sports covering the NBA, WNBA and college athletics. The former three-time All American Soccer player at LaSalle University and Lehigh University assistant coach is also a NJ Youth Soccer alumna. Further, she founded Planted, Not Buried in 2020 through which she does motivational speaking, community outreach initiatives and strives to empower and inspire others.
To watch the full webinar recording with Heather Mitts, click here.
The Winter Webinar Series is one of the many experiences that was offered by NJ Youth Soccer to support the G3 Initiative, which focuses on empowering females on and off the field at all ages and stages of their soccer career. Prior to Mitts, featured guests included Gotham FC General Manager Yael Averbuch West, Soccer Parenting founder Skye Eddy and USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort.
To find out more about New Jersey Youth Soccer or to contact us directly, please email communications@njyouthsoccer.com. Also make sure to follow us on social media: @NJYouthSoccer
