| Golebiowski's American Dream By Tricia Lyons WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2003) – The first time Kelly Golebiowski played on the same soccer field with Mia Hamm, she was only 14 years old. It was the Fourth of July, 1996, a festive day to celebrate historic independence and the abiding power of the American dream. Golebiowski took the field with the Australian national team to play the U.S. national team in Tampa, Fla. The U.S. team defeated Australia that day 2-1, but Golebiowski felt anything but beaten. “I was extremely nervous when I walked onto the field,” admitted Golebiowski. “I was only 14 and the nerves were definitely building up. I was overwhlemed, but I loved every minute of it. I knew I wanted to play soccer for a living. ” Like Hamm, Golebiowki has the distinction of being the youngest player ever to represent her country on its national team. Wearing the same uniform for the Washington Freedom is now another distinction they both share. Golebiowski, a native of Sydney, Australia, began playing soccer at four years old. “I started playing because my older brother did,” she said. “I loved it from the first day.” Like many Americans, her commitment to soccer looked more like a career, with intense practicing and traveling with club teams by the time she was 11. Her first international trip came at 12 years old when she traveled with the Australian U-16 team to New Zealand. At the end of high school, she moved to Canberra, Australia, where a training center for all national team sports served as her home for the next three years. “I lived soccer,” Golebiowski said. “I trained everyday with the country’s best soccer players, but also spent time with the best athletes in all sports. It was very intense and inspiring.” Her training culminated with the Olympic games of 2000. The Australian team, however, did not meet expectations, and according to Golebiowski, funding was cut and the full-time center was closed for women’s soccer. At that point, she began dreaming of playing in the professional league in America. Golebiowski’s chance came in 2001 when she was recruited to play in the United States for the Hampton Roads Piranhas of Virginia Beach. “I wanted very much to play overseas and I jumped at it,” she said. “It was a gamble for them and a gamble for me. We were both going in blind, but I was determined to try it.” Golebiowski shined on the Piranhas for two years, earning Rookie of the Year for the W-league in 2001. “The W-league has a lot of excellent college players and the level of competition is extremely high,” Golebiowski said. “However, I wanted the elite play of the WUSA and was waiting for my chance.” That chance came when her agent in Virginia Beach got a call from the Washington Freedom. Golebiowski was given a 10-day try out in October of 2002, including one exhibition game in Texas against the Atlanta Beat. “I knew this was my one chance, and I really decided to go for it,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of the Freedom. I put everything I had into it. I was nervous, but this was my one shot.” After her 10-day tryout period, Golebiowski was told at the airport in Washington, D.C., that the Freedom would contact her within a week to say whether or not she had what they were looking for. According to Golebiowski, it only took a day, and the call came that her dream to play with the Freedom had come true. Golebiowski packed up her life in Virginia Beach and headed to Washington, D.C. “I was so excited, trying to be calm about it all,” she said. “But the ball had started rolling and I loved it.” The Australian international arrived to start her career with the Freedom on March 13. “I drove straight from the airport to RFK stadium,” she said. “I went from the plane to the field. I loved it. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. From the moment I landed on the ground, I wanted to go straight to play.” Her intensity is no surprise to those who have followed her career. Golebiowski’s style to rush to get on the field is exactly what head coach Jim Gabarra expects from her on his team. “Kelly will bring speed,” he said. “She gives us another midfielder who we can plug in and give us a few more versatile tools for some more flexibility.” And speed is precisely the word to describe Golebiowski’s reaction to the first goal scored against the Freedom in their match-up against Atlanta at RFK stadium last Saturday. On the very next possession for the Freedom after an Atlanta goal in the 67th set them back, 1-0, Golebiowski volleyed a deflected cross from Mia Hamm to the far post for the equalizer. And what does Golebiowski think about her new home in the land of the Freedom? “I love the fans,” she said. “They turn out in sun and in rain and make it enjoyable for us to play. They get into it – I can hear all the noise on the field and I love it. I feel like they appreciate what we are doing and that feels amazing.” ©RMG3 2003 |
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| Original article can be found here: http://www.washingtonfreedom.com/players_coaches/players/kelly_golebiowski/357779.html |
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| Kelly Golebiowski battles with Atlanta's Homare Sawa |