"Experience each day with open arms, savoring both victory and strife, welcoming the good and the bad together. For only then will you know the joy of life." ~From The Lilly Pad
"Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them." ~Mia Hamm
"Even if I don't reach all my goals, I've gone higher than I would've if I hadn't set any." ~Fotop
"I think I am the person I am today and I play the way I play because of the hardships that I faced." ~Shannon MacMillan
"Unless you feel good about what you do everyday, you won't do it with much conviction or passion." ~Mia Hamm
"A champion is someone who does not settle for that day's practice, that day's competition, that day's performance. They are always striving to be better. They don't live in the past."
"I am gong to do whatever I'm asked for this team. My heart and soul are with it." ~Shannon MacMillan
"You can't step onto the field and expect anyone to roll over because of what you did a year before." ~Briana Scurry
"If you wanna be successful you have to do over and above what everyone else is doing." ~Mia Hamm
"I don't care how talented a team is, unless you believe in one another, you're weak." ~Julie Foudy
"I looked in the mirror and saw the face of a battle worn soldier-warrior. But the eyes said it all. Exhausted, but fullfilled, satisfied. We did it."
"When you come to the game prepared and you play with your heart, no one can expect more. Even if you lose, you will be respected for your contributions you make to the team."
"I won't bear the responsibility for my gender and my sport. I can't carry that much weight. I'm not that strong a person." ~Mia Hamm "Do you have the heart to push yourself? If you don't, find a way to get it because talent will only get you so far. You've got to be hungry. You've got to have heart. That's just reality."
"Emotion is such an eratic thing. It is a blessing and an achilles heel all at once. It is hard to control, and for me, it's pure reaction. I just hope my reaction-if not the correct one-is at least close." ~Mia Hamm
"the vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching."
"I believe there is a way around every obstacle. You just have to find it." ~Saskia Webber
"Competition raises the level of your game. Those who can handle it get better; those who can't crumble." ~Tracy Ducar
"it's that tingle in my stomach, that lump in my throat and that smile on my face that tell me I am part of an incredible team." ~Kristine Lilly
"A Champion is all they can be in every facet of their lives. They prioritize what they need to get done. But for me it's someone who works every single day on being a better person."
~Shannon Higgins Cirovski
"A champion is someone whoproves themself in every environment." ~Kristine Lilly
"When you see a champion team, you see that everybody had the full dedication and commitment to the same goal and wants to do everything they can. What it comes down to is commitment and dedication to your goal." ~Kristine Lilly
"It's knowing your going to hurt. And in that hurt you're going to be better. When it's all over you've done it right and you feel good about yourself. Being satisfied is almost like doing just enough. It has to be more than enough." ~Brandi Chastain on being a champion
"You can either stick to your goals, or you can just go through the motions and rest on your status. But it's all about work." ~Kristine Lilly
"A champion is passionate, loves what they do and always wants to bring out that passion in everything they do." ~Tiffeny Milbrett
"If you are passionate about something, that will enable you to be the best you can be." ~Tiffeny Milbrett
"Everyone on our team has a fighter's mentality, everyone wants to win. Everyone on the team has huge hearts. It's like they'd die for you on the field, and that's very comforting."
"Believe in yourself. Things come full circle. It's hard when you don't achieve a small goal. But when you stay motivated and keep working, it will come back and pay off."
~Jen Grubb
"To me fitness is the most important thing mentally and for the team. If you are fit, you can do anything. Being fit is the easy part."
~Kristine Lilly
"Being with this team and getting knocked around kind of toughened me up. It made me realize how important all aspects of the game are."
~Shannon MacMillan
"I'm going to measure my success on how I pursued excellence." ~Amanda Cromwell
"Champions believe in themselves when the pressure is on and when the odds are against them. Champions aren't afraid to dream, even if it means possible failure." ~Amanda Cromwell
"The potential gain from a dream realized is so much greater than the percieved loss in failure, because even in failure something is always learned through the process of reaching for that goal." ~Amanda Cromwell
"When something is learned, a champion sees it as a positive gain and a worthwhile venture. Champions can't accept not trying."
~Amanda Cromwell
"To me excellence is challenging the limits, going beyond setting goals, and trying to be greater than the percieved potential."
~Amanda Cromwell
"Success is continuing that quest for excellence after others have let go." ~Amanda Cromwell
"Striving for excellence is all about goign beyond what you imagined possible or even better, going beyond what you ahve imagined at all."
~Amanda Cromwell
"If you have a positive attitude, then you're going to have a more positive experience yourself." ~Tracey Bates Leone
"We feel the greatest respect we can afford a team is by crushing them." ~Anson Dorrance
"To whom much is given, much is also required." ~Lauren Gregg
"It comes down to a few things: how bad you wnat it, what you do when things get hard, and whether you are able to stay focused amid turmoil, challenge, chaos, and demands. It's all in your head and in your heart." ~Michelle Akers on being the best
"There has been no woman who has played the game to her level. It's her level of commitment. She is a warrior. She's a champion. Once again she left it all on the field." ~Tony DiCicco on Michelle
"Everytime I think she amazes me as much as she can, she amazes me with something else." ~Julie Foudy on Michelle
"One person can't carry a team, I never thought I could. If people want to define success as whether your scoring or not, that's their prerogative. What I focus on is, do I have an impact on this team." ~Mia Hamm
"There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one." ~Mia Hamm
"Competing, to me is just a mentality that says you never back down." ~Shannon Higgins Cirovski " Don't idolize people for the way they play soccer but for the way they live life ." ~Michelle Akers
"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit." ~Unknown
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one had reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed." ~Booker T. Washington
"You can't build a reputation on what you’re going to do." ~The Soccer Hut