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Win or Lose,
they Are More
Than Teammates
By Janai Tedder, CIU Student Writer
n one moment, everyone’s heart sank. That was it. The season
was over and the journey had ended. On Nov. 16, the 2016
season of Columbia International University’s women’s soccer team
finished with a 3-4 loss to John Wesley University in overtime. The
Lady Rams gathered in a huddle for the last time until next fall.
Despite the loss, there was no circumstance that could tear the
bonds of friendship the season had formed.
“There is something about playing the game of soccer that creates
a special bond,” Alanna Battermann, a junior, said about her
experience on the women’s soccer team.
Through the ups and downs, the close calls and tough times, these
women are not just teammates or friends, but something more.
“This team is something special,” senior Naomi Reed said. “We are
all human, a hot mess, and have so many different personalities. But
we have one thing that bonds us so close together, that’s so unique,
and that’s the love of Christ which causes us to love one another so
dearly.”
We are Families
One of the reasons the women’s team is a tight-knit group, is the
leadership style of Coach Kara Farnsworth. Beginning with the 2015
inaugural season, Farnsworth grouped the team into four “families,”
each with a leader voted on by the team. Instead of team captains,
these leaders guide their individual families throughout the season.
The 2016 season family leaders were: seniors Esther Edwards, Naomi
Reed, Mandi Shumate and junior Alanna Battermann.
Edwards believes her role as a leader is “to just be there for my
teammates and be a person that my teammates feel like they can
come to if they need anything.” Similarly, Reed says she tries to “pour
into and love on” her family to “see how they are doing spiritually.”
I
Angela McMaster
Mandi Shumate
Janai Tedder
Esther Edwards
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