Introducing the 2014-15 Peer Mentoring Groups!

Read the thoughts and opinions of players of all ages

As part of the FC Wisconsin Eclipse "club-first" philosophy, every player in the club - at every age group - becomes part of a Peer Mentoring Group when they join the club.  Read some of the interesting facts the peer groups found out about each other!

FC Wisconsin Eclipse is based on a “club-first” philosophy - every player is a part of the club before they are a part of any specific team.  New in 2014, and part of the implementation of that philosophy, is that every player becomes part of a Peer Mentoring Group when they join the club.  Each Peer Mentoring Group includes 3-5 players of different ages, and groups can range from players that are 8 to 18 years of age. 

The FC WI Eclipse Peer Mentoring Groups are created to help players get to know each other better across age groups, provide role models for young players, provide a peer resource for players new to the club, and generally promote a “club-first” atmosphere.

As part of meeting their Peer Group, players in each group interviewed each other on a wide variety of topics and fun questions.  The answers provided were informative, entertaining, funny, and more.  Some of the best answers in these interviews, and some of the common themes, are listed below.

If I Were Coach for the Day:  There was definitely a common theme to many of the answers in this category.

  • “Make everyone run” (Chloe Kundtson U18)
  • “Make them sprint” (Naiya Moss U14)
  • “Do the opposite of Christian” (Mary Kate Simon U17)
  • “Make them run” (Adriana Alberts U12)
  • “Make coaches do fitness” (Camryn Hart U15)

Many more players than those above also apparently felt that the staff needed more physical activity.  Other common answers were finishing, transition games, and other common high-paced training activities in the club – except for Katie Hoefgen, who asked for “anything but passing patterns.”

Favorite Thing About The Club:  Again there were several common themes across the groups.  The most common answers:

  • “Competitiveness”
  • “Atmosphere”
  • “Intensity”
  • “My teammates”

The frequency of answers regarding the training environment and club culture was great to see.  Successful players at FC WI Eclipse embrace a philosophy that working hard is fun, and that the best experiences come from working hard and working together with others!

Most Famous Person Met:  Apparently the players at FC Wisconsin Eclipse don’t have a problem with introducing themselves to others – no matter how famous!

  • Steven Gerrard (Steph Franczak U15)
  • Goofy (Taylor Maas U9)
  • Abby Wambach (Megan Ludke and Lindsey Weiss U15s)
  • Lady Gaga (Maddie Fahey U14)
  • Darius Rucker (Sydney Schaaf U14)
  • Taylor Swift (Emma Tabor U14)
  • Donald Driver (Mary DeWalt U17)
  • Mia Hamm (Katie Wegmann U16)
  • Howie Mandel (Colleen Koval U18)
  • Bruno Mars (Emily Ehlert  U13)
  • Drew Breese (Hannah Lech U16)

Most Common Answers:

  • Books – Hunger Games, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars
  • Favorite Athlete – Alex Morgan (by a long shot)
  • Desired Talent – Invisibility … or Singing … or Flying … or if you are Emma Roemer, “shooting spaghetti from your fingertips”

And the overwhelming answer to “What are you most thankful for?” You guessed it - “MY FAMILY”.

Thanks to everyone for doing the interviews, thanks for being a peer group mentor, and thanks for being a hard-working, ASPIRING player at FC Wisconsin Eclipse!

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