The Abridged version:
- Still Kickin’ is a senior soccer team of women 72 to 81 years old.
- Seventy-eight-year-old goalkeeper Dawn Cole started the team more than 25 years ago.
- The Sacramento-based team is in Vermont this week competing in the Veterans Cup for older adults.
When Dawn Cole was undergoing chemotherapy, her teammates made sure she never had to face treatment alone.
Some brought food, others would drive her to appointments and sit with her for hours. She found those friends on a soccer field, a place — and a stage in life — you might not expect.
“We are connected through soccer,” Cole said. “But we form deep connections with each other by being part of a team.”
This week, Cole and 13 teammates from 72 to 81 years old are representing the Sacramento region at the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Veterans Cup in Burlington, Vermont, one of the nation’s largest tournaments for older adult players. Nearly 100 teams from across the country are competing, with Still Kickin’ taking the field in the over-70 division, playing in nine matches Wednesday through Sunday.
While the world’s attention turns to the FIFA World Cup final this weekend, these women are chasing a championship of their own. Nearly three decades after Cole formed the team, she says the greatest victories have little to do with the scoreboard.
Soccer gave them a chance to pursue dreams many never had growing up. It also gave them something they never expected — lifelong friendships that have carried them through illness, loss, injuries and the everyday challenges of life.
From sidelines to the national stage
Cole was simply tired of standing on the sidelines.
Her three sons played soccer in Sacramento. For years, she watched from the edge of the field with other parents.
“I’d say to the other moms, ‘This looks like so much fun. We should do that,’” Cole said. “At first, we laughed. Then finally I said, ‘No, we really should do that.’”
The mothers rented an indoor field one night each week, found someone willing to coach them and began learning the sport together. They called themselves Moms on the Run.
Cole was 47 years old and an attorney at McDonough Holland & Allen in Sacramento.
Three years later, she wanted to compete in tournaments for women over 50.
“We wanted to play in the 50 age group tournaments together,” Cole said. “We were scattered on different teams, and we decided if we wanted to play together and be successful, we had to come together.”
That decision launched Still Kickin’.
Today, at 78, Cole remains the team’s goalkeeper and manager.
The roster now includes women between the ages of 72 and 81 from the Sacramento region. Come tournament time, some players even travel from the Bay Area and Texas to compete with the Sacramento team. During this week’s tournament in Vermont, five members of Still Kickin’ are also playing with a Texas over-75 squad.
For Cole, gathering with longtime teammates remains one of the greatest rewards.
“It’s always good just to get the team together,” she said. “We have great camaraderie and synergy, and it’s always something to look forward to.”
A second chance
For many of the women, soccer came decades later than they wish it had.
Most grew up before Title IX became law in 1972, when organized athletic opportunities for girls were far more limited.
“When we were girls, we were athletic. We loved sports,” Cole said. “We played in the neighborhood with boys. The boys had opportunities to play organized sports, and we didn’t.”
She remembers physical education classes and neighborhood games, but organized leagues simply were not available.
“For us to be able to play now is like picking up some of that missed opportunity and having a fantastic time doing things we’ve always wanted to do,” she said.
Since then, Still Kickin’ has competed throughout the United States and around the world, including tournaments in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Canada. After Vermont, the women are planning trips to San Diego and the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah.
More than teammates
As the years passed, soccer became something much bigger than the game itself.
“It’s good for our physical health because it motivates us to stay active and fit,” Cole said. “But it’s also really good for our mental health because it gives us camaraderie, connection to others and being part of a team.”
Those relationships continue even when players can’t step onto the field.
One teammate is in Vermont despite recovering from an injury that will keep her from playing.
“I would do exactly the same thing,” Cole said. “It is that important to us.”
Sam Kalhor has spent more than 40 years in Sacramento soccer as a player, coach and referee.
“I have seen some of these ladies compete for years, and I am inspired seeing them play now at their age,” Kalhor said. “They are inspiration for me to keep in shape and continue playing.”
Kalhor says soccer offers much more than exercise.
“It is proof to me that with the proper mindset, some conditioning and a good social network, we can all play the beautiful game well into our golden years,” he said.
“Mentally, the game demands tactical awareness and application of game strategy. Physically, the game demands coordination and body strength,” he added. “The social value of being part of a team is incalculable.”
Paying it forward
Cole is doing her part to make sure today’s children will not have to wait until adulthood to discover what soccer gave her.
She serves on the board of Street Soccer USA Sacramento, which provides free after-school soccer programs at 28 Title I schools throughout the Sacramento region.
Eventually she realized why the organization’s mission felt so personal.
“We had missed opportunities when we were girls for one reason,” Cole said. “Many of these kids have missed opportunities for other reasons.”
Development Director Tiffany Fraser said Cole has also changed how she views her own future.
“If I’m 80 and moving around like that, that’s life goals,” Fraser said.
A former Sacramento State standout, Fraser says watching Cole compete has motivated her through knee surgeries and rehabilitation.
“It’s very easy to think that once you’re done playing competitively, that you’re done playing,” Fraser said. “But seeing Dawn reminds me why I’m going through surgeries and rehab, so that I can be healthy enough to play for another 40 years like Dawn.”
Not done kickin’
Ask Cole when she’ll stop playing; the look you’ll get answers the question.
“I started playing soccer at 47. I did my first 100-mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe at 62. I did my first half-marathon at 66,” Cole said, adding, “Do you see where I’m going with this?”
Cole smiles — and offers advice that reaches far beyond soccer.
“If you want to do something, find out how to get started and give it a try,” she said. “It isn’t a missed opportunity because you took the opportunity and decided for yourself.”
As for that question about stepping away from the field?
“I’ll play as long as I can,” she said. “When I can’t, I’ll still be the team manager. I’ll still travel with them. I’ll still do everything I can. My life will be better for it all.”
Rob Stewart is a senior correspondent and host for Abridged by PBS KVIE.