WAGS REFLECTIONS
BY ADELE DOLANSKY
In the last article, I left the story off on a cliffhanger: The 1976 spring season of WAGS had begun, and an unforeseen crisis has arisen to change the future of WAGS as we knew it. The president of WAGS for the term, Polly Phillips, announced she would be moving to Colorado at the end of the season, and subsequently would not be seeking a second term as WAGS President for the 1976-1977 year.
While this announcement may seem like a small issue now, at the time, this was a sudden, unprecedented shift for the young league. It caught the membership by surprise, and in response they quickly elected Danni Aloui to fill the gap left behind by Phillips’ departure.
However, that did not end the issue. Soon after the election, Aloui told the membership that she would also be moving. She would be unable to see her presidential term out for the whole year. Not only did this catch the membership off guard, but it brought them back to square one. It seemed that not only would WAGS’ leadership seat sit vacant for the Fall 1976 season, but for the foreseeable future of the league!
But Rael Vodicka was not going to allow that to happen.
Although she was hard at work as the Vice-President of VMYSA, Rael stepped up to save WAGS, serving as president for the Fall 1976 – Spring 1977 seasonal year.
It was during this time period that Rael and I began to work closely together. With so much on her plate, I took on as much responsibility as I could, and we developed a good working relationship.
I worked with Rael creating and distributing WAGS schedules, and back then, it was not as easy as sending an e-mail, or filling out a .pdf! Schedules were written up on a typewriter, along with all other necessary documents. These typewritten copies would need to be taken to a printer to be reproduced, which were not as easy to use as they are now let alone easy to come by!
This process cost money, of course. In order to save we would collate, fold, package and stamp the schedules ourselves before delivering them to the post office to be mailed. But the process also took time, and I would spend that time working with Rael at her house. Mavis Derflinger would come by to lend a hand. When referees needed assignments, FIFA Referee Peter Johnson would join the gatherings to offer his help. We’d be sitting at Rael’s kitchen table for hours, brainstorming and developing the tools needed to keep WAGS alive not only for the upcoming season, but for the generations beyond us.
Winter 2024
WAGS Reflections
At the end of the Fall 1976 season, Rael learned that she and her family would be moving to Michigan.
Although she would be able to serve out the Spring 1977 presidential term, she decided that the best thing for WAGS was to have an established president for the spring season and beyond. She could spend her final months in state, teaching the new president the ropes, and ensuring a good working relationship with WAGS partner organization, the NCSL (FCSA at the time).
When the question of who would replace her as president arose, Rael came to me. Although I questioned her decision, she chose to believe in me. She convinced me to run for the position, and at her request to the WAGS membership, I was elected WAGS President before the Spring 1977 season began.
For me, much of the season was spent learning from Rael. Before her move, she and I spent a lot of time together. We would brainstorm either at her home or on soccer fields; talking about the future of Girls’ Soccer, and how far WAGS could go. She taught me countless lessons, and shared precious advice that would influence me greatly.
There is one piece of advice Rael gave me that I have cherished the most, and never forgotten.
“Adele, you are going to get phone calls from coaches or team managers who might not like something, or are not happy with a policy or rule. They need to be able to talk to the president, and in many cases, they may want to just vent. But you must listen. You can always learn by listening, and they can learn by listening to you.”
I took this advice to heart. For the twenty years I was president, my core philosophy was to listen.
Stay Tuned for the Next Chapter: My Presidential Era! How I worked to elevate WAGS, and the battles I fought for WAGS’ legitimacy.
Adele Dolansky
ADELE DOLANSKY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
$40,000 Anually
Women and Girls in Soccer awards four $10,000 college scholarships to empower and support the exceptional female soccer athlete to play at the collegiate level. Applicants must be rostered and playing on a team accepted and playing in the WAGS Rael Vodicka Annual Soccer Tournament held annually in October.
WAGS will award four scholarships to players who meet the stated criteria, who excel in a broad variety of extracurricular activities and who demonstrate active participation in community service. WAGS is looking for individuals who embrace the qualities and characteristics necessary to play on an elite soccer team and who apply these qualities to her daily life.
We will award the 2024 recipients beginning of May. So check our social media for exciting announcements.
Congratulations to our 2023 recipients - Payton Walker, Ava Martin, Adele Dolansky, Abigail Watson and Caitlyn Guarino
Qualifications:
Applicants must be 17-19 years of age A minimum 3.7 GPA A commitment to play soccer in college Applicants do not need to be a U.S. citizen
More Info
VA Marauders took time around National Girls and Women in Sport Day to Thank WAGS!
Scholarship Amounts
Grant Scholarship amounts of up to $1,200 each
Women and Girls in Soccer has announced the first-of-its-kind WAGS Childcare Grant; an $80,000 fund to be distributed to individual female coaches and semi-pro players to help them stay in the game.
Grant Requirements
Licensed Coach
Actively coaching a team
Rostered active SemiPro player
Need Based
Childcare Grant Application
Women and Girls in Soccer is awarding up to a $1,200 Childcare Grant per recipient, committing $80,000 to empower and support women in soccer for which affording childcare can be a barrier to their ability to stay in the game. Applicants must be a female licensed coach or semi-pro player competing in Spring 2024. The grant will be awarded to female coaches of all levels and female semi-pro players based on the WAGS Childcare Grant application process.
Keeping Mothers in the Game!
Special Thank you to “#MomsWhoCoach“ Initiative for inspiring us to find a way to make an impact.
More about the Women Coaches Community
Our Mission is to empower Women to reach their goals in soccer. We strive to elevate and make women feel valued. Our WAGS Tournament has been serving women since 1975 and is our funding source that makes it all possible.
Contact Us! We’d love to hear from you!
Lula Bauer’s
