While taking part in an Olympic Development Program (ODP) camp at The University of Illinois in seventh grade, Revere High School sophomore soccer player Gabrielle Daetwyler and her team faced an unexpected obstacle. Her team, an elite group of 18 athletes hand chosen from the whole state of Kentucky, and athletes from almost every other team at the camp came down with a very severe case of the flu. The teams were quarantined for 24 hours and could only practice individually in their rooms. Daetwyler persevered through the adversity and ended up having a very successful camp.

Daetwyler has made soccer a focus in her life, and has traveled up and down the east coast to places such as Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia and Maryland to compete in tournaments and camps.

At the height of Daetwyler’s many travels she will compete in San Sebastian, Spain this summer to test her skills against those of players around the world. Daetwyler will play with a team comprised mostly of the girls from Kentucky that she played with during her seventh grade ODP training. The trip lasts ten days, but the length of the tournament can vary based on the success of the team. The team will start off by playing a few games that do not count, or “friendlies,” against various teams. They will then have two games to seed the teams, followed by two days of a double elimination tournament. The tournament will take place in its own Olympic Village, and the games are played in the stadium of San Sebastian’s professional team, Real Sociedad, or on their surrounding practice fields. Twenty countries will send representative teams, including teams from France, Morocco, Spain, Germany and even the Paris national team. Daetwyler explained that all these countries bring their own skill sets and style of play that will make for very competitive soccer games.

Daetwyler has played soccer for more than ten years and started for the Varsity women’s soccer team at Revere when she was a freshman.

She explained that she believes any extra games that she can get in the offseason will ultimately help to improve her game, not to mention the outstanding competition she will be facing.
Daetwyler’s coach and teacher at the Revere Middle School, David Howson, talked about how this experience will help her improve her game.

“Daetwyler may experience things that she has not encountered previously, so she will have to figure things out while on the field,” Howson said. Howson voiced that these attributes have helped her to be successful at Revere and he expects them to aid her success in Spain.

Daetwyler’s mother, Kathryn Daetwyler, expressed her excitement for her daughter to take the trip to Spain and compete in the tournament.

“I am most excited for her to be able to compete with people from so many countries and cultures in a place as nice as Spain,” Kathryn said.

The team will get the opportunity to improve their soccer skills, and they will also get the opportunity to do many other things in their free time.  Each team only plays one game per day and in their free time there is a cafeteria open and activities like volleyball, basketball, and a dance. The teams will also get a tour bus and a guide to take them places and translate for them. During their free time, the team will be sightseeing in both Spain and France, which is only 10 miles away. Kathryn also talked about an opportunity that the team hopes to experience.

“The team is also hoping that their schedule will also give them the unique opportunity to travel to see the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain which is only 38 miles away and will take place the week that we are there,” Kathryn said.
Kathryn explained that this would be a cultural experience that is like none anywhere else in the world.

Taking the trip to Spain and competing in this tournament gives Daetwyler an opportunity to build her soccer skills while interacting with people and cultures from around the world.

Image courtesy of Katherine Daetwyler, used with permission