Joana Michaelson began playing at Blackhills in middle school after moving with her family to the United States. She continued at the Club until her graduation from Olympia High School, where she went on to play at Western Washington University, with the Seattle Sounders Women’s Team, and the Philippines Women’s National Team.

Where does your story start?

I was born in the Philippines and when I was 4 years old I moved to England. That’s where my football roots started. Then when I was 12 years old, I moved with my family to the US and lived in Washington where I got connected with a person at my school in Shelton who played at Blackhills.

What was it like to experience soccer as a youth player in different countries?

When I was in England, I’d say youth soccer programs for girls were not as big as they were in the US at the time. The year I was moving from England, I had just started playing club soccer in England. It was a hodgepodge kind of deal. We got hand-me-downs from the boys’ teams. When I got to the US, I saw how the youth club structure was a little bit more equal for boys and girls to participate and have opportunities. It helped my transition from England to the US to have soccer. A lot of my friends came through Club and high school soccer teams.

What role did soccer play in your life growing up?

All I wanted to do at recess or after school was go play soccer out in the streets. I would play silly games like trying to hit certain signs – things like that. For me, a lot of intrinsic motivation came from playing outside like that without the structured training schedule with a coach and team. I didn’t have an experience with a professional coach until I was 12 or 13 years old. By the time that I did end up playing in a structured environment when I was older, it was exciting because it was a new experience and kept me hungry to keep playing.

What was it like to start playing at Blackhills as your first American soccer experience?

Within a month or two of being here in the US I was introduced to Blackhills by a girl in my P.E. class in 8^th grade. It was kind of a whirlwind. Coming from England and having most of my background mostly just playing street soccer, I was very individual in my game. I was used to playing in the streets in 1v1s and 2v2s, so looking at the big game with 11v11 and my awareness for the big picture took time for me to catch up on.

Going to trainings and asking questions and learning what it was like to be on a big field – getting used to that environment – was a transition. When I first came into the Club, my thought process was that I could take on anyone at any time in any part on the field. It took development and maturing to make better decisions when to take players on. In the attacking third, most of my coaches gave me free will to take players on, but I also learned to realize that I could work with the players around me to create better chances rather than just always taking them on myself. It was probably around U16-U17 where I really started developing that tactical awareness for the game to know when to take the risk in a 1v1 and when to make a different decision.

What was your experience like throughout your time at Blackhills?

Blackhills was great. A lot of the high school players and Club players went to Olympia High School [with me] and we got to play soccer together and go to school together. Having that big cohort of players in Club and high school made us more competitive and gave us chemistry and friendship. Blackhills had a very big family feel to it. My team was really close. My teammates and their families felt like part of my family. I got a lot of support from the coaching staff. My first coach was Kurt Gress and he was great. I had James [Charette] as my coach for quite a few years. James was a big part of helping me get into the coaching pathway. I used to do all of James’ camps as a player, and as I got older, he invited me to be a coach for those camps. He really sparked my interest in coaching and showed me that coaching was something that I could do in the future and that’s where I’ve ended up: I’m a teacher and I coach club soccer.

How did the connection to the Philippines National Team come about?

It wasn’t on my radar that playing at the national level would be a possibility at the time. It was my senior year of college. My coach at Western Washington University, Travis, got an email from one of the Philippines recruiters that was an invitation for a training camp in California. I wasn’t sure if it was a real thing. I did my own research and they kept sending letters and emails and I decided to check out the camp in California. The recruiters were looking through college rosters for Filipino players and they would reach out to players they thought could play for the national team. I went to California after my senior year for a big tryout and I made the training pool which is how I got my foot in the door. I was part of their training camp and got called up for a couple tournaments with the senior team. It was in 2013.

What was your experience being part of a national team?

You don’t realize how big of an honor it is until you’re wearing your jersey out there standing for the national anthem. It hit all at once then, that not everyone has the opportunity to represent their team at the national level and it was just a huge honor to be there representing the country where I was born. I have nothing but good things to say.

What was it like for you to see the Philippines in the Women’s World Cup and score their country’s first goal and get their first win at the World Cup?

It was awesome – I stayed up for that game. I still know some of the players on the team and they were younger players when they were part of the team that I was on. Seeing the dream come true for the national team to play at the World Cup and see some of the girls I know get to compete there – I was so proud. I didn’t think I would see the Philippines in the World Cup this soon, but with the players they were able to bring in and the support that they had, they were able to do things that no one expected. I hope it shows the Philippines Federation that they need to continue to support the team because of what we are capable of doing at the biggest competitions.

What is your biggest takeaway from your experiences that have influenced you as a coach?

Having a good awareness of what it takes for players to be able to compete at each level. The dedication, time, training, and attitude that it takes at each level to compete. It takes intrinsic motivation.

What has been surprising to you in coaching?

I never knew how much of an impact communication and education with the parents has. Soccer is a vessel for building good people and players – building good character. There’s a part to coaching that is helping parents recognize that there is more to playing sports than “my kid is the best player on the field.” The players are ultimately just out here to have fun and using education and communication as a coach helps keep us from losing sight of that.

My parents were pretty hands-off. They would drop me off at practice and let me be. They didn’t push me to do more. They didn’t require me to do private trainings or anything like that. The motivation came from me and my parents would just support. They would come to the game and tell me after “you played well today” but I never had a tough car ride home.

What advice do you have for current Blackhills to meet their goals and enjoy the game?

Remember why you started to play. Soccer is a game – you’re playing for fun and for making memories with your teammates. Even as a coach, sometimes I forget that youth soccer is for kids and the purpose is for them to enjoy it. Most of the time, you really play your best when you are smiling and enjoying being out there. It’s not just enjoying the games. Enjoy training and the process of getting better.