During the months of October and November, Former U.S. National Soccer player Lauren Holiday has been travelling to multiple cities with Smoothie King in order to inspire young female athletes.

When Holiday arrived at the Atlanta Fire United soccer fields October 17 there were hundreds of people waiting for autographs, to hear her speak, and some lucky teens got to play with her. Holiday talked about her heart problem as a baby, her struggles at being the best at soccer and how she worked for success.

Holiday began the day by coaching the younger girls soccer skills. She set up many drills that would help their footwork and skills. Some of the drills that she had the girls do were ball roles. She had the girls partner up and push pass the ball back and forth. It is a commonly used drill that really helps soccer players improve their touch.

“At a young age, we need to focus more on kids skills, rather than their physical abilities,” Holiday said as she was helping the young ladies with drills. “It is all about ethic and your love for whatever interest you have.”

“I was never selected for the top teams, but I kept working and got a scholarship to a D1 school that eventually led to my career.” Holiday emphasized the fact that whatever dream you wanted to pursue, you had to pursue it. If you really want it, don’t slack. Holiday explained her commitment to soccer, “I got to the point where I would skip homecoming in order to train.”

Holidays said her ethic led her to become a leading female soccer player in the world. This past summer she made an appearance the FIFA World Cup finals, scoring a goal to help contribute to the 5-2 win against Japan. When talking about her gorgeous volley out of the air, she said “My eyes lit up. It was just something that I couldn’t pass on, I had to take the shot and once it left my foot, I just knew.”