Japan - A New Adventure

Well, I'm back on the mainland. For the past two weeks I (Erik) had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Japan. Along with photography, soccer and fitness are two huge passions of mine. I am lucky enough to combine those two by working as the strength and fitness coach for the new Seattle Reign soccer team. Preseason was scheduled for 2 weeks in Japan with the purpose of having the team bond. When you're training in your own city it's easy to leave practice for home. When you're away from home there's instant bonding for the team.

The team is amazing (not to mention the wonderful coaching staff). Although I'm biased, I think they will be the best in the league! About halfway though the trip I pinched myself because I realized how lucky I was to be a part of this organization. Women's soccer in the US is growing rapidly. I'm proud to be at the beginning of a league that hopefully continues to grow.

Here are some action photos of the team warming up before their first preseason game in front of 2,500 fans! The people in Okinawa were so welcoming and happy to have us there.

Towards the end of the trip the team put on a clinic at a military base in Okinawa. The kids were ecstatic. You could tell it meant a lot to both the players and the kids.

 This was such an amazing experience. I'll continue to keep you updated throughout the season.