One Lucky Winner Set to Tryout for Sounders Women: “I would love to inspire all the kids I coach”

KJ Gillanders: I would love to inspire all the kids I coach

One Lucky Winner Set to Tryout for Sounders Women

Earlier this week, we ran a competition in which you could win the opportunity to try out for the Sounders Women as a player and Prost Amerika as a soccer writer.

Contestants were asked to write why they should win.

One lucky winner, Ms Kennie (KJ) Gillanders won with this submission:

“This is a great opportunity for one lucky lady. I thought about trying out for the Sounders Women’s team this year to see how a 31 year old mom would hold up, playing against college players. I pondered this for a while and decided I was crazy, however your competition has renewed my ambitions and added the spark of giving it a go with no extra training.

I would be showing what I have learned playing soccer for the last 20 years.

I would also love to inspire all the kids I coach (especially my daughter). This would be a great experience and something I would remember for a life time, also I am pretty sure all the kids would brag to their friends that coach KJ had tried out for the Sounders Women’s team regardless of the outcome.”

Those kids will now have the chance to brag exactly that.

Ms Gillanders started playing soccer when she was in 3rd grade, at eight years old.

She started in rec then moved up to Harbor FC with Ila Jensen for 2 yrs, and actually trained with Kelly Bendixen for goalkeeping because the club did not have a keeper. KJ, though normally a midfelder, volunteered.

Kelly Bendixen is now the Sounders Women’s goalkeeping coach so an old friendship is sure to be reunited on Saturday at the trials. Although she prefers midfielder, she is happy to try out there or between the posts.

KJ then played for FC Kitsap Shadow for 3-4 yrs, also playing for SK High School at the same time.

Since then she has played in various adult leagues and most recently has mostly played indoor. She also coaches at a relatively new club called Silver FC and wanted us to give them a shout-out.*

As well as the experience of trying out to be a Sounders Woman, KJ is relishing the chance to write about it:

“I’ve written recaps for our team Silver FC on their Facebook page. I never thought of playing pro soccer until this competition. I am looking forward to having the opportunity, and to say I’ve done it. It will be a big highlight in my soccer life for sure.

Obviously I’d be delighted and honored to make the team but if I don’t, the chance to tell everybody about the experience would be the next best thing.

I’d also like to tell some of our older kids about the experience so that if they ever have the chance to try out for a pro team, they have some idea beforehand what to expect. This experience will make be a better coach and the writing about it aspect will make me have to think more deeply about soccer,” she said

The Sounders Womens tryouts take place tomorrow and applications close at 3pm today. You can register before then here.

The season starts on April 14 and season tickets are now on sale.

More on Womens Soccer

*HELLO SILVER FC!