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How Lessons Learned From Being Cut Can Pay Off In Later Life

By Positive Coaching Alliance, 08/25/17, 1:30PM PDT

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Former Olympian and world cup soccer player Danielle Slaton explains how being cut from a team paid off later in life.

Danielle Slaton (@DanielleVSlaton) is a Positive Coaching Alliance Trainer (workshop leader), who played soccer for the U.S. Women's National Team from 2000-2005, earning a silver medal in the Olympics and a bronze in the Women's World Cup. She played professionally in the WUSA, where she won a championship and was the league defender of the year in 2002. She also played professionally in France, and earlier captained her Santa Clara University team to the 2001 NCAA title. There, she was a three-time All-America and she was named the 2001 NCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year.

After her playing career, Danielle coached at Northwestern University and earned her Master's Degree in Sports Administration. She now serves as a soccer analyst for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports, as well as director of Santa Clara University's Jerry Smith's Coaching For Life Academy.

How Lessons Learned From Being Cut Can Pay Off In Later Life

In the above video, Danielle explains how she became grateful for having been cut from the 2004 Olympic team. Although it was painful at the time, she recognized that she had given her best and could be satisfied with her effort and the coach's decision. Plus, the experience paid off in a major way after her playing career as she adjusted to workplace realities, such as facing the possibility of lay-offs at at a company where she was employed.

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Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) develops BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE through resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes. PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver live group workshops, online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson that help those involved in youth and high school sports create a positive, character-building youth sports culture.

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