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Camaraderie of team sports exciting

By KELLIE DIXON
Published December 12, 2006

Yuri Palhof, a junior sweeper for the Crystal River girls soccer team, is the Pirates' workhorse. She's a real beast in the back who can organize her defenders and make an opponent's mission - score - a downright challenge.

But Palhof brings a sense of calm in the midst of chaos. Coach Bill Reyes compared her poise to that of a firefighter and added that she would make a good one. Reyes, who spent eight years as a firefighter in Long Island, N.Y., should know.

Palhof doesn't really have to worry about her future just yet. But the junior did field a few soccer-related questions after practice last Thursday.

Why do you play soccer?

It's been my favorite sport even before I started playing when my brother was playing. I was 5 or 6 years old.

What about it do you like?

I just like running around and having the teamwork and passing. Some games are more exciting than others, but it's exciting. I do other sports like swimming and track, but they're individual sports. You just race, you're done and it's over. Out here, you're still playing.

How did you wind up in the sweeper position?

When I was little I used to play goalie. I was good, and they put me in, but I wanted to be out of the goal. So they pulled me out, and I played forward. ...Then (a coach) tried me at sweeper because he thought I was stronger.

Do you like it?

I feel more comfortable at sweeper because I know what I'm doing. I can only play forward when I really, really want to play forward. If I'm stuck in sweeper, and we're losing, I'll be like "(Coach), hey put me up, and I'll score."

A few times I've scored on defense.

What are you likely to be telling your teammates during a game?

"Push up." My defenders are pretty new, but they're really good for being so new.

What are your team's goals?

I think we're just trying to improve. We're trying to win as much as we can for the seniors because it's their season. It's really important to them. But we're trying to build the team because we have a whole bunch of new players.

[Last modified December 11, 2006, 22:56:24]