Merary Flores & Giezi Gonzalez Reflect On SCORES Experience
America SCORES Chicago’s K-8th grade programming isn’t designed to be a feeder program for its staff. It’s not set up like a Premier League club’s academy program model. Executive Director Amy Mummery isn’t taking a Nick Saban type recruiting approach to talent evaluation when canvassing SCORES’ alumni network of poet-athletes. However, when a poet-athlete alum finds his/her way through the doors of SCORES as a member of its team - there’s something poetic about the full circle way it works out.
Case in point, Merary Flores and Giezi Gonzalez. Flores and Gonzalez were poet-athletes who later found themselves leading the programs they were once a part of as students, now as full-time members of the SCORES staff. Flores was in SCORES from 3rd-6th grade at Eli Whitney, while Gonzalez took part from 3rd-5th grade at Daniel J. Corkery. Fast forward to the present day, they are set to put the finishing touches on their respective terms as Program Assistants and Coaches through partnership with Up2Us Sports, a national nonprofit whose mission is to engage, train and support sports coaches to transform youth, programs and communities. We took the opportunity to discuss their experiences through the lens of their unique perspectives. Below are highlights from those reflections:
Do you remember how you first heard about SCORES?
Giezi: SCORES was a recurring program at my school and my older brother participated in it, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps. It was a pretty big deal at my school because everyone wanted to play soccer through SCORES.
Merary: I heard about SCORES through my mother and godmother. My godmother worked at Eli Whitney and knew the resource coordinator there. The RC told my godmother all about the program, my godmother relayed the information to my mom, and my mom immediately had to get me into SCORES.
What made you want to be a part of the SCORES program?
Merary: The soccer portion was really what got me. Being able to practice soccer with my friends, and being able to engage with coaches and teachers. Knowing that I would be able to compete against other schools also drew me in.
Giezi: I have always had a passion for soccer and I still do, so that was what attracted me to the program right away. Being able to play soccer with teammates and compete against other schools was so cool to me. And the poetry portions of the program were all so new and exciting, and couldn’t wait to be a part of it.
Did you face any challenges when first starting?
Giezi: I was definitely a shy, quiet, introverted kid, which I still kind of struggle with now. Going up and performing poetry, you are very vulnerable, and that was an aspect of the program that I had to learn to get better at. But I got a lot of encouragement from teachers and coaches. I was not the only one who was intimidated by performing poetry, but we were all in it together and we just had to get up and do it.
Merery: I was not a good student, hahahah! But the thing about SCORES is that it gave me the opportunity to become closer with my teachers and commit to school. I really did not like school, but I had a couple of teachers who were also coaches, and they turned out to be huge motivators for me both on the field and in the classroom. Because I had that mentorship outside of school, I was able to take it with me into the classroom where I was more engaged.
What is a moment of joy that stands out to you from your time as a poet-athlete?
Giezi: Although I loved Game Days and the healthy competition, I remember playing a game with a bunch of upperclassmen and there were a lot of people watching us. The ball was going in and I slid and knocked it out of the air, and everyone went “OHHHHHHHH!” At the time, playing on an organized soccer team was still pretty new, so although it’s a small moment, it clearly gave me a lot of confidence.
Merary: Definitely Jamboree Day. That was something we were always looking forward to. What got me most excited about it was that we were able to play more than one game against a lot of different schools. Being able to meet different people, having your family there, eating with teammates - it was all such a fun experience. It was more than just soccer. It was a community coming together.
What made you want to be a coach?
Merary: When I went back to Eli Whitney as a tutor my freshman year of college, I saw that nothing had changed. The building looked the same and SCORES was not working in the school at the time because of funding. That’s what motivated me to want to be more than a tutor, and by chance, SCORES was coming back to the school. The whole thing inspired me to want to advocate for change. Our youth have a voice and I wanted to be a mentor for them because that’s what I didn’t have. Coaches change lives and that’s what I wanted to do.
Giezi: When I first found out about the coaching opportunity, I immediately thought back to when I was a kid and how cool it would be to be a coach with SCORES. I have always had a passion for giving back whenever I can, and this is something that I went through and believe in. So I wanted to be a part of it in the Little Village community.
What about being a poet-athlete helped you in the transition to working for SCORES?
Merary: Being a poet-athlete helped me to amplify my voice, which has helped me not only as a coach but in life as well. Writing and poetry gave me the opportunity to express myself in a way I didn’t know I had in me. When you’re a kid you love the soccer portion and maybe the poetry comes second, but you realize later that there’s a purpose to it all and it made me better. Because of my experience, I am in a better position to connect with poet-athletes. That there’s a greater purpose to all of this.
Giezie: The familiarity with the program has been key. I had been through it and knew I would have a unique skill set because of that. I remember telling my mom, my brother, some of my oldest friends, “Remember that program I was a part of, well I’m going to be a part of it now!” I formed great relationships with the coaches and people my age, and we still get together from time to time. It’s not about soccer as much as it’s about being there for each other, and keeping touch about what’s going on in our lives.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned so far in this role?
Giezi: Being patient, which was especially true during the pandemic. The program wasn’t designed for remote participants, so it was important to be flexible and patient with the tough circumstances we all faced. But because of those challenges, it forced me to be a better overall communicator.
Merary: The power of listening. Instead of lecturing and talking, it’s much better to ask questions and let the students speak. Listening to their point of view and giving the space to express themselves has been the best lesson I’ve learned.
How about your greatest challenge?
Merary: As a coach and mentor, you always think there’s more you can do. But I quickly realized that our boundaries are limited and there is only so much we can do. I had to figure out how to find the balance between being helpful and being too intrusive.
Giezi: The biggest challenge has been engaging students, obviously because of the pandemic. A lot of times I overthink if the students are having fun or not, but I learned to trust the curriculum and focus on individual relationships.
What was your favorite moment?
Giezi: Soccer camp mid-summer was such a great experience, because it was one of the first times I was able to play soccer with the students. Teaching soccer, seeing kids laugh - it was just great to get back and connect with our people.
Merary: The smallest things give me the most joy. Whether it's teaching a kid how to kick a soccer ball or hearing them say, “I missed you over the weekend.” The small moments are the best. Knowing that you made even one child happy is so fulfilling for me.
What advice do you have for a student who is thinking about joining SCORES?
Merary: Join SCORES because it’s the best! I would tell them about the program but mostly I would focus on how fun it is. They will travel to new places, meet new people, play soccer, write poetry, give back to the community, and learn about themselves along the way. I would also bring other kids into the conversation because rather than me telling them, I think it would be more impactful to hear it from friends their age.
Giezi: Do the program no matter what type of personality you may have. Everybody at one point was in the same position as you, so get out of your comfort zone and try things. That’s exactly what I had to do when I first started. It’s a fun program and you will get a lot out of it. All you have to do is try.
What advice do you have for current poet-athletes?
Giezi: Show up to every session possible and participate as much as you can! Once you’re out of your comfort zone, you’ll learn a lot and will figure out that you’re probably really good at things you never would have imagined.
Merary: Be yourself, love yourself, and love the people around you.
What skill did you develop, both from your experience as a poet-athlete and now coach, that will be most valuable to you as your professional career continues?
Merary: The biggest one would definitely be public speaking. I remember doing the Poetry Slam in 6th grade, where we would have to go up on stage and perform. That was an entirely new thing for me but I learned at that age how to get up in front of a crowd and perform. At the time I was shy but over time with practice, I got more comfortable with it. Because of those experiences, I feel at ease in public speaking in a classroom setting or on the field as a coach. It’s given me the confidence to speak to an audience - whatever that audience is.
Giezi: Public speaking and advocacy. Being able to use my voice and advocate for myself was a challenge for me prior to SCORES. Getting up and speaking in front of other classmates, coaches, and teachers helped me develop those public speaking skills. It’s a hard thing to do, but because I did it, it gave me the confidence to do so. My involvement in SCORES has also made it easier for me to ask for help and be vulnerable, because it introduced me to a new world of people who support me.
