Linda Gancitano was one of the ‘85ers I met early on in the weekend, and had the pleasure of sitting near her on the Asheville tour of the city ‘LaZoom’, organized by Stacey and the Asheville City Soccer Club. Linda and several ‘85ers were teammates at both UCF and the national team, and were so excited to be back together. While Linda didn’t share many of her accolades to me personally, I read about the incredible influence she has had on the game and continues to have on many youth.

In her education career, she notably started two programs that took off: “How Low can you go” a challenge for students to conserve energy. This brought her to the White House to receive a Champion of Change recognition with the Obama Administration. She encourages kids to get moving through physical education and find ways to save energy in the classroom and in their homes, a true motivator if you ask me!

She was such a great participant in all the soccer games and activities all weekend, and the first one to break into a laugh and participate in a game. A smile was never not on Linda’s face, and it lifted everyone up the whole weekend. Linda continues to visit and be a part of many US Women’s Soccer world cup kick off events, always excited to share more about the ‘85ers story and the love they have for all the women to follow.