USL Feature Article
Hampton Roads Website – www.hrpiranhas.com

Thursday, March 21, 2009

“You know that line in the movie A League of Their Own? The one where Geena Davis is quitting the team to go home and she says the reason is because ‘it just got too hard?’ Tom Hanks, her coach tells her, ‘it’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It’s the struggle that makes it great.’ That line sums it up as to why we persevere, if it were easy everyone would do it.”

That’s how Marcie Laumann, President of the only remaining USL W-League franchise from the inaugural season in 1995, sums up 14 years and counting of Hampton Roads Piranhas soccer.  

Piranhas History
In more detail, the Piranhas story began four years before the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

“When I told my friends back in 1995 that I wanted to own a women’s soccer franchise they all said, ‘a women’s what,’” said Laumann. “Back then, we were somewhat of a novelty. We were the underdog and the community rallied around us to help us through the first few seasons. The funny thing is, they never got tired of supporting us and continue to be our source of energy today. The 1999 Women’s World Cup changed all of that as far as public perception and awareness of the game, but we were still on the lower end of the respect totem pole when it came to local sports franchises.”

The Piranhas start was slow, just like any franchise’s beginning. The women ended the 1995 season with a 0-6-0 record under the coaching of Joanie Murphy. Despite the slow start, the Piranhas win total steadily increased for several seasons – from zero in 1995 to five in 1996 to seven in 1997 and to 10 in 2001. Then, the Piranhas put together the season of all seasons under Head Coach John Germanos in 2003.

That season the Piranhas posted a 14-0-0 record, scoring 33 goals and only giving up five goals to opponents.

“We won four or five games in overtime during the regular season that year,” said Laumann. “That entire team had a great personality about it. We were like a great recipe together – if you take out one ingredient it’s still good, but just not the same.”

On Sunday, August 10, 2003, the Piranhas captured their first and only W-League Championship, beating the Chicago Cobras 1-0 in overtime.

“In overtime of the W-League Championship game here in Virginia Beach, we were playing a tough Chicago team and they were just an amazing defensive team,” said Laumann. “The only goal of the match was scored on a play that started with a sweet back-heal pass from Nettie Hibbs to Janet Davis. Davis hit a one-touch shot that hit the post and ricocheted right back to Mercy Akide. She buried it into the corner of the net and the next thing I remember, I was surrounded by my players. The fans went wild. I dropped to my knees and finally exhaled. Seconds later, we were soaked in champaign. A moment like that can only be experienced once.”

The Piranhas carried the momentum of the W-League Championship into the 2004 season before ending their club record 21-match win streak with a 1-1 draw against the Asheville Splash on Saturday, June 26. That season the Piranhas qualified for the postseason with a record of 12-1-1 before bowing out of playoffs in the Atlantic Division Championship match via a 2-0 loss to the Charlotte Eagles.

In the five seasons since the Piranhas championed the W-League, the side has continued to build a tradition of excellence, compiling a record of 31-28-7 over that span while collecting numerous accolades off the field. Those awards include Laumann’s W-League Executive of the Year Award in 2001 and the Piranhas W-League Organization of the Year Award in 2003. Laumann was also the first recipient of the Archie Moylan Award in 2000, which recognizes a person’s outstanding courage or humanitarianism.

“The game itself has evolved and the players are head and shoulders above where they were 15 years ago,” said Laumann. “But as a franchise, it is still a struggle every day to compete in the sponsorship and media coverage arena with other local sports teams.”

2009 Season
A force in United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League and Super-20 League since acquiring affiliate franchises in 2007, the Hampton Roads Piranhas will sport a new logo, their third in the club’s history, to celebrate their 15th anniversary.

“The best or most fulfilling part about this team has been the relationships I have formed with hundreds of players all across the world,” said Laumann. “We have had over 180 players suit up for the fish and I am always proud to see how far they have gone both on and off the pitch.”

“We are working on locating all, or as many of our former players as we can,” added Laumann. “We want to have an alumni reunion this year and have as many as possible come back for the celebration. The impressive thing is how tough it is to find them all because they are from so many different countries.”

The Hampton Roads Piranhas W-League team will kick off their 15th season on the road in Charlotte on Friday, May 8. That match is set to begin at 5:30 PM. For season ticket and schedule information visit the Piranhas web site at www.hrpiranhas.com.

The best of the Hampton Roads Piranhas
In the 184 games the Piranhas have played in the W-League since 1995, many goals have been scored and assists have been recorded, but off the field many friendships have been established and many  anecdotes have been weaved. USLSoccer.com asked Laumann to tell us about the best –

The best road trip…
“Due to a mix-up with our travel agent back in 2001, our flights to Florida were never booked. We didn’t learn about this until four days before we were supposed to be in Tampa to play. At that point tickets would have cost us over $800 per player and we could not afford it. SO....we called a sponsor who I knew had just purchased a brand new huge RV. This baby was tricked out with a satellite dish, full kitchen, and an amazing stereo system.

We loaded up the RV and had the best road trip ever with our full team down to Florida. I cooked Italian along the way and we pulled over and ate dinner at a rest stop some place in the South Carolina. We played in Tampa and won, and then drove over to Jacksonville and won again. The team showered and ate and Doc [Laumann, Marcie’s husband] drove 16 hours straight through to get us all home. I stayed awake with him and made sure he had an endless supply of coffee and Mt. Dew. None of us will ever forget that trip.”
-ML

The best player…
“Mercy Akide Udoh was on the cover of the Women’s World Cup program in 1999. A FIFA World All Star, three-time Olympic athlete, and three time World Cup player. Now, she is married with a baby girl, a future Piranha, and she still scores goals for us while carrying three defenders on her back.”
-ML

The best defender…
“That’s a toss-up between Florence Omagbemi and Jacqulyn Raveia.
-ML

 

The player with the greatest commitment to the Piranhas…
“Carrie Proost a.k.a. "Toast" played for me nine years before we won a championship and stayed with the team through the 2007 season, a total of 13 years. Many times she would commute back and forth from Richmond, Harrisonburg, or even Tennessee when we needed her. We are retiring her number (15) this season and it seems appropriate, being our 15th anniversary. We have only retired one other number in club history, the number eight worn by Sandy McQuerry. She played for me from 1995-1998 and then came back to co-coach the team in 1999. She missed two training sessions and zero games in the four years she played for us. She started every game as well.”
-ML

The best superstition…
“In 2003, after the first win of the season, we were at Hometown Heroes, a local sports pub where we have gone for team meals since 2001. I made a toast about the first win and our players all sang their national anthems one at a time. We had five different countries represented, and not a singer among us. From that point on we became very superstitious about me making a toast and the players singing their national anthems after each win to keep the streak alive. We went 23 games without a loss so hey, we just keep toasting and singing.”
-ML

The best thing about the W-League…
“I believe in the opportunities the W-League presents for young women who are chasing their dreams. I also believe we have a major responsibility to our community to provide strong, determined, approachable role models for young girls and boys that look to our athletes on and off the pitch as a source of inspiration.

If you don’t think our country needs role models for our kids watch SportsCenter. Most of the time you can’t tell if you are watching ESPN or Court TV. We live in a time where the honor and glory of sport has been trampled by an attitude of entitlement. That is just wrong.

As long as I can keep a team going that will never be the case with the Piranhas or any player that suits up for the red and white. I believe being a part of a team is one of the greatest experiences a person can have. I get to do that every year when my team takes the pitch.”
-ML

The best advice for a young franchise…
“Be aware of what you are getting into. I have seen literally hundreds of minor league teams come and go in our 15-year history. Many of these teams start with a huge burst of enthusiasm and think if they throw a bucket-load of money into their franchise they will be successful. Unfortunately many of them realize after a year or two that the amount of time, energy, money and commitment is just too much for them.

You’re only going to make it in this business if you establish honest and sincere relationships with everyone involved with your franchise, including your players, coaches, volunteers, employees, sponsors and fans. There is no room for ego in this game, so if you are not prepared to suck it up and give everything you have, including mortgaging your house, selling your car and working two jobs, to make your franchise a success, you probably will not be around long enough to become a 10+ club.

You also have to have a partner and a family that backs you 100 percent and understands the stress and commitment that goes along with building a franchise into a legacy. Doc and I are partners with everything we do, but we are an exception. The sort of stress you go through when the team is struggling would tear most couples apart. It just makes us closer and more determined in our effort to make the Piranhas successful.”
-ML

 

Laumann’s Background
“I am an entrepreneur at heart. I owned several businesses before the Piranhas. As far as soccer, I did not start playing until high school. I played briefly in college, but women’s soccer was a club sport at Old Dominion then. I just fell in love with the game. I played goalkeeper and continued playing four seasons per year in local women’s leagues.

I am a very competitive, passionate, driven person and after nine concussions my doctors told me to either stop playing so rough, or quit. I had several eye surgeries due to complications from being a lifelong diabetic. They told me no more diving and tackling on the pitch. I chose to quit because I didn’t know any other way to play.

That has been my attitude toward most everything in my life. Either go big or go home. To me each day is a gift. When I wake up in the morning I truly am thankful for another 24 hours to live, laugh and love what I do. I think too many people become creatures of habit and live their lives half awake and daydreaming of something else they would rather be doing.

I have never had a fear of failing at anything, but regrets scare the devil out of me.  I have no problem saying ‘well it didn’t work but I sure gave it all I had.’ I just do not ever want to look back and say what if. I would rather slide into my grave head first totally worn out screaming ‘what a ride.’”
-ML