Olympic Development selection wows Crawford

MOSES LAKE — After nearly seven months of gruelling tryouts and top-tier competition, Moses Lake resident Danielle “Dani” Crawford was named to the Washington State Olympic Development (ODP) program’s team pool last Friday.

“I was screaming and super excited,” the 13-year-old CB United 95 soccer player said of her selection. “I knew my tryout was good enough to make it. You could see who was standing out and I thought I stood out.”

Dani Crawford’s journey to the Washington ODP team pool began Sept. 21 when she traveled to the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash., for the first of what turned out to be seven tryouts.

Dani Crawford and her father, Dale Crawford, made the seven-hour round-trip journey to Western Washington. Each time the Crawfords made the trip to Tukwila, Dani said she had one thought on her mind.

“To make it back to the next one,” she said of her goal heading into each tryout. “I finally made it.”

Dani said she has played soccer for most of her life, and her father said the journey to the ODP pool has been a long one.

“Along the way she has skipped a lot of after-school activities,” Dale said. “It was a long path, a lot of hotel nights.”

Dani has shown determination both in the classroom and on the soccer field and her father said she is a better person because of it.

“She applies herself, not only in soccer but in school,” Dale said. “She has worked hard. Being the only one from Eastern Washington, she proved to herself that she can compete with anyone.”

Dani has played for the Columbia Basin United (CB United) soccer program for the past two years and when CB United Director of Coaching Jen Lee first saw her, Lee knew Dani was a special player.

“I think that from the first time I saw her play, I knew her level of tenacity was unparralled,” Lee said. “She is fierce when she wants the ball.” With Dani’s selection to the Washington ODP pool, she is one of the best soccer players in the state and Lee said Dani is qualified.

“I think it speaks volumes,” Lee said of Dani’s ability. “(The ODP tryouts) were open to all and they only picked 34. She is one of the top 34 in the state.”

According to Lee’s records, Dani is the first player from Central Washington to be selected to the ODP team. Dani’s accomplishment speaks volumes for Dani, her teammates and the CB United program, Lee said.

“It says that we are finally doing the right thing, because the athletes are here,” she said. “It says a lot about her teammates. It shows how good they are and how committed they are.”

Dani has shared the soccer pitch with her teammates for the better part of two seasons and she said her friends and teammates are proud of her.

“They are really excited for me,” she said.

Although Dani is excited for the opportunity to take her game to the next level, she said her feelings are hard to explain.

“There are not even words to really explain it,” she said of the joy she feels knowing she is a part of the ODP team. “It’s a good experience. It’s a step up. It makes you more skilled.”

Dani said she is excited for the chance to play with some of the best players in the area and she is looking forward to working with the ODP coaching staff.

“The best part is getting the coaches to see you,” she said. “These are some of the best coaches around.”

While Dani is only a seventh-grade student at Chief Moses Middle School in Moses Lake, her sights are set on the future. Dani eventually wants to play soccer for the University of North Carolina like her favorite player Mia Hamm did.

Dani and her ODP teammates will have all of April off because of the state soccer tournaments before reuiniting on Memorial Day Weekend in Portland, Ore. The Washington ODP program will send a pair of teams from the pool to compete against other states at the Nike Friendship Cup. During the Nike Friendship Cup, the top 18 players will be selected to form the Regional ODP team.