BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Soccer player Dayna Corelli never gives up,
and that attitude has helped establish her as a rising star in
the provincial scene.
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Dayna Corelli is a wonderful
example of brains plus athletic ability. With an A+
average, the soccer star might also climb into the
national soccer scene. |
Corelli's never-say-die attitude landed her a
spot on the Team Ontario U-15 squad; a team she tried out for
last year, but was cut.
Corelli, 15, helped the team win a gold medal
at the Rocky Mountain Cup in Alberta recently, and it left her
beaming about the accomplishment.
"When I didn't make it the first time, I was
disappointed," said Corelli. "It was really hard to take
because it was something I wanted to do. I kept working hard at
it because I knew I would get my chance."
After digesting the bitter misfortune and
regrouping her efforts, Corelli was able to make the team
thanks, in large part, to Brian Ashton, the Northern Regional
head coach with the Ontario Soccer Association.
"I saw Dayna two years ago at a tournament in
Toronto and I thought she would make the provincial team, but
she wasn't strong and was small," said Ashton. "She grew and
got more confident, and without question, she puts her heart
and soul into everything she does. It's hard to find a kid like
that. I told the provincial coach there was a girl in Sudbury
that deserves a chance for the U-15 team. So...she buckled
down... did the training on her own...and got it done."
Ashton's help wasn't lost on Corelli.
"Training with Brian really helped me
accomplish this feat," said Corelli.
Corelli currently plays for the Sudbury
Panhellenic 1990 girls' squad. Her zest makes Corelli an
intriguing prospect.
"Dayna is almost the perfect package," said
Giuseppe Politi, head coach of the 1990 squad. "She's a great
leader and gives 110 percent all the time. I can't ask for
more. She deserves anything she's going to get out of
soccer."
Corelli is the main cog in the 1990 team.
"Dayna never gives up," said Politi. "She's the heartbeat of
this team. Dayna keeps everybody in line and leads by
example."
Winning gold meant plenty to Corelli. "It was
really nice to do because I have never been a part of something
that big before," said Corelli. "It was special. I learned a
lot about soccer, but I also learned a lot about myself as a
person. It was physically, emotionally and mentally demanding,
but I came back a stronger person and player."
Because of the whole experience, Corelli will
never have to look long for motivation if she has any
setbacks.
"I will always remember how hard it was to
take getting cut the first time from the team," said Corelli.
"So whenever it gets tough, I just think about what I have had
to go through to get here. And now that I actually have it, I
am not going to give it away."
Corelli's inclusion on the provincial squad
could mean a bright future.
"Dayna making that team shows nothing is
impossible," said Ashton. "She's now opened doors for herself
to bigger things. Dayna could be possibly playing for Canada
next year if scouts see her, and that would be a first for
Sudbury."
If soccer some how doesn't figure into
Corelli's future, she can always fall back on her academic
ability. Corelli, who attends St. Benedict, had
averages of 96 and 95 in her first and second
semester this past school year.
