In celebration and honor of all fathers on this special holiday, we asked Thorns FC's goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom and Katherine Reynolds to tell us a little about their relationship with their fathers and how they've had an influence in their lives.
BRITT ECKERSTROM
How has your father helped propel you to who you are today?
"My dad’s awesome. Before each game he always says 'play hard, have fun' and that’s just the messages he sent to us: Be the best we can be but enjoy it and enjoy every minute you have on the field and doing what you’re doing. He also raised us just to never complain—he’d never allow us to do any complaining or whining or whatever, and that has always kind of carried with me."
Do you have a fun story of your dad that tells his character?
"I have lots, but I guess he’s also a perfectionist himself. So, when we were younger, we’d go Christmas tree shopping and he’d bring the Christmas tree home and he’d want it to be just perfect so he’d trim little pieces off different places of the tree. My mom would always get annoyed because it would take a really long time to get it all the way up and get it all decorated, but he would drill holes and stick other little pieces that he’d cut off to make sure that it was just the right way so that our family could all enjoy it."
KATHERINE REYNOLDS
How did your dad help you become the person you are today?
"My dad has helped me in so many ways, I was lucky that he was around a lot of my youth and he’s been so supportive in everything I’ve done whether it’s soccer or school or any other sport. He’s just always been there and always been so encouraging. So thanks, dad!"
Do you have any fun story about your dad that captures the essence of who he is as a person?
"I don’t know if it’s a really fun story, but I would just say in general he was always the one driving me to all of the tournaments. And there’s a lot of good memories from all of those road trips. He’s just always in the stands and I think that definitely describes who he is as a dad and a person. All my sisters—I have three sisters—we’re all lucky that he’s our dad."
