Unique Torres is a survivor of domestic abuse, and came to SSUSA’s Sacramento program in 2014. Unique was program participant for two years and during that time lived in transitional housing. She played in three SSUSA Cup tournaments and represented the USA at the 2016 Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, Scotland. After her return from Scotland, she began giving back by volunteering for SSUSA Sacramento’s new youth program as well as re-entering the workforce with her first full time job in over six years. Here Unique talks about the Street Soccer skills that have been helpful to her:
Showing Up” and “Building Your Triangle” are the main “soccer skills” I have applied to build my success. Showing up to life every day probably seems like it would be a no-brainer, but having spent most of my adult life staying at home I had grown to believe I had nothing to show up for. However after getting involved with Street Soccer and showing up for practice every day for two years I built my “show up” skill and it made the transition of entering the work field that much easier for me.
But in order to even make it that far I had to build my triangle, a skill I learned from my teammates and coaches. To me, building my triangle on the pitch means being supportive, and adjusting my play to make sure I am there when I am needed and knowing that I have two other teammates counting on me. On the pitch we are all working for one common goal. And in order for me to even think about working I had to make sure I had my personal triangle set for me and my kids. I learned to build my triangle from street soccer.
I was able to attend 3 national cups (two in San Francisco and one in Philadelphia), and attended the Homeless World Cup in Glasgow in 2016. Taking these trips and rooming with women I didn’t know (in the beginning) allowed me to step outside my comfort zone. I built relationships and realized I wasn’t all that unique; that other woman had gone through similar paths to get to the point we were at. This led me to the process of trust, which comes into play in the “real world.” At work I am surrounded by people I don’t know, but am in close contact with, and I have to make it work because I will see them every day and work beside them.
Imagine meeting people from around the world all in one week. Everyone coming together for this unique opportunity, and then it’s all over. We come back home and have a choice to either continue on as we were or make a difference. I chose to make a difference. I chose to not let my experience go to waste. I chose to share my story when I can and hoping that I can make a difference.
When I had nothing my teammates were my everything.I love them and respect them for that. Street soccer is so much more than a ball and a game. It is family, commitment, loyalty. It is having a safe place to unwind. It’s a sisterhood. It’s life changing.
