If you’ve ever seen 13-year-old Linae Larson on the court, you’d never guess that this girl has a competitive side to her, but as soon as she puts on a guard, a whole different person emerges.
Larson may be young, but she’s been playing power soccer for five years already. Currently she is a part of the Minnesota Northern Lights along with her brother Grant. It only took a news segment for the Larson family to quickly join the power soccer family.
“We heard there was a national tournament happening in Minneapolis, and after that season my brother joined, then I joined a few years after that,” Larson said.
Originally, they were on separate teams that competed against each other. Larson said that at first they were competitive going up against each other, but now that they are on the same team they work well together. See, who says siblings can’t cooperate?
For people who haven’t seen power soccer, there are no age limits or gender rules. Larson said that she loves that girls can be just as good as boys, if not better.
“I really like how competitive the sport is, and that girls can mix it up with the boys,” Larson said.
If you haven’t played against her beware. She might be small but she’ll bulldoze right through you if it means getting a win. One of her favorite power soccer memories involves her proving the competition that she is not to be messed with.
“I remember last year the opposing coach told them to push me around because I’m small. The next play I pushed right through their players’ guard and took the ball down for a breakaway,” Larson said. “Nobody is pushing me around.”
Although Larson wants to compete at a high level, it’s not all about winning for her. She said that it’s important for new athletes to get the strikeforce chairs so that they can compete at high levels too. One of Larson’s goals is to help create a grant so that people can get the chairs a little easier because she knows how hard it is to fundraise.
When asked about her current power soccer role model, she said it was a no-brainer!
“Lexi Heer! She is always ready to push the boys around and is not afraid to get in on the action,” said Larson.
Larson continues to work hard to become the best she can be. Her opponents better watch out because she’s not afraid of anyone!
