In just 10 days, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 will kick off when hosts Germany face off against Canada. The Canadian Women’s National Team’s right back, Rhian Wilkinson, was kind enough to take time from her busy training schedule in Rome, Italy to share her thoughts on the team’s preparations for the tournament, her transition from being a forward to a defender, and some memorable moments both on and off the field.

 

All White Kit: In the lead up to the Women’s World Cup, the CanWNT has been in camp since late March and you’ve played several friendlies. How’s the team feeling about the preparations so far?

Rhian Wilkinson: We have played in a number of preparation matches, and I think these have done a good job in letting us try out new tactics and combinations. Of course, the games allow us to pump ourselves up as well and we need this to begin peaking for our first game of the tournament. As a team we are feeling good about our preparations. With only two more lead up games to go [Editor's note: Canada defeated Hungary 1-0 and North Korea 2-0], we are almost there.

 

AWK: What will be key for Canada when facing your Group A opponents (Germany, France and Nigeria)?

RW: I know it is a cliché, but we have to take each match as one game at a time. We cannot get caught up in looking any further than our next game, our next opponent. We plan on winning each game we are involved in and this is the attitude we will bring into the World Cup tournament.

 

AWK: Germany 2011 will be your third WWC. What’s your mindset been like for each tournament?

RW: In the 2003 World Cup, I had only just made the Canada squad and I could not believe I was actually there, playing for my country. I was a little overawed by it all, but the team did extremely well and we punched way above our weight, finishing 4^th overall in the tournament. The whole event was an amazing experience and the feeling of elation was something I will never forget.

 

In the 2007 World Cup tournament, we had been experiencing a rough year. We had lost our form and we struggled against most opponents. Not much changed in the World Cup tournament; we did not do well. I left the 2007 tournament suffering from one of my lowest athletic mindsets. Like many on the team, I found it hard to find motivation and to perform consistently. This was especially so as the 2007 World Cup tournament came right after a poor performance at the Pan Am Games.

I enter into the 2011 World Cup tournament with memories of these two events in my mind. But, I have found new inspiration in my teammates, in the coaching staff, in myself, and even in the support and attention the team is now receiving. I go into this next World Cup with an understanding that we really have to experience the moment. We cannot allow the tournament to become so big that it overwhelms us. We know how to win and we have found the means to win. As a squad, we have great experience and mutual support, and we will not underestimate the importance of the event. We are looking forward to an international competition, an amazing event and I expect Canada, including me, will enjoy the ride all the way to the top of the podium.

 

AWK: How do you feel when your friends and family are in the stands? Will they be making the trip to Germany?
RW: To be honest, I sometimes don’t like knowing that my friends and family are there watching me from the stands. I tend to worry about them. For example, in the World Cup Qualifiers in Mexico, I had my sister in the stands – one of very few Canadians. Of course she was fine, but I was worried. In Germany, my parents and friends should be able to look after themselves. I am much less worried about the atmosphere there. They are all coming to watch the matches and I really appreciate the efforts they have made to be there for me and for the team.

 

AWK: Many players have gone on record about the quality of the coaching staff’s tactics, training drills, etc. What aspect of your game do you think has improved the most since Carolina Morace and her staff arrived?

RW: Our coaching staff has basically revamped how we play the game, and after many years of a different approach, this has not been an easy task. Personally, Carolina has helped me to become an enthusiastic and competent defender, and I have become a student of the defensive game and how to turn defence into attack. She has spent a long time working with me on my defensive timing and my analysis and understanding. For almost 20 years I played soccer as a forward. Fairly suddenly, I became a defender and it was quite a shock to the system. Carolina did not just throw me back there to learn on the fly. Instead, she took the time to teach me the position, to analyze video and the intricacies of the defensive game.

 

AWK: What would you say was the defining moment in your playing experience that set you on the path you’re on today?

RW: Making the 2003 World Cup team was definitely a defining moment. I had been on the fringes of the team for a while, but never seemed to quite crack the selection. Then in 2003, I was invited to join Ian Bridge and his youth team at the 2003 Pan Am Games where I managed to impress. This led to an invitation to the full National team. The day that Even Pellerud told me that I had made the team still resounds in my mind as one of the most exciting times of my life, let alone career.

 

AWK: Congratulations, you’re two games  away from reaching the century mark in career caps! [Editor's note: Rhian did so on June 14 against North Korea, the 8^th player in CanWNT history to make 100 appearances]. What are your thoughts on your WNT career thus far?

RW.: I can’t quite believe that I am almost at 100 caps. The number seems even less realistic when I look at those who have gone before to achieve this milestone: Charmaine Hooper, Andrea Neil, Randee Hermus, Christine Sinclair, Amy Walsh, Diana Matheson, and very soon Brittany Timko [Editor's Note: yup, on June 7 against Hungary]. I find it hard to believe that I am entering their company.

 

AWK: You grew up playing a wide range of sports, with hockey and rugby to name a couple. Ever been violent much?

RW: First, I should point out that my father insisted that my sister and I try many sports, and Rugby was one of them. He is a Canadian international Rugby player himself and wanted all three of his kids to give rugby a go. I played in high school and was very good at running the lines and then throwing myself out of bounds before anyone came near me, so I guess this experience helped me become a better evasive runner.

 

In winter sports, I LOVE skating and played both ringette and hockey for many years. I still miss skating a great deal. In all these sports I would never consider myself to have been violent. I think I have developed a real knack of showing up after any confrontational situations have resolved themselves!

 

AWK: I’d imagine that one of the most frustrating aspects of being a defender is going 1v1 against someone who’s known to dive. Are there any moments or perpetrators that stand out in your mind?

RW: I hate players who dive! There is diving in women’s soccer, but I feel that, in general, the women’s game is more about heart, 100% commitment and integrity. When I see diving in the women’s game it infuriates me. I don’t have any time for this kind of thing.

 

AWK: You have a fantastic blog that’s not only regularly updated, but is often the best source of information about what’s going on with the team. What got you started on blogging?

RW: The blog is mine, but it is a joint venture. Elaine Sun developed the site and my father maintains it. He publishes what I write or he finds reports on the internet. I try to write a journal everyday, although this does not always happen. There is an appetite for news of the Women’s National team – the number of hits I have on my site is testament to this. There is not enough news or coverage of women’s teams – thank you All White Kit for your efforts! Hopefully there will start to be even more coverage as we get closer and closer to the start of the World Cup.

 

AWK: Speaking of which, there are pictures on your blog of amazing mountain views and other gorgeous sceneries from your hikes. What are some memorable hikes you’ve gone on?

RW: I love to hike and I love to travel, and combining the two is definitely my favorite thing to do. My favorite hikes were ascents of Mount Kenya and of Snowdonia in North Wales. Even though I have done many hikes and enjoyed all of them, these two hikes stand out for their beauty and the experiences I remember in making it to the summit. I was blessed, too, that in Norway, while playing soccer there, we had magnificent hikes close by to breathtakingly beautiful mountains and fjords.

 

AWK: You posted some pretty impressive offensive numbers while playing for the University of Tennessee and Ottawa Fury of the W-League. After playing everywhere on the field for the national team, you’ve solidified your role for quite some time as the starting right back. How did the transition to defence occur?

RW: I admit to not liking the switch from forward to back for a long time. The transition from attacker to defender is a big one and not something I was overly pleased about at first. I played forward for both the Lady Vols and for the Ottawa Fury, but now I love playing defence.  In many ways, I have had to relearn soccer and I have enjoyed this new perspective. For over a year, every practice session was an eye opening experience. I had to learn again all my positional work, runs on and off the ball and how to transition. One thing I can definitely say is that as a former glory seeker up top, I now know that defence is definitely the tougher position.

 

AWK: Tell us more about being a Puma sponsored athlete.

RW: Puma has been great to me. I have been working with Puma for 5 years now and have really liked how well the company has treated me. I am well aware that for many sports brands and companies, to market women’s sport is a secondary concern behind sponsoring our male counterparts, I love how I have never been made to feel this way by Puma. Of course, it does not hurt that I love their merchandise!

 

AWK: According to your Lady Vols profile, you were Valedictorian of your high school class. It’s a bit of a stereotype that Valedictorians are relatively nerdy. Was that you?

RW: No, I don’t think I was particularly nerdy. This is a term that was more frequently thrown my brother’s way. I only started liking school at the end of Grade school, and to be very honest, I was not that good at it. I was terrible at math and sciences, but was always pretty decent in English, history… and of course gym. Getting to be Valedictorian of my graduating class was one of my greatest achievements because it involved academics. I was always naturally good at sports, but I really had to work my tail off at school.

 

AWK: You were born and raised in Quebec and Francophone players are considerably outnumbered by Anglophones on the team. Do you receive any friendly jabs about that?

RW: Ontario girls like to pick on Quebecers. However, I firmly believe that this is rampant jealousy. I love being a Quebecer. I love my home and my teammates can make all the jabs they want. They don’t know what they are missing.

 

Both my parents are immigrants, one from England and one from Wales. I suppose that this really means I am actually an Anglophone who happens to live in a Francophone province. Going to school in French was a real challenge for me and, I admit, it was not something I fully embraced straight away. Looking back though, I am so glad that I have been fortunate enough to learn two languages while growing up. I don’t think enough people in Canada take advantage of the unique opportunity they have to become bilingual. Speaking French is especially useful when your Italian coaches don’t think you can understand them. You would be surprised how similar French and Italian are.

 

AWK: As a veteran on the national team, what kind of wisdom do you impart on the younger/newer players?

RW: I don’t think I impart much wisdom. I would rather leave the wisdom part to Karina LeBlanc, Diana Matheson and Erin McLeod. However, I do hope that I am good at being there for anyone who needs someone to talk to, or if they have a specific question.

 

AWK: Due to the travelling you have to do as a professional and national team player, you’re quite often in shared living situations. How are you as a roommate?

RW: I am a terrible roommate. I am messy; I wake up early and I make noise; and I go to bed early and get mad if the light is left on, or if there is any noise. Thankfully I have roomed with Diana Matheson for the past 8 years, so she knows my shortcomings and my bad temper, and she is used to my egocentric ways.

 

AWK: What has been your favourite moment as a Canadian national team player?

RW: Beating China in the quarter finals of the Women’s World Cup in 2003 and beating Mexico to qualify for the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. Both these games were close, nail biting affairs. Once that final whistle blew, there was utter pandemonium out on the field- amazing.

 

AWK: It appears that you’re schooling your teammates in the card game Euchre. This is highly satisfying, yes?

RW: I love winning.

 

AWK: Fans have been treated to some really entertaining videos produced by the CanWNT. Are we going to see you involved in some singing, dancing and/or other shenanigans?

RW: When you have a bunch of bored people in long periods of dead time between training sessions, you never know what’s going to happen. Robyn Gayle is definitely the Spielberg of the team; you would probably have to ask her.  I am hoping that there will be another Barbara Streisand type of music clip – the last one was hysterical.

 

Many thanks to Rhian for spoiling us with such honest and detailed answers! Be sure to check out her blog to get more inside scoop on the Canadian Women’s National Team.