Soccer player selected as sports ambassador

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

Heidi Laabs-Johnson will represent Utah and the United States as a Sports Ambassador in Holland July 19-29.IC photo by Christine Young

DRAPER — Heidi Laabs-Johnson has been invited to participate in the People-to-People Sports Ambassador Program to represent Utah and the United States in Holland, not only as an athlete, but also as a leader.

Laabs-Johnson is completing her junior year at Juan Diego Catholic High School where she serves as a student ambassador. She began playing soccer at age 3, and has played soccer for Juan Diego since her freshman year at the school.

Laabs-Johnson was anonymously nominated for the program that was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during his presidency in 1956. President Eisenhower’s goal was to foster world friendship and understanding through one-to-one communication between citizens of different nations.

Following her nomination, Laabs-Johnson went through an application process involving an interview and the submission of letters of recommendation. As a result, she was selected to play on the women’s soccer team going to Holland July 19-29.

"The Youth Friendship Games are like a mini-Olympics," said Laabs-Johnson. "I will be there for 10 days. The first five days will be spent practicing. We will be split up into groups of 16 women per team. There will then be an opening ceremony presenting all of the sports from all of the various countries and their national anthems. The last five days will be the actual tournament."

To prepare for the overseas journey and competition, she was given literature about Holland, the language, soccer, the expectations of a student representing the United States, and the responsibilities that come with this honor. Preparation includes orientation meetings with local leaders and coaches, and in depth material on the proper nutrition, health, and fitness of a competitive athlete. Leaders stress the fact that these ambassadors are representing their families, schools, their different sports, and the United States.

"As ambassadors, our main goal is to promote peace through athletics, national travel, and youth," said Laabs-Johnson. "I was really intrigued when I received this letter, and when I was accepted, I was really excited.

At Juan Diego, Laabs-Johnson is a member of the National Honor Society based upon her 3.82 grade point average, her involvement in the student ambassador leadership program, and the hours she volunteers for community service projects.