Isabella Osborne

Mrs. Susanne Thomas

UWRT 1101-024 Fall 2014
20 November 2014
Beginning to write this paper was actually really hard for me. I could not think of a good way to
start it, or even what question I wanted to answer about the Charlotte Womens Soccer Team. Finally
making up my mind I decided to just talk about how the team is a good discourse community following
Swales characteristics. After I began to write everything was just flowing. It made it a lot easier being on
the team, but I also learned a lot about my team when really thinking about how good of a team we are.
What our strengths and weaknesses are, things like that. I feel like I could not get my tense right, so if
anyone sees any problem with those please feel free to share. Hope you enjoy it!
In my second draft, I fixed the little grammar errors throughout the paper. I also added an
example of a post off of Instagram that the assistant coach, Robert Lane, would usually post. Another
part that I changed was the works cited page. I felt it was not how Mrs. Thomas wanted the works cited
page before. I also included Swales works cited and the Instagram post. Overall I am happy with my
paper and how it turned out. Of course, if there are any other recommendations please let me know.
Draft #2
Charlotte Womens Soccer Team: A Discourse Community to be Reckoned With
Imagine this. A long and wide rectangular piece of grass. The sharp cutting grass is not too long,
but not too short. On both ends sits a netted goal box. This rectangular area then has white painted lines
around it to really distinguish the space. Inside the space are even more lines. Lines to create a circle in
the middle, lines to create a half way mark in the middle of the rectangle, and lines at both ends to
create an eighteen by eighteen box. Then, at the very center, a ball is placed. All of this connected is
called a field. Now, imagine this. Twenty two players are on the field. Eleven on one half and the other

eleven on the other. This is the separation of the teams playing. One of the teams wears white shirts
with green numbers on their backs, white shorts with a green stripe on both sides, and then white socks
that go up to their knees. They are running in all different colors of cleats. On this team there is one
player standing close to the netted goal box. Four players standing close to the eighteen by eighteen
box. Three players standing in the middle in the shape of a triangle, and then another three standing
spread out from one another closer to the half way. Next to the field are two shelters with a bench
underneath it, one for each team. Here is where the coaches and other remaining players are sitting,
waiting to go in, or watching the game. The only other people that remain on the field are the three
referees with their whistles around their neck. Last vision I want you to imagine. Picture a stadium.
There are bleachers, concession stands, and a commentary box. There are fans sitting on the bleachers.
There could be ten fans, but then there could be over hundreds of fans. They view the whole field,
players, and surrounding area. They are the spectators waiting for the winning goal.
If you paid close attention to what I described to you, I would only hope you had been able to
picture a soccer field, with soccer players, and soccer fans. They all come together in order for this event
to happen. There is, though, something missing from all of this. Have you guessed it? Think of a sporting
event that you have been to. What is missing from this one that I described to you? SOUND! It takes
communication to make this game happen. Starting from one end of the field to the other, from the
commentators box to the last die-hard fan, from the coach to the referee, it all takes some type of
communication for a soccer match to really happen and to be a good one at that. The Charlotte
Womens Soccer Team is a soccer team that I happen to be a part of and also examined closely in the
last weeks to really see how and why they communicate. Not only do I want to express the importance
of communication on the field, but also off of the field. The ins and outs I guess is how I would describe
it. I will analyze the Charlotte Womens Soccer Team using, scholar and researcher, John Swales six
characteristics of a good discourse community which include: goals, communication tactics, lexis, and

the relationship between newbies and old-timers. My goal is to prove that Charlotte Womens Soccer
Team fits into Swales definition of a good discourse community.
The 2014 season motto is, All in. Now, I will explain this more. The team came up with this
saying to represent that everyone sticks together through thick and thin. They are All In on the field
and All In off of the field. On the field, it is important to know that when everyone plays they are
putting their heart and soul into that game. That no matter what they are playing for each other. This
also remains the same meaning for practice. At practice, everyone acts as if it is a game. The clich is
that you play the way you practice. Whether that being true or not, everyone still comes to the field one
hundred percent focused and in it for the team. It also actually has a lot to do with communication. The
rule is that if you have problem, need to get something off of your chest, or simply just want to open up
then it is everyones responsibility to help you solve it. All In. Get it now? Freshman, Martha Thomas,
says, All in is used for a team because they are a unit, and the idea behind it is so that every person is
All In one hundred percent and if everyone is always in it then they will work as a cohesive unit. If one
person is not one hundred percent All In the team will not be able to work efficiently. She then
described an example to me to how this motto works. Think of a table. A table typically has four legs.
Every leg has a purpose and the purpose is to keep the table from collapsing. If one of those legs breaks,
though, then the table will not be able to keep up straight anymore. Every leg needs to be All In in
order to keep the table upright. The reason as I described this motto is because it is the first and most
important goal for the team. After this goal, there are a wide variety of others that expand from the
field, to the locker room, and to the classroom.
Before every game, John Cullen, the Charlotte Womens Soccer Teams coach lays out the goals
for each game. These goals are to be left onto the field. Many times the players compile a list of
numbers that they want to reach during the game. Numbers always make everything feel more like
reality because then there is an actual limit they want to reach. Examples would be the number of goals,

number of shots on goal, and number of corner kicks given and taken. Coach usually likes to set goals
about being first to the ball, creating runs, and never giving up on a man. Game by game, the goals
change depending on who Charlotte is playing, but after every game how many goals the team has
reached is what is important.
The Charlotte Womens Soccer Teams locker room is not anything special, but it is the place
where the team eats, sometime sleeps, talks, and meets more than anywhere else. Even though they
are small goals, things such as keep your space clean and pick up after yourself are essential. The locker
room is the teams home away from home. I feel that any team would not want a messy, not well-kept,
and unorganized locker room. Also, the most important rule in the locker room is, Whatever happens
in the locker room, stays in the locker room. Many of the leaders of the team always say this before
each team meeting. There is nothing more that needs to be said. The other goals of the team are based
off of the classroom. There is a standard for the team of a 3.0 GPA, the expectations are always higher.
Being a student- athlete, school and soccer should always come first as a matter of priorities. The team
makes sure that everyone helps each other in order to make academic requirements. All three of these
aspects of goals helps the team become stronger and a better cohesive unit because not only are they
looking after each other on the field, but also off of it. Both are crucial.
Since already being on the Charlottes Womens Soccer Team, I already had an idea to how the
team worked on and off the field. Beginning my research of how the team communicates, I went
straight to the first thing that I was given as a new member of the team, which isthe schedule. The
schedule is everything that an outsider would need to put together what happens in a typical day of a
Division I soccer player. A typical week during the season is about eight to ten hours of practice on the
field, two hours of strength and conditioning, and then games, either one or two a weekend. I cannot
forget to mention, though, time for team bonding, team meetings, and of course, the most important of

all, school. This is what being a student- athlete means. With everything going on, and all dates and
times that needs to be remembered, how could everyone always be on the same page?
The team has many operations of communication. For someone on the outside, they would say
the team is pretty hectic, and I guess you could say that, but how the team gets information through
works for them. There are many people that Charlottes Womens Soccer Team has to get in touch to, so
thank goodness for Trevor Woods, the media relations assistant director. He is the guy who gives
information about the team out into the country. He is the one who makes sure that fans are coming to
the games, that people are being interviewed, and basically so that Charlotte is on the map. Twitter
account, @49er athletics is a major contributor to how he communicates with the college students. So,
if you do not follow the account, get on it! Another way for the fans to get in touch with the team is by
the teams home website. Here, anyone could find the roster, schedule for the season games, statistics,
and a media guide. All of the information about individual awards and team awards can also be seen
here. If you ever needed to get information about the team, this is where you would look.
Communication between the team happens in all sorts of ways, and this is how no one ever
forgets the SCHEDULE. There are currently three group chats on an app called GroupMe. Without this
app, I do not know how the team would ever be able to survive. One group chat is specifically for the
team and the athletic trainer. Renee, the teams own trainer, lets everyone know when treatment will
be during each week on this app. She needs to make sure that everyone is being properly taking care of
an injury, tweak, or just if an ice bath is needed. The second group chat is with one of the assistant
coaches, Kim Crowly. This is used for all the important dates that need to be remembered. Whenever
the team has community service, questions about anything in general, or when someone needs to get
into the locker room, Kim is the person to chat with. The last GroupMe is used only by the team. Here,
there are a wide varieties of conversations. Important conversations, but then some are just funny. It
kind of is like the locker room rule. Whatever is said in the chat, stays in the chat. Another

communication device that assistant coach, Robert Lane, uses is Instagram. This is used for the fans and
for the team. During the season, he will post many pictures about what the team is doing. Examples
would be like pictures of the team working out in the weight room, of the team practicing, stretching on
a day off, or even pictures of them warming up before the game. These posts are for the friends, family,
and fans of the team who like to see what their favorite 49er team is doing. On the off-season, or maybe
when the team needs a pick me up, Coach Robert will post a picture of an inspirational quote. This is an
everyday ritual for him to do. An example of a pick me up quote that he posted would be, What defines
us is how well we rise after falling. The post is an all-black background with white words. He posted this
four weeks ago when the team lost against Rice while traveling in Texas. This is only one of the many
quotes and pictures he has posted. If you want to check out the other ones, follow
@charlottewomenssoccer on Instagram. Even by ways of communication, you could tell everyone is All
In.
Language on the field is very important, if not just as important as the ways of communication
off of the field. The jargon of a soccer team on the field is typically the same for every soccer team in the
world. There could be a few plays to remember, but the language used on a soccer field is worldwide.
Even that being the case, Charlottes Womens Soccer Team uses it to create a better game of play and
focus. Here is a list of words and when the team would use them on the field:

Cross or Square- when you are on the right or on the left of a player and open to receive a pass

Support or Drop- when you are behind a player and open to receive a pass

Man (Man on) - say to teammate when an opponent is coming up on them from behind to

attempt to take the ball

No one- letting your teammate know that there are no opponents coming from behind

Time- letting your teammate know that there is space and time to carry the ball and to make a

decision on what to do next.

Line- when you want your teammate to kick or throw the ball down the nearest sideline

Mark-up- when you want your teammates to choose an opponent to cover defensively

Mine or Leave- when you want your teammate give you possession of the ball
These are just a few of the words that a typical high level soccer player would use on the field.

They may seem like a lot to remember, but when you have played for as long as some of the girls on the
team then they just come naturally. Specific words that Charlotte uses on the field for corner kicks are
City and United. These are plays that the team has come up with. Each one has a set a different runs
that the girls on the field makes, and so the team will know how that ball is going to be played in by the
corner kicker. Junior Monica Trickett says that, As being a defensive player, it is important to have
communication on the field because it keep everyone organized and also focused. Without the words no
one would ever know where to play the ball, or where to make a run. A soccer field can never be silent.
This relates back to as to why I had you picture a soccer game in the beginning. It is nothing without the
communication and sound of the game.
A major part of a college team is that every year people graduate for new members to come
onto the team. It is always important to keep on adding girls each year because if the coaches never
found anyone then the team would eventually die out. The process for the coaches in recruiting is
important because they need to pick girls who will make a great new addition to the team. These girls
will be filling in the spots of the people who had left, so they need to be able to click with the team and
have the right personality of the team. Every personality is different for each team. Coming into the
season of 2014 as a freshman of nine, I knew there would be competition at first. That, though, is what
the game of soccer is all about. Without this type of competition there would be no drive for the team
to get better. Even though we are a team, everyone is fighting for their spot. Junior, Caitlin Donovan, is
always worried about the newbies. She says, The coach hypes everyone up who is coming in every
year. It freaks me out, and makes me nervous because they could potentially take my spot. In the end,

though, it only makes me work even harder than before. This is a statement that many of the oldcomers would have to agree with. It is not too far from what freshman, Cannon Clough said either about
coming in as a newbie. When asked what frightened her when coming onto the team she said, I was
afraid they were going to eat me alive. Maybe, meant in a joking manner, but it is something that every
freshman does worry about in reality. Adding on to that she said, Even though I was scared in the
beginning, everyone is here for one reason and that is to play soccer. We are best friends now, and
sisters we will have for the rest of our lives. Being scared is sometimes okay because that means you are
ready to go out and make a difference.
Whether you are a newbie or an old-comer, every player on the team makes a difference in
some way shape or form. If it were not for the newbies coming in then there would be no team. Without
the existing members of the team then there would be no leadership or experience to play at a colligate
level. Being four, three, or two years older or younger really does not make a difference once the season
begins. Whoever has earned their spot in the starting eleven earned it fair and square since day one in
the preseason. Without everyone coming together the team would not even be a team. Whether
playing or not everyone supports each other no matter what year you are.
The Charlotte Womens Soccer Team is a community where goals matter and each other matter.
They hold accountable for everyone actions and makes sure that everyone is doing as they are supposed
to. There may at times be flaws, but when all things are said and done nothing can shake this team. They
communicate with each other will multiple forms. Whether the communication is takin place on the
field, in the locker room, or in the classroom the team stays connected. Every player, new or old, keeps
their eye on the main focus and that is sticking together through thick and thin. By using Swales six
characteristics of a good discourse community, I analyzed and looked into how good of a discourse
community the Charlotte Womens Soccer Team is. In my overall experience with the team, and based
on the facts, I feel that they fit into Swales discourse community. I mean they are All In.

Works Cited
Clough, Cannon. Personal Interview. 20 Nov. 2014.
Donavon, Caitlin. Personal Interview. 20 Nov. 2014.
Lane, Robert. (charlottewomenssoccer). "#BackToWinningWays #Compete #49ersWsoc" 24 October
2014. Instagram.
Swales, John. "The Concept of a Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic and
Workplace Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21-32. Print.
Thomas, Martha. Personal Interview. 20 Nov. 2014.
Trickett, Monica. Personal Interview. 20 Nov. 2014.