In this, the final edition of Checking In With CanWNT, we've got striker Melissa Tancredi. The 31-year-old from Ancaster, Ont. tells us about building the CanWNT "brand", how she prepared for her massive showing at the Olympics, what it means to be in "Tanc mode" and what her future holds with the national team.
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What have you been up to since the Olympics ended?
A lot of things. I've been keeping pretty busy. A lot of appearances, speaking engagements, just showing up to different businesses and saying hello. A lot of camps, I've been getting into that. Erin (McLeod) and I started a camp called Grass 2 Gold, which has taken off a bit. We worked for West Van(couver Soccer Club) for most of December; end of November and December were coaches there. That's brought me back home.
Erin mentioned that she found it important to get involved with Grass 2 Gold to help fill in the gaps when it comes to player development in Canada. Do you feel that it's having a positive impact in that regard?
Absolutely, for sure. It became pretty evident that we were correct in our assumption that most coaches just let kids go out there and play, small-sided games and 11v11. There's nothing wrong with that, but we're also missing a huge opportunity to teach kids basic skills.
So Erin and I brought a lot of that, a lot of speed and agility, plyometrics work, a well-rounded routine for kids to experience at a young age. We were probably exposed to it at 16 or 17. It's a chance to give them a head start, not leave out the basics, and hopefully help them become a more well-rounded player.
You and some of your teammates have been with the national team for a long time, but now you're finding that you're suddenly household names in Canada. How have things changed for you personally since the Olympics?
Well, it's pretty cool, I must say, to be recognized on the street just by anyone. That's pretty surreal. I definitely couldn't have guessed that happening after the Olympics. The fact that we're all a brand right now, for companies to latch onto, a lot of companies want to be a part of our journey, that's pretty incredible. It's different.
We're actually treated like professional athletes. It's something we've wanted for a long time, and we definitely weren't expecting it, but we're embracing it. It's changing soccer in our country, for females especially, in a special way -- and we're glad to be a part of it.
You said you're now treated like professional athletes; do you think that wasn't the case prior to the Olympics?
I don't think many people recognized our team. Our team was not out in the public. It's always thought of as something that we didn't dedicate our whole lives to. But we train all year round, I don't think many people realize that. There's still people coming up to me saying, "wow, there's a Women's World Cup."
That's obviously a battle we have to deal with, being in Canada and being a hockey nation.
But I think now that we're more exposed and we have the funding as well, we're considered a professional brand, and we have to act like it and train like it. Times are changing, for sure.
London 2012 was the tournament of a lifetime for you, one in which you scored four goals. Were you expecting to have as big of a tournament as you did?
I knew that I was feeling good, fitness-wise. I think my problem in the past has been fitness. But I knew training in Sweden before coming in with the national team, I felt really good. I felt as a striker I was getting it, I was being a lot more dangerous than I was in the past. I think John (Herdman) allowed me to take more risks and do what I love to do, whether it be passing -- I love to pass, I love to assist -- it's just having a coach that allows you to be creative and allows you to take those risks in the final third and trusts you. That brought a lot of it out of me. I had fun out there. I've never had that much fun in a tournament, I actually enjoyed playing every single game, it was amazing.
You did have a pretty sweet goal against the U.S. in a pre-tournament tune-up, did that help give you a bit of momentum as well?
Yeah, I think so. Every single game, we were treating it as a preparation game, so we were treating it pretty seriously. You can date it all the way back to John's first day with us, against the U.S. That's when I started changing my game. Every game, I was trying to make an impact, and that was my main goal, to be an impact player at this Olympics -- not just to sit on the outskirts and enjoy the whole ambiance, but to go out there and give my all, and put this team on my back.
You made a big impact against Sweden -- it was your brace that kept Canada in the tournament at all. What was your thought process in that game, especially after the team went down 2-0 early on?
We came out flying, we came out dominating. And I pretty much had trust that we would do well. I don't think I had any problems with it. It was unfortunate we went down 2-0, we weren't expecting that at all, but we just stuck to our gameplan. Any other day, we would have just packed it up and just left the pitch, really. It felt like another 4-0 France game coming on, really.
But we kept on our gameplan, and I knew right then and there that we would have no problem getting back into this game. It just so happened we got our chances and I ended up finishing two of them. We just kept creating, kept the pressure on. I really like that game, that one gets me excited because we never gave up. From the very first whistle we were out there flying and we never gave up until the end.
Speaking of having fun, it must have been a boost having your family there. I remember seeing an "I (heart) Tancredi women" sign in the crowd a few times. Who was holding that one?
That's my brother-in-law. He made that, I think, in 2009 or '10; it's been with him for a few years. He finally lost it in the subway in London. It's a goner. But the family was awesome, I think I had 11 people there watching me and cheering me on. It was an incredible moment to share with them; that was probably one of the best tournaments for them to witness. But it's always great to play in front of your family and friends. There was a huge Canadian following for every one of our games, it was pretty insane.
I'm now picturing some random Londoner with the "I (heart) Tancredi women" sign up on their wall; they don't even know anyone named Tancredi, it's just a piece of Olympic memorabilia.
(laughs) Absolutely. I'm sure it's making somebody happy somewhere.
Now, athletes these days talk a lot about "beast mode", but a phrase I heard thrown around after the Olympics was "Tanc mode" -- is that something you think might catch on? Should we get t-shirts printed?
I don't even know what that means! I'm trying to think of what that would mean...
Well, how would we describe it? Let's say determination, enthusiasm, rugged play, timely goals... that sounds good, right?
I'm for it, full throttle! I would like to be in Tanc mode, every day.
You're always in Tanc mode, you are Tanc. It's your mode.
(laughs) There's a lazy side of Tanc mode, don't get me wrong.
Part of Tanc mode, as I said, would be that rugged play aspect, and that's led to a lot of confusion and allegations about a supposed incident in the semifinal against the U.S. So could you clear up, once and for all, what happened between you and Carli Lloyd in that game?
I'm getting tired, honestly, of answering this question because there was no intent there at all. If there were, she would have been injured, obviously. I'm a pretty big girl. But I would never do that. I think people misinterpret my physical play, going out there and win a game and win the ball for my teammates. That's not me.
There's no malicious intent in any of that. I'm not the player that goes behind the ref's back and takes out players, no. I'm going to fight you for the ball, that's my job. I want that ball. That has nothing to do it. I'm tired of answering it, there's nothing there.
So that's definitely not part of Tanc mode.
No, that's not Tanc mode.
Given everything you've been through with this team, can you describe the feeling upon winning the medal and getting up on that podium with your long-time teammates?
It's hard to explain it, but honestly it's extremely emotional. It's something people say you work four years for, but it wasn't even four years, it was my whole career. We've tried so long to bring back Canada soccer, and make it worthwhile for people to watch and make it a long-standing podium threat. This is just the beginning of it. It means so much for us to actually do something that any team hasn't been able to do since 1936.
It's a milestone for our sport, it's a milestone for our country and to be a part of it is an honour. To do it with that team, that team was incredibly special. Not to mention, a bunch of my best friends. It's like doing the coolest thing on earth with the coolest people you know. It was pretty neat to be involved in something like that, and hopefully there's more to come.
You hinted after the Olympics that you were done with the national team, but there you were in camp in December. So what does the future hold for you?
You know, if you'd asked me four years ago, I would have been done after this Olympics. I'd pinned that as my swan song. But I feel great. I'm feeling the best I've ever played. I'm still young, in my own eyes. And I have a lot more to give to this sport, not because I want to be there for 2015 -- obviously I want to be there -- but I think I can learn a lot more.
John and I have had the conversation where I've not reached my plateau in the "sponge factor" -- I can learn a lot more in my position, I can become a better player, I believe that I can bring a lot more to this team. And I will, hopefully, if I'm on the team in 2015. But that's my goal: I want to be a part of this team, and I want to still be an impact player when that time comes around.
It seems this year has really reinvigorated the team, especially in terms of that desire to learn. Do you attribute that to the new coaching staff and new techniques, or is there anything else at play?
I think it's everything, everything's just been a perfect fit: John, his staff, my teammates around me, everything's perfect. It's going in the right direction and it's rolling smoothly right now. When we came into camp, usually you'd have people who've been out partying, not in shape, not taking it seriously, kind of like taking a break after the Olympics.
But if you look at our squad, we were pretty much where we left off in London: our fitness levels were high, if not even more in shape for some of us. The passion's still there, the excitement's still there, the enthusiasm's still there, and that's just proving to me -- and to John, hopefully -- that this is a team that's 100% on board with whatever he brings us.
We're ready to go. Bring it on, let's bring on the next chapter, let's get even better. It's so awesome to see and be a part of, because I've never seen a team after such a big tournament -- usually you need some time off -- but this team's ready to jump back into it. That's pretty cool to see, especially if I'm a head coach looking at this team. We're going to be dangerous in three or four years.
Given everything that went on in 2012, if you could try to sum up the year, what would you say?
That is a tough one. 2012 was magical, honestly, it was absolutely magical, in the fact that you had all your down sides to it, but with every single feeling of awful emotion and sadness and regret and all these feelings that came aboard, if you look at what we've done and what we've achieved, it's magical. It's something that has changed the sport in this country forever now, and we've laid the foundation, it's something to grow on.
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