House of Speed Athlete Trying to get a Spot on Olympic Team

29th November 2011  |  WI, Green Bay

By Michelle Tuckner

Green Bay has produced two world-class soccer stars, Jay DeMerit and Lauren Sesselmann. After Sesselmann graduated from Green Bay Notre Dame, she played at Purdue and broke numerous school records. Now she’s playing professionally with the Atlanta Beat and internationally with Team Canada. She’s back home for the holidays and she’s chasing her Olympic dreams. She joined the Canadian women’s national team in September and as an outside defender helped them win the gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Mexico. Sesselmann had to earn dual-citizenship status in the U.S. and Canada.

“My father was born in Newfoundland. When I found out you can play for another country if your parents or grandparents are born in another country, I jumped at the opportunity. When I found that out, I went through the citizenship process. That took a long time. I tested the waters at first seeing if they’d be interested if I came in for a try-out,” Sesselmann said.

The dual-citizenship process took over a year. She got a little teasing from her new teammates.

“They make fun of me because I don’t know the anthem, but I do. I’ve been practicing it. They made me sing it before I’m allowed on the field.” And now she’s not only a canuck, she’s a gold medalist.

“It was my first experience in the Pan Am. We played three games. Played Brazil twice in the finals and won the gold. It was a surreal experience,” she said.

Sesselmann now has her sights set on the 2012 summer Olympics. The Olympic qualifiers start in January. She hopes to make the final roster.

“It would be a dream come true. I’ve been working at that since I was a young, always wanted to play in the Olympics or the World Cup. To be on the team now, it would be icing on the cake if I can go to the Olympics.”