Holiday Greetings from the WNY Flash!
McCall Zerboni:
"Heyyyyy peeps. Happy Holidays!!! oh em gee this is totally my favorite time of the year (aside from WPS season of course ;)
Right now I am back in Cali with my family, sooo enjoying the opportunity to be with them. Incase you didn't know, i have thee largest family in the universe so it takes me FOREVS to pick out gifts for everyone, let alone wrap all of them (my OCD requires a minimum of at least 24 minutes on each present to get it perfect).
Tonight I am headed to dinner and a Christmas play with the family. It's a tradition we do every year, have a fatty Italian dinner and then go to 'The Christmas Carol', a wonderful live show that captivates the spirit of the holiday. We have been going since I was a little girl, I can even recite a lot of the lines in the play and sing along with the musical haha. But i don't. This voice is NO kind of addition to any play.
I will definitely be soaking up all the love here through the holidays and ringing in the New Year in style! I cant even express how excited I am for the new year to begin because that means another season with the Flash begins! 2011 was ours.... let's see what's to come of 2012!! You know it's super difficult to win a Championship, and even more difficult to defend a title right?? LOVE the challenge! Hope yall are gettin' pumped, gettin' your tickets, and gettin' your gear! We will def need you all to take on this big challenge for 2012. Such a thrill.
I'll be back again in NY soon to enjoy the amazing community and people, train my booty off at Sahlen's Sports Park and prepare for a top-notch season my 4th year as a pro! :)
Until then... enjoy all the love and blessings around you. Tis the season! Ho Ho and more Hos! :-P
much love!!! XoXo"
Here's a pic of like 1/100th of the fam....my beautiful mummy (Lindy) my little brother (Gage) and my younger sister (Greer) in front of our Christmas tree! :)
Becky Edwards
"Hi fans! First, I want to thank you all for your continued support in backing WPS. Thank you for the opportunity to continue to live out my dreams and work towards another championship! After a long year of soccer, I went on a relaxing vacation to Mexico. I had an amazing time snorkeling, boating, and swimming in the beautiful 85 degree weather. I feel refreshed and I am now home enjoying the holidays with my family in Pennsylvania. It will be a quiet Christmas with just a few family members coming over to my parent's house. My favorite parts are my Mom's home cooking and all of the family board games. I am off to Florida after the holidays to begin training for next season. 2012 will be another great year for the WNY Flash, and we look forward to defending a championship with the support of the best fans in WPS! I can't wait to get back to Buffalo for preseason and reunite with my teammates! Happy holidays to you all!"
Manya Makoski
"Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of the Flash fans! I cannot wait for the 2012 WPS season to start. For this offseason I have been working my hardest to be ready for an awesome season with the Flash. I have an amazing indoor training facility, UAC Stratford, here in Connecticut, where I workout with some other professional players. I have been lifting weights, doing my cardio, and playing pick-up. My offseason job is just as fun. Along with the other professional players I train with, I coach for a female only coaching academy called girlsCAN Football. It has been such a rewarding experience so far, as we have been developing many players, from five-year-olds all the way up to seniors in high school. We share our professional experiences with them, on and off of the field. In my free time, whenever that is, I like to drink Starbucks lattes, eat and sleep.
For the holidays I will be spending time with my family: my mom, Mary, and her boyfriend; my two brothers, Milton and Marek (we all have names that start with "M", cute I know!); and my sister-in-laws, Mindy and Coleen (we should change her name). Our Makoski family Christmas tradition involves eating lots of home-cooked food and dessert and exchanging well-thought out presents. For New Year's Eve, I go to a labyrinth with my mom to reflect on the past year. I am hoping for a mild winter, as I really dislike cold weather. But it would be so wonderful to have the first snowfall on Christmas. See you all soon! - Monz"
Allie Long
"I'm thankful to start my new year off by being part of the WNY Flash! New year means new me. The past two and half months I have been in Paris, France playing with the club Paris St. Germain. It is my first time ever being over seas and I feel lost almost always. I love Paris but I can't wait to get back to Long Island to my family and friends for the Holidays. As soon as January first comes I have a flight back to Paris to continue my season with PSG until the WPS starts. Happy Holidays!!"
Ashlyn Harris
Whitney Engen
"Hey flash fans! My holiday season has been jam packed so far! I just finished up a 17 day camp with the US National Team in Los Angeles along with WNY Flash teammates Ashlyn Harris and Alex Morgan. Luckily for me I only had a short drive home (like 5 miles) from where we were staying to my home here in Los Angeles. I am going to be spending my holiday with my family and am looking forward to the delicious meals that we prepare. Food is a big part of Christmas at the Engen house and it is always exciting to eat our "family favorites" on Christmas eve, Christmas morning, and Christmas day! Don't worry, it is not ALL eating! We are a super active family and usually do some sort of fun activity on Christmas day whether it is a long bike ride along the beach or a few competitive games of paddle tennis!
My favorite part of Christmas is when someone opens a present from me. I find that trying to buy a gift for someone is a lot of fun, especially when you know them well. My Christmas shopping was a little delayed this year because of camp but somehow I have managed to pull it all together!
Wishing you and your family the happiest and healthiest of holidays and I can't wait to see you all out on the field for WPS 2012!!
Go Flash!"
Brittany Bock
"Hey Flash Mob and WPS fans! I hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday season so far and are able to spend this very special time of the year with friends and family and those you love! I have been traveling a lot since the championship game- training and getting ready for the 2012 season; between my home in Naperville, Notre Dame, Denver, Phoenix, LA, and Alaska its been a busy but fun last few months. I am so happy to be back in my hometown, Naperville, with my family now! I love the warmth of my house during the holidays... With Christmas music on, candles filling the rooms with that winter aroma, and decorations bringing the Christmas spirit, we've been baking goodies, wrapping presents, writing Christmas cards, making gingerbread houses and just relaxing with a hot cup of hot chocolate or coffee. I've had a few Christmas parties this season and man am I loving all these amazing foods and desserts! I'm in trouble for Christmas Eve because Grandma and Grandpa and cousins from Florida comes in and bring the most delicious treats that I just have no self control over eating! Tomorrow (12/24) we all meet for a brunch at our favorite breakfast spot and then head to my house for games and visiting. Our best friends, the Cunningham's make it over for a few hours to join in on the competitive afternoon:). We then head over to Church at St. Raphael about an hour early to get seats, listening to the choir sing Christmas songs and visiting. On our way home we always look at all the Christmas lights through a bunch of neighborhoods and when we get home we always JUST miss Santa! I'm bummed we won't have a white Christmas this year, but so fortunate to be spending the Holidays with my family and close friends... What more could I ask for? Well maybe just one more thing, my boyfriend! He plays pro hockey up in Anchorage, AK for the Alaska Aces and between his crazy schedule he is able to fly home for 2 days:). I will be spending Christmas day with his family and then heading back on a direct flight from Chicago to Alaska early on the 27th!!!! I guess I shouldn't complain about snow because we are going to have plenty of it up there! Through all of the crazy shopping, baking/cooking, and normal stresses of the Holidays its nice to sit back and enjoy family time and reflect on the true Spirit and meaning of Christmas. I have so much to be thankful for and am so blessed. It's been an amazing year and I am looking forward to a happy and healthy 2012! Merry Christmas to all of you out there and have a wonderful New Year! Be Blessed!"