World-class skills

Schnoor brings world-class skills to Tri-Nations in Australia

In the aftermath of the 2014 regular season for the Seattle Mist, opportunities were presented for several competitors to take their skills to another corner of the globe. With the chance to play football in Australia, Stevi Schnoor embraced the opportunity. Known affectionately as “Stevi Wonder”, she emerged as a key component on the offensive side of the ball for the Seattle Mist.

Competing alongside fellow Canadians Mary-Anne Hanson, Deanna Schaper-Kotter along with the Velludo sisters, the proud Canadian content on the Seattle Mist generated interest north of the border as well. With Deanna Schaper-Kotter, the two were identified by the soubriquet “The Smash Sisters”, capturing the hearts and minds of Mist fans throughout.

Having had the chance to live in Australia, it would prove to be a unique experience for Schnoor. Although a culture shock would have been understandable, the reality was that she embraced her new surroundings with a strong feeling of familiarity,

“I was in Melbourne, Australia for about three and a half months altogether. As for scenery and landscape, it had a beautiful funk coffee town type city, and some amazing beaches.

There was ALOT of similarities to my hometown of Vancouver, so I was not really culture shocked or anything when I got there, so I would say that the best part about Australia was meeting the girls from the team and actually creating really strong bonds and friendships with a bunch of them! The close friendships that were created while I was there definitely enhanced every part of my trip.”

Another unique aspect of Schnoor’s football experience in Australia was the chance to play with competitors had been rivals in the US. Franchises such as Las Vegas (a divisional rival for Seattle), along with Jacksonville and Toledo were among those that saw players compete down under.

Suddenly, the chance to become teammates represented a unique mutual growth in their playing careers. The end result was not only an opportunity to appreciate their skills and drive, but to get to call them friends,

“Well, two of my US counterparts, actually played on the same regional team with me in Melbourne, before the USA team came together. I had known one of the players very briefly as we played together on the Pacific Cup team in Seattle in 2013, but we actually ended up living together in Melbourne. When you put two athletes with the same mind set in the same household then only good things come of it.

Then, after we started to get to know one of our quarterbacks better and realized what an amazing person she was as well, we could not help but become the three best friends that anyone could have (3bftach- it is our inside joke as to why we got along so well). All three of us actually ended up doing some traveling at the end of our trip together!”

Eventually, the competitors came together and formed a national team composed of players from rosters based out of franchises in the United States. As the only Canadian-born player competing for Team USA, Schnoor not only held a unique distinction, but she had the Maple Leaf proudly in her thoughts.

With a group of individuals in Australia hosting an international event, competitors from the United States would grace the gridiron against two other national squads. One consisted of Australian-born players and another with residents of New Zealand.

“When Team USA came together for the tournament, I was excited more than anything because I had heard the names of my USA teammates. I had played against most of them, so I knew that they were all tough competitors and athletes.

We only really had one day of training as a team to come together but I knew that if our on-field chemistry matched our off field chemistry that we would be just fine.”

While the home field advantage certainly benefited the Australian squad, there were no losers in this event. The opportunity to organize an event of this magnitude, while ensuring that a remarkable number of superstars from the United States could participate only added a world-class feel.

Although a few Australian competitors such as Ashley Brasil and Shari Onley have competed in the United States, (Onley would win a championship with Chicago), there was still an overall feeling of unfamiliarity as the squads took to the field in the international tournament. For Schnoor, playing against teams from Australia and New Zealand for the first time in her career resulted in a positive impression,

“The level of play was pretty decent. When you take the “best of” in a region that has somewhat already developed the sport for a year, then you are going to get good athletes plus good play on the field. Just like in any sport, in any region, you are always going to have a learning curve. Plus, you are always going to have a turnover of new players, so you are constantly in a process of re- teaching and progressing. That was what I saw in the regional teams.”

“All quotes obtained first hand unless otherwise indicated”