Profile on Rachael Safirstein (Sting Coach)
Written by ESNN (Elite Soccer News Network)<http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/component/option,com_topdrawer/Itemid,251/nid,7078/>

Coaches can be known to give somewhat politically-correct answers, so when I started listening to Sting Killer Bees head coach Rachael Safirstein, I noticed something other than the standard fare coming out of her mouth.

It was when she said that one of her main priorities in managing a team of young girls' players was to "celebrate their competitive fury" that I knew had met someone both thoughtful and innovative.

Safirstein is just 31 but founded this club on the northern edge of New York City six years ago.  The inaugural team of the club and its oldest, the now-U16 Sting Killer Bees, has won three consecutive Eastern New York State Cups.

Between her background as a player for the Texas Longhorns, her unbridled passion for the game and her uniquely thoughtful approach to player development, it's no surprise that Safirstein has had success. But the club continues as a work in progress, with three younger-aged girls now getting more of her attention as she hands the older group to a new coach (which in itself is a progressive move for elite youth soccer circles).

"It was time for another coach. My voice is worn out with them," Safirstein said succinctly. "I know how little I know about soccer, and for some of them, mine is the only point of view they have had, so it was time."

The talented group includes standouts such as Lia Bellizzi <http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/component/option,com_topdrawer/Itemid,262/pid,4422/> , Kerry Ann O'Connor <http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/component/option,com_topdrawer/Itemid,262/pid,4932/> , Amy Marron <http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/component/option,com_topdrawer/Itemid,262/pid,4931/>  and Liana Cornacchio.

Coaching change aside, the impact Safirstein had had on this group and will have on the others is undeniable, as evident from listening to her talk about the game, including the dual responsibilities of the player-coach relationship.

"Try to manage expectations. There is an emphasis on learning and developing. As much as teaching needs to happen there needs to be a commitment to receive it, and if that partnership breaks down, we have to reevaluate if this is a good fit. That partnership has to be there."

Safirstein has not had the benefit of a community soccer structure in building the program. Teams train in Yonkers and Dobbs Ferry, NY (Rockland County), but the foundation of her work has been laid with people.

"We don't have a big infrastructure behind our brand," she said. "It's been all on our own. There's not a town infrastructure feeding into our club. I've been very fortunate to find good people along the way, who want the Killer Bee model for their siblings and daughters."

Safirstein had returned to New York, her childhood home, after finishing her playing days at Texas. Her work in the corporate world was in for a detour due to the events of 9/11.

"After that I started thinking, along with a lot of New Yorkers, what would I be willing to do for absolutely no money, and then how could I pursue that with all of my might," she said. "It forces you to try and pursue your passion, so I took an assistant coaching job and a private school in Rye (NY) and I was giving private lessons for kids in the Westchester area. I guess things started spreading my word of mouth and there were a lot of referrals. That's how that first team got started."

In forming teams and evaluating talent, Safirstein tries to keep it simple, but singles out some traits that might not be on the top of the for a lot of coaches.

"Physically I always look for balance. They may be big or small, but the players that stand out to me have the kind of balance that enables them to do a lot of things on the ball," she said, and with the rest of her statement she takes on the whole freaking planet.

"After that the number one thing with young girls is to celebrate their competitive fury," she said. "They are so hyperconscious about coming off a little more competitive than their teammates, but in our environment we want to promote that, to show them it's not a bad thing. So the more meaningful we can make every little scrimmage the better. I really try to instill that. It's really hard for girls to rival their best friends, but we have to get over that for them to get better, so we focus on getting them better for the next game."

Safirstein points out that doing this means more than young ladies' learning a set of right answers to give.

"You have to tap into those personalities that will trickle down to your team in a good way," she said. "You can tell the ones who say it matters but then it really doesn't. The ones really mean it, it's really in their wiring and DNA, and they should be celebrated for that."

She doesn't just think of personalities affecting a team in a nebulous fashion, but also quite specifically.

"I think a lot of my approach with teams is dissecting personalities. You need to find that personality that isn't scared of failure, whether it's taking shots on goal or challenging or whatever it is," she said. "For instance if someone's personality is that she's highly responsible, she is probably a defender. So you look at personalities and you should be trying to build around them.

"Technically you can't ever do enough dribbling and working on solving pressure and those involve risk taking. But when it doesn't go right for them you don't criticize the risk-taking behavior. A lot of girls are too inhibited when they play and it's because of what happened when they were young."

Safirstein, who just finished her first season doubling as head women's coach for Mercy College, is a big believer that younger age group players will rise to the expectations given them.

"There's this notion that there is a blueprint and licensing classes and all that about what you're supposed to do and not supposed to do with young players. To me I guess that all went out the window when the USA didn't do well in the World Cup. I was hoping people would just step back and look at what we've been doing and what they do and think about it," she said. "My U16s are probably putting more numbers in a possession drill and there are some other differences in a drill as they get bigger, but my U11s hear the same thing tactically that my U16s do. They hear about space and time and they are able to learn that and it makes a difference to what kind of player they are.