GETTIN' MY KICKS WITH THE MEATLOAFS
MARY M. REMUZZI   SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
Column: STYLE PLUS  Friday, November 27, 1998 ; Page D04

For the past 3 1/2 months, I've been hauling myself out of bed every Sunday to run up and down a field for almost two hours chasing around a little leather ball with a bunch of other "sick" men and women. I'm afraid I've also come down with the same serious infection plaguing Washingtonians of all ages: the soccer bug. Ever since my roommate Stef recruited me to play on a coed team last spring, I can't get enough of the sport.

If you had told me a couple of years ago, for example, that I would be watching the World Cup finals this past summer, screaming at the TV screen in amazement over France's win, I would have said you were crazy. But there I was along with all of my other friends, dancing around the room marveling at the players' skills, skills I've been trying to mimic on the playing field this fall. I'm a member of the coed soccer team Capital Crew, which belongs to the Capital Co-Ed Soccer League -- the only coed soccer league that plays in downtown D.C., according to commissioner Jim Sadowski. He helped start the league, which is made up of 14 teams with rosters limited to 25 players, about four years ago.

Most teams are evenly balanced, sex-wise; five women have to be playing on the field at all times. The league is split into two divisions: the premier, for the more hard-core competitive players, and recreational, for the less intense. The players affectionately refer to the divisions as the prime rib and the meatloaf levels. We're in the latter. The league has referees, two per game.  It's serious stuff.  But it's also fun. On my team, I've met some of the coolest people from a wide variety of backgrounds: engineers, nurses, teachers, consultants.  Angie, one of my fellow players, told me, "The soccer team has always meant a lot to me because I love the sport (I'm pretty competitive by nature) but also because of the friendships that have grown because of it. The soccer team has helped me develop a network of friends up here in D.C., which is nice since I don't have family near here." Definitely true. With D.C. being such a city of peripatetic types, it can be hard to find a social circle and meet new people. The bar scene gets old really fast.

And talk about an ego boost. Who doesn't love hearing their name chanted by fellow teammates when you're trying to dodge a competitor and dribble down the field or steal the ball away? You can't pay money for that kind of confidence hike. And they even cheer if you're not that good. Trust me.  The coed aspect of the team is also appealing. Some of my teammates have told me even they prefer playing on a coed team versus single-sex.  "Playing with men is more rough and tumble," says Tasha. With girls it's wussy." I tend to agree, although in one game I had a string of profanities hurled my way by a woman on the opposing team for being too aggressive. My elbows were apparently invading her personal space too much. Uh-oh.

Mike, one of the guys on my team, told me he quit an all-male league to continue to play coed because the men's league was "ultra-serious" and he "couldn't believe what babies these grown men were, always complaining, getting in fights, deliberately trying to hurt players on the other team. It wasn't much fun." He says he thinks men's attitudes are definitely different on a coed team. He says everyone plays hard, but at the same time, no one is offensively aggressive.
Mike says what he likes best about coed soccer is that "it is competitive while we are playing, yet everyone could care less when the game is over. Win or lose it was a good time."

Besides being so much fun, being part of a sports team is a worthwhile investment. It builds confidence, self-esteem, leadership skills and helps you stay in shape. Although I really wish they'd make those shin guards a tad more fashionable; they don't exactly flatter the leg.

And "The Dating Game's" Chuck Woolery would be proud of Capitol Crew. The team's produced a few love connections or at least solidified some. Ray and his wife, Susana, (before the baby), played together. "It's good to have that special someone playing next to you as a check on your intensity level," Ray says. Playing with women, he says, forces him to calm down and to enjoy the activity without getting too physical.

I've also found it interesting to observe the interactions between the sexes as my own sort of social sciences experiment. Many times before a game starts, the women will be off socializing, chatting away, standing in circles gossiping while the men will be warming up kicking the ball around. I've even gotten into trouble for being too much of a Chatty Cathy on the field. And, I even thought one of the men on our team, Rene was shy. Well, turns out he's not, at all, he just told me he's so into the game, he can't think about talking while we're playing. I'm trying to take some cues from his concentration level. Maybe I'll even be able to score a goal!

I'll have to wait till spring, though. We just got knocked out of the playoffs after making it to the third round. But, as far as I'm concerned we're still the best team in the league.