Shepherdstown woman to make history on U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team

Girl Scout Troop 15006 attempts to play soccer with arm crutches at Morgan's Grove Park earlier this month. Courtesy photo
SHEPHERDSTOWN — One local woman will be making history on Sunday evening, as a member of the first U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team.
The U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team, which is part of the American Amputee Soccer Association (AASA), is set to play its first international match against Poland’s women’s amputee soccer team in the Amp Futbol Cup at the Hutnika Warsaw stadium in Warsaw, Poland.
For Shepherdstown resident Tracy Danzey, being able to participate in this event is a way to challenge herself physically and prove that physical limitations, like a leg amputation, don’t necessarily mean the end to living a vibrant life. After coming to Shepherd University in 1998 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Danzey was unexpectedly faced with numerous health complications, including one of her thyroid glands dying and contracting osteosarcoma in her right hip. She was forced to undergo a hemipelvectomy and undergo three years of aggressive cancer treatments from 2005-2007.
“I’ve been that young human who people have all the hopes in the world for, just as the foundation crumbles below you. You watch everyone’s gaze turn from believing in you, to believing that you can’t and won’t,” Danzey said. “And they’re right to think that. Because you [literally] cannot. Not in that moment. Grief is a physical and mental reality that cannot be muscled through.
“But there is another side to grief,” Danzey said. “It can transform into motivation, beauty and miraculous success.”

U.S. Women's Amputee Soccer Team members Tracy Danzey, right, and Sarah Evans pose for a picture together at their training location in Washington, D.C. Courtesy photo
With her playing in this international soccer game, Danzey will be proving the power of transformation in the aftermath of loss. Since her right leg was amputated, Danzey’s athletic prowess as a kayaker and competitive swimmer may have had to shift in focus, but most definitely not stop. She has remained active over the past 22 years, which has ensured her ability to successfully make it to the finalized women’s team roster at the AASA training camp in New Jersey earlier this year.
The U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team is coached by Dr. Emily Maxwell and Paige Palazzolo, who have been leading the team’s training in Washington, D.C. Danzey will be playing as a midfielder/forward alongside Sam Castillo, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Melissa Kendall, of Auburn, Calif. The goalkeeper will be Alexia Michitti, of Vestal, N.Y. The defense will be comprised of Katie Bondy, of Hilliard, Ohio; Sarah Evans, of Melbourne, Fla.; and Laquinta “Q” Haynes, of Columbus, Ohio.
“Amputee soccer is played on a three-quarter-size pitch with seven players. Field players use forearm crutches and play the ball with only one leg. Goalkeepers use only one arm,” said AASA representative Caleb Symons. “Amputee soccer is growing worldwide and recently garnered support from FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) President Gianni Infantino.”
While this initial game will be played at the Amp Futbol Cup, which typically features multiple co-ed teams from around the world competing for first place, AASA organizers believe a similar, separate event will begin being held next year for women’s soccer teams from the 55 World Amputee Football Federation member nations.
At the beginning of this month, Danzey was able to share her excitement for this upcoming match with a group of local girls from Girl Scout Troop 15006 at Morgan’s Grove Park.

U.S. Women's Amputee Soccer Team member Tracy Danzey gives a talk to Girl Scout Troop 15006 at Morgan's Grove Park earlier this month. Courtesy photo
“I made all the Girl Scouts don crutches and play an actual game, using one foot each. We used EPIC’s fields out at Morgan’s Grove Park,” Danzey said, referring to the soccer field at the park used by the Eastern Panhandle Inter-County soccer club.
AASA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, codified in 1980. It is funded with assistance from the Daniels Fund, a charitable foundation created by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels. The Daniels Fund has generously awarded $20,000 to the AASA for various expenses, such as travel, accommodations, kits and equipment. To learn more, visit https://www.usampsoccer.org/.
- U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team members Tracy Danzey, right, and Sarah Evans pose for a picture together at their training location in Washington, D.C. Courtesy photo
- U.S. Women’s Amputee Soccer Team member Tracy Danzey gives a talk to Girl Scout Troop 15006 at Morgan’s Grove Park earlier this month. Courtesy photo
- Girl Scout Troop 15006 attempts to play soccer with arm crutches at Morgan’s Grove Park earlier this month. Courtesy photo