WAGS R&D Director Lula Bauer resigns after ten-years of service

By Chris Hummer and Hannah W. Krieger

After ten years of volunteer service, Washington Area Girls Soccer League (WAGS) Rules and Disciplinary Committee Director Lula Bauer has resigned, citing expected scheduling conflicts due to coaching commitments with her U16 team participating in showcase tournaments during the spring season.

Bauer explained in an exclusive interview with Potomac Soccer Wire that her resignation was prompted by the WAGS rule stating that a board member who misses three board meetings must step down from their position. Rather than allow her anticipated conflicts to negatively impact the operations of the league she has spent a decade working tirelessly to serve, Bauer chose to be proactive, submitting her resignation on January 5th, leaving the league time to find a replacement before the new season.

"I am proud of the system that is in place, and the work my committee members and I have done, always putting the players first and egos last," Bauer said.

In her role as R&D Chair, Bauer was responsible for the disposition of any situation arising due to violation of the League Rules. In other words, if a coach, team, club, or other member of WAGS was accused of breaking a league rule, Bauer and her committee had to deal with it. Not the sort of job a lot of people offer to do, especially as a volunteer. However, Bauer thrived in the role, and made it a point to always try and make the experience a learning one for all involved - especially the players.

"Sportsmanship teaches players many lessons that will assist them well throughout their lifetime. Being a good sport in the face of competition teaches discipline and respect. Respect for opponents, officials, coaches and most importantly, respect for self," stated Bauer.

When players went before Bauer and her committee, she often shared a variety of stories regarding sportsmanship to drive home her point. One of her favorite stories involved U.S. star Mia Hamm, who was repeatedly fouled in the 1999 Women's World Cup final against China. Despite hard fouls, she continued to play without retaliation or dissent.

Bauer elaborated, "The moral of the story is you have no control on how a referee will make judgment calls or what other players will say or do to you, but what you do have control of is what comes out of your mouth as well as your actions. Typically the WAGS players who heard the story never received another red card for OAIL (offensive-abusive-insulting-language)."

Still spreading the word about sportsmanship, Bauer also shared a story for youth players who are looking to play at the next level:

"During a college showcase tournament, I was sitting with a friend from a major Division I college program. He was there scouting a player that was very interested in his program. As the game progressed, that player received a hard tackle and without a blink of an eye, dropped the 'F-bom.' The college coach stood up, picked up his chair, and said, 'we certainly don't need that in our program.' You never know when a college is watching you, so maintaining grace under pressure and a level of respect for the game will serve you well."

Over the last decade, Bauer has been instrumental in a number of rules changes that she believes foster player development and good sportsmanship by players, coaches and spectators. These include moving WAGS to small-sided soccer and non-result matches for younger ages, as well as the use of the Club Pass system to allow younger players to occasionally "play up" on older teams within the same club in order to gain further experience.

Bauer said she is most proud of the small-sided rule change, WAGS Rule D.4 A,B,&C: "What a pivotal time for soccer that was! It was an especially exciting time for me because, as a coach, I knew what an impact this rule would have on the development of players, coaches and referees. Small-sided soccer would give players more touches, place them in a ton of decision making situations, and most importantly, giving the players the opportunity to play in a developmentally conducive environment. It was a tough sell but today it speaks for itself."

To many, Bauer was the face of WAGS, the one players and coaches interacted with the most since the club representatives handle most of the other league business. Considering those interactions usually dealt with being on the other side of a discipline hearing, Bauer may have had toughest job at the league, which did not go unnoticed.

"Lula gave a lot of herself and a lot of time serving. We will miss her input and personality tremendously," said current WAGS President Kathie Diapoulis, who continued, "She had a unique outlook that was always welcome in the board room."

Bauer has been replaced as R&D Chair by Sally D’Italia, who had already served on the R&D Committee for approximately two years according to Diapoulis, who said of D'Italia, "She's the most well-grounded, well-rounded person I've ever met. We're thrilled that she was willing to take on the position to run R&D."

D'Italia moved to the R&D position from her previous role as Treasurer, which was then filled by Pat Lusk, who had been Secretary. The Secretary position was then taken up by new Board member Jim Bruno. According to Diapoulis, all three positions were voted on at the recent WAGS Club Rep meeting, a requirement of the league's by-laws. Each will serve in their new role until the next planned general meeting elections. Bruno's position will be up for re-election this June, along Vice President of Virginia, and Vice President of Maryland. The following year in June, Lusk, D'Italia, and Diapoulis will also face re-election bids for Treasurer, R&D Chair, and President respectively.

Despite her resignation, Bauer said she still believes she can contribute to the quality of youth soccer in the greater DC region by assisting individual clubs with setting up their own R&D Committees. Bauer also continues to stay involved as a coach - in addition to the U16 team, she also coaches a WAGS U12 team - and as a soccer parent with one son playing in college currently, and the other hoping to do so.