MARION, Iowa (KCRG) - With high school soccer season kicking off last week, sophomore Anna Tuuri is finally getting reps in goal after the pandemic canceled her freshman season at Marion High School.
But Tuuri’s schedule has been full since then.
“I always like to stay busy. I never like to sit around,” she said.
Each week starts with a Monday-morning release of her podcast, “Keep the Game Beautiful.”
So far, Tuuri has put out more than 70 episodes, featuring soccer players, coaches, referees, and, most recently, the CEO of Kum & Go.
“I was at a tournament on concussion protocol, so I was hearing a lot of negatives in the game, and what I wanted to do was highlight the positives,” she said. “I wanted to bring beautiful stories out and share people’s stories that might not always be heard.”
Then last August, the derecho delayed the start of the school year.
So Tuuri spent her time at the Iowa Derecho Storm Resource Center in Cedar Rapids.
“They had air conditioning and cold water, so I was like, ‘I might as well go in and help. I won’t feel as guilty taking the water then,’” she said. “So I went in and helped, and I actually fell in love with it. I had so much fun, met so many amazing people, and I actually ended up volunteering like 300 hours.”
More recently, Tuuri has been putting together home soccer kits for kids, which include a mini soccer ball, mini cones for drills, two books, and a laundry basket that can double as a goal.
She said they were inspired by a young neighbor, who was curious about their soccer practice recently.
“We had a little girl come up and ask what we were doing, and we were like, ‘We’re playing soccer,’ and I went and ran home, and I grabbed a little ball for her. And I gave it to her, and we saw her back at the park, kicking around with us, just having so much fun,” she said.
Her dad launched a GoFundMe campaign to buy supplies, and they met their fundraising goal overnight.
So far, Tuuri said they have purchased supplies for 48 kits.
“We’re hoping to reach out to city parks and maybe at the library. We haven’t fully figured it out yet, but of course, we’re going to give to kids in the park anytime we see them,” she said.
In between all that, and along with playing soccer and going to school, Tuuri also coaches youth soccer teams and referees.
For all this, she was recently named a finalist for a national award, the SheBelieves Hero, for young people who embody the spirit of leadership, empowerment, inclusion, and positivity in soccer.
“She’s an unbelievable representative of Marion High School students,” Erik Trilk, the head coach of Marion’s girls soccer team, said. “It says a lot about how much she cares about the game but more importantly, how much she cares about other people and especially her teammates and everyone that walks the halls here in the high school.”
Tuuri’s free time is scarce, but every minute dedicated to helping others and growing the game she loves is a win for this keeper.
“I’m always finding new ways to keep the game positive and keep the game beautiful,” Tuuri said.
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