SUSAN McCormick is an inspiring role model, mentor, mum and now football player. “It should be Mother’s Day every day,” she said. “It’s special, because people get to say they appreciate what you do for them.” At the beginning of this year Susan started playing football for first time playing in the Mansfield Eagles senior women’s football team. Susan’s thirteen-year-old daughter Phoebe Guppy has been training with her two nights a week. “It’s actually pretty cool playing with Mum,” Phoebe said. Phoebe is very committed to playing football spending up to four hours each week at training. She plays in the U14s team where she is the only girl on Tuesday and Thursday nights either at the Lords oval or the soccer fields and then on Wednesday and Fridays she joins the women’s team training either at the main oval or Bonnie Doon. “Trainings go for an hour each time,” Phoebe said. “Mum’s driven me everywhere, and she’s always said if I want to do it then she’ll be happy to take me. “Mother’s Day means to appreciate everything our mums do and all the effort they put in for us. “Mum is my role model because she does so much for my brothers and I - and she looks after us really well.” Susan said after watching Phoebe play football, she became interested in learning to play herself. “It’s nice having a daughter, she has challenged me to look at different things,” Susan said. In May 2006 Susan’s mum passed away at the age of 61. “I was 31 when she passed away and I always think about her and the elements of me that come from her when the day comes around,” Susan said. “I have a memory of mum waking us up early one morning to look at Halley’s Comet, so if I could do that with my kids that would be a way of celebrating my mum.” Susan said each year on Mother’s Day they celebrate in different ways. “Since the kids have been in junior footy, they usually play a game, so it’s usually going to the footy together as a family,” she said. “I’ll be driving Phoebe to Wangaratta on that weekend for her game and I think there’ll be enough time to drive to Mooroopna for the senior women’s game against Rumbalara, but traveling to games is normal for us, because we’ve been doing it for lots of years now.” Susan said it’s been really exciting getting to train and will eventually play a game of football with Phoebe. “I guess you always wish that you might get to play with your kids one day, I didn’t think it would happen,” she said. “Phoebe is fantastic, I love that she challenges me every day and she very much knows who she is and what she wants out of life. “I just like supporting her to grow into being the amazing person she can be. “It’s fun being a mum.”
