DEFINING "WEST"

   In 1992 the founding of "West" Side Alliance Soccer Club no doubt was intended to identify a movement of the establishment of a soccer program on the "West" "Side" of Tulsa.  The strict dictionary definition of "West" does in fact mean "a noun, adjective or adverb indicating direction or geography".  However, WSA soccer has REDEFINED "WEST" over the years. 

  Since 1992 the WSA program has evolved, including participants from all over the Metro Tulsa area.  Players come from as far east as Coweta, Broken Arrow, and Tahlequah, and even across the state line in Arkansas.  Players come from North as far as Bartlesville and Copan, and from South as far as Bixby and Preston and even Wichita Falls, Texas.  

   As the club’s evolution of membership has taken place it’s "locale" has shifted too. While the game fields and primary office location of "WSA" resides in Sand Springs and Sapulpa, communities neighboring the "west of Tulsa" geographic region, teams now train as far east as Broken Arrow, Mid-town Tulsa, and South Tulsa.  

   SO WHAT DOES "WEST" REALLY MEAN?  AND HOW DOES IT APPLY TO ALL THE WSA MEMBERS?

   1) West is considered one of the 4 cardinal directions.  West happens to be the direction OPPOSITE that of the earth’s rotation on it’s axis. West Side Alliance S.C. has commonly identified itself as a club that swims opposite the commonly believed myths, that money, size, or status are correlated to success and achievement. 

   2) In some religions "West" represents a movement toward enlightenment.  Some religions believe "West" was the realm of the great goddess of water.   And still others believed beyond the "Western" sea, off the edge of the maps, lay the "Otherworld" or "Afterlife".  WSA's primary goal, ahead of soccer instruction, is the personal development of each player, the "enlightenment" that hopefully is "lasting" and "enduring"

   3) In American Literature moving "West" is commonly identified with gaining freedom, and "trailblazing" new territory.  In no uncertain way WSA has represented a "new movement" freeing players to participate in American's Competitive Soccer scene, who were once bound by resources, geography, language, or finances.  

   So "West" may symbolize many things that are components of the current WSA soccer program.  The connotation "West" might be best summarized by the pioneering and trailblazing spirit of the WSA soccer movement that has transpired since 1992.  It this attitude that this is a common denominator among older players who come through the ranks of the WSA programming.  

   "The Side" has taken on the connotation referring to the "Family" or "Community" of players, parents, volunteers, and coaches who make up the program.  "West Side" seems to have evolved to take on the meaning of "Who" these people are.  It is not necessarily a strict reference to the geography or location of the club, but more what the club is, a cause and movement that goes against the normal trends and currents of the popular soccer culture.

    If you want to learn more about what "West Side" really means you may just have to become a part of the movement.