How a 9-year-old girl found a confidence-changing role model in a Denver soccer star

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Denver — In their location opener past period astatine Mile High Stadium, the brand-new Denver Summit FC women's shot squad of the NWSL went scoreless. But for 1 miss successful attendance, it was a immense win, due to the fact that she recovered a relation model.

"I privation to beryllium a nonrecreational shot subordinate erstwhile I turn up," Hayden Stine, 9, told CBS News of gathering Summit prima Carson Pickett. "And she was capable to bash that. And it truly fills maine with anticipation that I'm capable to arsenic well."

Stine was calved without astir of her close arm. So erstwhile she went to that crippled and saw Pickett, a subordinate conscionable similar her, Hayden said she saw thing successful herself.

"Role models marque you consciousness similar you tin bash thing – conscionable similar them," Hayden said.

Since that meeting, Hayden's "confidence has skyrocketed" her mother, Christina Hayden, disclosed.

"At school, connected the shot field, it's done the roof," Christina said.

The household said gathering Pickett was genuinely life-altering. And yet, Pickett says the gathering astir ne'er happened.

"I didn't privation to beryllium known arsenic the miss with 1 limb that plays soccer," Pickett told CBS News. "I conscionable wanted to beryllium known for the miss that plays soccer."

For years, Pickett says she hid her limb successful pictures and avoided adjacent talking astir her limb difference. That was until 1 day, erstwhile she says her parent told her she was missing an opportunity, and a purpose.

Pickett aboriginal wrote connected societal media, "Finding retired that the travel is simply a batch little astir myself and a batch much astir the hearts I tin interaction on the way."

Now, Pickett says she's taken the "complete opposite" approach.

"I privation to conscionable each the kids, each the families, each the adults," Pickett said. "I privation to conscionable everyone that I can."

In fact, Pickett has present truthful embraced the relation of relation model, that this week she amazed Hayden astatine her team's shot practice.

Pickett plans to enactment successful touch, and possibly assistance Hayden find her intent too, due to the fact that erstwhile it comes to relation models, it takes 1 to beryllium one.

On being a relation exemplary herself 1 day, Hayden says: "Yes, I americium up for it."

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