South St. Paul senior Alida Ahern is bringing a certain mentality to playing two sports this fall.
As both a soccer goalie and a kicker for the Packers football team, Ahern, whose first name is pronounced “ah-lee-dah,” leaves a terror on the sideline when he plays.
“I’m not afraid to take chances to go for the ball,” she said of her goaltending style.
This season, Ahern made his first successful field goal of the game, taking a 26-yard kick in a loss to St. Croix Lutheran. She added two more field goals against North St. Paul. Regarding joining the football team, Ahern said, “I had to join the team without fear.”
South St. Paul High School football kicker Alida Ahern (Renee Jones Schneider) kicks the ball during extra point practice with her team on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 in South St. Paul, Minn.
Horror, or fear, best describes Pat’s reaction when he received a phone call from South St. Paul’s assistant principal. That’s because when you’re dealing with a child struggling with generalized anxiety, there’s no such thing as a harmless call.
“We’re just waiting for the call,” Pat Ahern said. “It would be, ‘This happened again today.’” What are you going to do about it? ”
What can Pat and ex-wife Kim Baker do? Their daughter had already transferred from Cretin Durham Hall in second grade. All they could do was support and encourage Alida on her journey out of the darkness.
South St. Paul High School football kicker Alida Ahern leaves the school building for practice on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in South St. Paul, Minn. (Renee Jones Schneider)
“She’s never going to stop defending herself,” Pat said. “She got into arguments with other kids and social media and was on her phone 24/7, which only added to her anxiety. She worked with a counselor and decided to leave the situation. , learned to be considerate of other kids. She wanted to graduate and didn’t want her sport taken away from her.”
