It's been a wild couple of weeks for Kelley O'Hara and the U.S. Women's National Team. O'Hara and her team won the World Cup, took home the ESPY for Team of the Year, and got to join Taylor Swift on stage for a concert in New Jersey.
"It's been a whirlwind," O'Hara told Refinery29 in a phone interview, as part of her campaign with Built With Chocolate Milk. "I'm so thankful for everything that's come our way and all the attention that it's brought to women's soccer, soccer in general, and America itself," she said.
We had to know: What was it like being on stage with Swift? How did that all even happen?
"Alex [Morgan], Tobin [Heath], and I are really big fans," she told us. " We love Taylor Swift, always have." When O'Hara looked at Swift's tour dates a while back, she realized that if the USWNT won the World Cup, they'd probably all be together doing a press tour. And, wouldn't it be fun if they could arrange to go to the concert together?
According to O'Hara, Morgan worked with Coke to set up a connection to Swift and her team. "We kind of asked Taylor if she would want us to come on stage, be there, and meet us," O'Hara explained. Swift's response was perfect. "She was like, 'Yes, you guys should definitely come. Bring the trophy.'" (O'Hara, number five, is pictured just left to Swift on stage.)
What was truly amazing about that moment is there was so much girl power on the stage. What better set of role models for young women could there be right now than Swift and the USWNT? "She's wonderful," O'Hara said of Swift. "Honestly, how she comes off in the media and just what you see from afar is 10 times better, up close and personal," she said, confirming what we've always believed to be true about Swift.
As for being role models, O'Hara knows she, her team, and Swift are all in it together. "[Being a role model] is authentic to her and to us," she said. "It's really cool to see her empowering the younger girls and just women in general."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT