1Houston Dash players wave to fans as they drive by.
2Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo reads a proclamation celebrating the Houston Dash.
3Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo reads a proclamation celebrating the Houston Dash.
4Mayor Sylvester Turner declares July 30 as "Houston Dash Day."
5Mayor Sylvester Turner declares July 30 as "Houston Dash Day."
6Dash team members pose with a poster of their dogs.
7Dash team members pose with a poster of their dogs.
8Fans celebrate.
9Fans celebrate.
10Fans pass a case of Budweiser beer to the Houston Dash.
11"Keepers rock."
12"Keepers rock."
13Fans pass a case of Budweiser beer to the Houston Dash.
14Midfielder Sophie Schmidt poses with her medal.
15Midfielder Sophie Schmidt poses with her medal.
16Fans pose with a Houston Dash hat.
17Fans pose with a Houston Dash hat.
18Fans painted cars to celebrate.
19Fans painted cars to celebrate.
20Team Captain Jane Campbell.
21Fans wave pom poms.
22Fans wave pom poms.
23Team Captain Jane Campbell.
24Team Captain Rachel Daly speaks at the celebration.
25Team Captain Rachel Daly speaks at the celebration.
26Fans decorated their cars in celebration.
27Team captains Jane Campbell and Rachel Daly present custom jerseys to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Sylvester Turner.
28"When I grow up, I want to be Rachel Daly!"
29Houston Dash players wave to fans as they drive by.
30Houston Dash players pose.
31Fans drive past the Houston Dash.
32Houston Dash players wave to fans as they drive by.
33A fan waves to the Houston Dash.
34A fan waves to the Houston Dash.
35A Houston Dash fan.
36A fan waves a flag.
37Fans decorated their cars in celebration.
38Fans drive past the Houston Dash.
39"When I grow up, I want to be Rachel Daly!"
40Team captains Jane Campbell and Rachel Daly present custom jerseys to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Sylvester Turner.
41Houston Dash players pose.
42Houston Dash players wave to fans as they drive by.
43A fan waves a flag.
44A Houston Dash fan.
The Houston Dash should’ve had a massive parade. There should’ve been throngs of screaming fans in downtown Houston to celebrate the team, but thanks to COVID-19, that was not to be. Nevertheless, more than 300 hundred cars lined up outside BBVA Stadium, spilling out across the freeway, on July 30 to celebrate the team’s National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup win on Sunday, July 26, their first-ever championship win.
Team members sat up on a stage cheering and clapping as fans—all wearing masks—drove past, waving signs and pom poms. As one car drove past with a poster reading “I want to be Rachel Daly when I grow up!”, Daly herself jumped onto the car’s hood for a photo.
Some fans snapped photos with team members, some brought gifts, and in one moment, a fan passed a case a Budweiser to the delighted team. “We have the best fans @HoustonDashthank you all for coming out to celebrate with us we love you,” tweeted Midfielder Kristie Mewis.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner were onsite to celebrate the team and issue a proclamation declaring July 30 as Houston Dash Day. “The City of Houston commends and congratulates the Houston Dash on becoming the first coronavirus-era champions in team sport,” read the proclamation, “which is a testament to their team spirit and passion, and extends best wishes on their continued success.”
A native Austinite, Catherine Wendlandt spent almost six years in the Midwest for college and graduate school at the University of Missouri (MIZ). While there, she talked about Texas and missed queso so much she had to come back.
In school, she worked as a city government reporter and page designer for the Columbia Missourian, a communications intern at a local jazz company, a food editor and later the managing editor at Vox Magazine, and a research assistant for the Association of Health Care Journalists. She's worked in Missouri, Dallas, and Barcelona, Spain, and interned for Houstonia in 2018, when she fell in love with everything about the city, except maybe the traffic and mosquitos.
When she's not at work, you can find Catherine curled up reading a good book, out exploring local parks, taking lots of sunset pictures, and trying to pet every dog she sees (in spite of the allergies).
