Lifting kids and weights Leroux focused on training, family

Orlando Pride forward Sydney Leroux, like most parents around the world, is juggling.

Before she was allowed to start individual workouts at the Pride training facility in Sanford, she started each day by heading to the backyard with her husband, Orlando City forward Dom Dwyer, by about 6 a.m. to train together.

They then ducked inside to take care of their children, 3-yard-old son Cassius and 11-month-old daughter Roux.

What followed was a bit of a dance, feeding and entertaining the children, joining team Zoom meetings, putting the kids in their strollers during naps and taking them along for runs. The family already had a dog and added a puppy that wasn’t house-trained yet.

“We decided that our life wasn’t chaotic enough,” Leroux said, laughing before noting the dogs get along well and entertain each other.

Leroux’s focus is on training to compete at an elite level whenever the National Women’s Soccer League resumes play and keeping her family safe during the pandemic.

Her son is still young and conversations about the coronavirus pandemic don’t always make sense.

“He doesn’t understand why he can’t go back to school,” Leroux said. “It’s become his normal and he doesn’t ask about it. We’re in the backyard; we cook. He watches our vegetables grow.

“… I feel sad for kids because kids need to play and need to be with other children.”

She has invited him to help her plant a new garden and signed on for the “Next High Five” campaign with SC Johnson and Save the Children. The goal is to help kids develop their own contact-free celebrations during the coronavirus pandemic.

She invited Cassius to help develop their celebration she posted on her social media channels and is asking others to share their no-contact celebrations using the hashtag #TheNextHighFive.

Leroux will highlight the top celebrations on her social media feeds while SC Johnson is donating $1 million to help feed children around the world as part of the campaign.

“The ‘Next High Five’ was the perfect kind of campaign to get him into [all the changes],” Leroux said, noting she needs her young son to get used to avoiding contact with others and frequently washing his hands.

Leroux said the family has adapted relatively well to coronavirus restrictions.

When the couple played in Kansas City, Missouri, they had bought fitness equipment to fill out a home gym. They had put the equipment into storage once they moved to Orlando and took it out once MLS and NWSL training was shut down.

Leroux said the couple felt fortunate to have all the equipment and a chance to help each other stay in shape.