The "S" word

Some of you know me well enough to know that "Soccer" can be a sore subject in our household. Those of you who are not aware of this...just trust me...kay? Well, soccer season is upon us....again...did it ever end? Kess is playing, Colin is playing, and even Connor has strapped on the shinguards, the thick stinky socks, and cleats to enter the world of soccer.

Soccer can be a pretty intense game. Parents are shouting..."go, go...what are you doing? Now turn around, go, go, oh, my gosh...what is she thinking?" It really builds a kids self esteem to be yelled at and belittled for an hour. I was ready to rip the whistle away from a coach today. Here he was, coaching 4 year olds and needed to blow a whistle every time the ball went out of bounds??? I don't think they even do that all the time in "real" soccer? The dude had serious issues, if you know what I mean. Whistle=Power.

Well, seeing how we've been on the "intense" side of soccer, (yes, I have been guilty of being an obnoxious soccer yelling parent a time or two...oh the shame!!!), but today something great happened, something that just proves that recreational sports can be great, but only...and I do mean ONLY when it's about the kids having FUN!!!

During Connor's game, all of the parents cheered for ALL of the kids. Connor, being the youngest sibling, hasn't had to endure the push of his parents to make him a soccer superstar. He's just been carted from game to game his entire life. He's never had us "coaching" him in the backyard. He just plays occasionally with his brother when waiting for the girls to finish a game.

Playing with Colin consists of Connor being the go-to guy. Connor's the younger brother, so he's never the winner, and he's never the scorer. He's always the goalie and he's always given commands by his "coach". So, it didn't surprise me today to see, that he didn't really care if he scored, he knew to stand at the goal and play some great defense, though. He loved giving orders, telling everyone to back up and where to stand when he did a goal kick. He really loved chasing his friends during half-time, doing cartwheels in the middle of the game, and putting his arm around a friend to have a chat while walking around the field instead of playing. He also laughed every time he fell down, tripping over his own feet, and loved being leapt over by a teammate when they crashed into one another. When asked by his coach if he's ever played soccer before, Connor confidently answered, "Yeah, I played with my brudder!" I loved it!! And THAT folks is what it's ALL about!

Then we had Colin's game. One look at Colin's team this year and the term "Bad News Bears" comes to mind. They are a mix match of 8,9, and10 year olds, girls and boys. Some of them have never stepped on a field before. Today their game was against a 9 year old Academy team (these are "serious" soccer players.) I was geared up and prepared for a blood bath. It took every ounce of self control not to say, "Now Colin, this team is going to kill you, so don't be sad okay. Just, try to have fun." I refrained, knowing that wasn't exactly the healthiest way to support my child.

The first half of the game, was as I expected...7-0. However, I have to say, Colin's team gave it 100%. They never gave up and they played pretty well, all things considered. Then came the second half...and guess who walked out on the field as goalie....COLIN!!! I wanted to hide under the chair, I wanted to yell at the coach..."what are you doing, he can't play goalie. First of all he's SEVEN...second of all he's playing on the same size net as 12 year olds...do you not see the problem with this equation...not to mention he's never played goalie in his life." I bit my tongue and gave him a thumbs up sign. "be supportive, be supportive, echoing in my mind."

Well, can I just tell you, Colin CAN play goalie. He did know what he was doing, and they only scored on him twice. PLUS, he was SOOO happy because he finally got to do a cherry bomb during a game. He's ALWAYS wanted to play goalie and do a cherry bomb, but we always assumed he couldn't play goalie. After losing the game 9-0, Colin climbed in the van all smiles and said, "I get to choose where we go to eat, because I'm the winner!" The WINNER...he said I'm the WINNER!!!!

Now, this isn't a boy who didn't know the score, he told me exactly what the score was, but he said, I'm a winner because my team did a good job. Boy, did I learn my lesson. I was so proud of him and so happy that he didn't have to feel any unnecessary pressure. He did what he loves and he came out a winner. This is what sports should be about. Parents should be on the sidelines, mouths zipped, with the exception of "Go Red, good job, great effort!" If only I'd learned this lesson six years ago!