A Return to Sanity on the Soccer Field?

This year I signed the girls up for soccer. I was a little unsure as to how it would turn out, because 18 months ago I signed them up with disastrous results. For example: Victoria wondered why in the world people would try to take the ball from her during a game, and Holly informed me in the middle of her first practice that she would not play this sport. When I asked why she said: “Mom, LOOK at me. I’m SWEATING”. My Response: Yes dear, that’s the point.

I think on many levels, our experience with soccer this year exceeded all my expectations. As to exercising, it certainly did the trick! Holly was a classic example. In her first practice during drills she would barely shuffle her feet enough to move her body much less jog or run. I was worried. I took the my other girls to the playground and about 20 min. later I looked over as her team started playing a scrimmage. Holly was EVERYWHERE. She was literally FLYING up and down the field, like a whirling dervish. I couldn't believe it. Neither could her coach, who said she was the most improved girl in one practice that she’d ever seen. Of course, we know it wasn’t improvement, it was motivation and competition. Holly STILL doesn’t see much use for drills.

The biggest plus to the soccer season was that it got our family out of the house and able to enjoy the fall weather. This was especially essential because we don't have a backyard at our rental house. Adjacent to the soccer fields is a great GATED playground so we'd often go there while waiting for someone to finish practice. One day I taught the older two how to play handball. Another day I taught them some "tricks" on the bars. Sometimes we’d have little “family soccer games” on empty fields. Often, Aaron would meet us on the fields and bring dinner. Great midweek adventures.

Saturday mornings we had games, which again, got us out of the house, and afterwards, we often went to lunch together, or Aaron and I would sit at the playground and talk while the girls played to their hearts content. Seeing the girls playing together outside was a joy to me, because it really helped the "emotion level" at home. NO ONE should be cooped up inside for hours at a time with five females!!! I was glad soccer "forced" us to get outside after school. We were ALL happier (and more sane!!!) because of it.

Here is a short summary of each girl’s experiences:

Victoria

Victoria loved her team (the ladybugs!) and was determined from the start to play defense. She was a great team player and always encouraged her team mates, or helped them if they got hurt. It was interesting talking with her about different coaches and parents--she was very observant about HOW other adults acted and was glad her coaches didn’t yell at her. She talked a lot about different team mates and how they responded to either victory, defeat, criticism or disappointment. I can see her maturing by the day, and soccer was a good place where situations would come up, and we could talk about them right after they happened. I'm starting to get worried, because I don't have easy answers to all her questions!!

At the end of the year the coaches gave her the cutest little “bobble head” trophy that was the envy of her other sisters. She is excited that she gets to stay with the same coaches for the Spring season.

Holly

Holly and her Coach

Holly was very entertaining to watch, because she was so "into" everything. It was as if, at each moment you could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She loved playing goalie, simply because she liked it when the game would stop and all eyes would turn to her as she either threw the ball in, or kicked it. This "drama" was what kept her coming back on game days. She reveled in it!

At one point while playing forward, her coaches got mad at her because she always rushed to throw the off sides balls in, and her coaches wanted someone else to do that, so Holly could receive the ball and move it ball down the field (she was one of the better players). I asked her after one game if she was interested in scoring goals. She told me scoring goals was boring--it was more exciting to throw the balls to people. So--I told her I’d pay her a dollar for every goal she scored. That changed things completely. She just needed a little motivation. She scored a goal the next week.

And.....she sweated.

Abigail

Abigail is still 4, so her team just had just 6 kids on it, and they would play 3 on 3 during the games with the coaches on the field helping them. Abby's coaches were two of the dads, and Abby just loved them! Abby found out about the dollar idea on the last game, asked if she could get in on the deal. I guess that was all the motivation she needed because she promptly scored her first goal! I was thrilled because I caught this goal on videotape (in the only 3 min. of video I shot of her all season)! Abigail is a great natural soccer player and loved hanging out at the fields shooting the ball around with her Mom or Dad while waiting for her sister’s practices to end. She's continuing on with the team in the Spring!

By any measure, we had a GREAT soccer season. Thanks YMCA!