This past Fall the girls played soccer again. Their team was called "The Lightning", but only one girl on their team fit that description, Kendra. Kendra had wheels. As a former track coach, that would be my phrase to describe her speed. Someday she should run track...at least that's what I told her parents. : ) It's in my blood. I can't help it. When I watch sporting events I visualize athletes competing in a track event or running cross country. Whether it's a six year old or one of the high school students at my school I have a tendency to see them competing in a sport that I coached. Tracey asked me to coach soccer this past year. I chose not to because I was finishing up my thesis and working as the WASC coordinator at school, but next soccer season I'm sure I will volunteer as the girls coach. It's hard to sit back and just watch. The girls coach, Derek, did a good job. All the girls improved. It is just six year olds, but they still learn as they play. It's not really just about soccer anyway. It turns out that sports are usually more than just the game itself. Like learning how to work with other people towards a common goal. In our case, the common goal was losing. As Derek put it "We were a defensive team." In other words, we didn't have any consistently aggressive players on offensive. The theme on offense was dribble to the half way mark and then kick it down the field. Then get back on defense. Grace and Sarah were good defensive players.
Sarah found a kindred soul in Allie. They had the same perspective. "Let's hold hands and talk." This really doesn't help when you are actually in a game. She did have a lot of fun though. When she was in the open field she could dribble the ball. She also did a good job positioning herself on defense and kicking the ball away. If there was a pack of bumblebee soccer players hovered around the ball she was good at following the pack. Weighing ten pounds less than most of the other girls doesn't really help when you need to get in the middle and kick the ball away from everybody else.
Then there is Grace. She was a defensive star. She really learned to play the angles. Grace decided she wanted to be the goalie one game. Of course half the team wanted to play goalie every week. The first time she did this I cringed. Too much pressure. Especially on our "defensive" team. The goalie had a lot of action every game. Gracie slid back and forth between the goal posts directly on top of the chalk line. If you watch soccer, or know anything about the sport, this is not effective. She stopped some shots, and she let some by. She loved it anyway. I asked her if she wanted to play in the goal again, and she said yes. "Okay, then we need to practice," so that Friday we spent some time in the backyard learning about playing angles. It reminded me of playing soccer with my sister Elizabeth when she was like 4 and I was 14. She had to protect the door of the playhouse, while I took shots at her. Elizabeth had to score past me, anywhere in the garden. Elizabeth was fearless.
Grace learned a ton that day and it transferred to what she did the following day during the game. She was awesome in the goal. So much so, that Derek kept her in for two quarters. Every week after that she played two quarters in the goal because she was so good at the position. She would even direct the defenders where to go throughout the game. Of course, it was still nerve wracking to watch, but she really did a great job.
I'm sure this won't be the last time that they play soccer. Having the girls involved is a great way to watch them grow as people and to discover their unique personalities. Whether its soccer, dance, school events, or the Indian Princess program they get to experience life beyond the confines of our house. One of the things that I enjoy is watching their friendships grow and develop.
