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| Greg took David to a Wisconsin soccer game. They both carefully observed how the players played their positions. Also, the Badgers won! Woo hoo! |
I said I would post the good, the bad, and ugly from October. I've posted some good (like here), as well as some bad (like here). And now I will tell you about the ugly ... soccer.
Since we moved here, David has been playing recreational fall and spring soccer, and it's been a good experience. (Especially last spring!!) Now that he's in second grade this year, I was a little nervous about it. In our town they combine second graders and third graders. There can be a huge difference between a young second grader and an older third grader, and David happens to be a young second grader. I was worried about him playing with and against kids a lot bigger, stronger, and more coordinated than he. David is sensitive, and it seemed like a potential recipe for disaster. But he wanted to play, and Greg agreed to coach. I knew Greg would watch out for David and the little ones and do everything he could to keep the experience positive for everyone.
Then, due to the well-known ineptitude and extremely poor judgment of the city rec director, the 2-3 grade teams were combined with the 4-5 grade teams. Yes, you read that correctly. Second graders would be playing with and against 5th graders!! I assume you are freaking out because you should be. It's insane. INSANE! Well, I completely freaked out. It was totally obvious this was the worst idea ever--it would be unfair, unfun, and UNSAFE. I wanted my family (and especially my sweet little boy) to have no part in something so obviously ... stupid.
Unfortunately, we found out about this just days before the season was to begin. And Greg had already been assigned a team and they were short on coaches. I still protested. But Greg felt bad about backing out and David was looking forward to playing. Greg discussed some of his concerns with said inept rec director, who reassured him that they'd done it in the past and it had been fine. I continued to protest ... and Greg agreed that we could pull David out at any time ... so I swallowed my worry. And we sent our sweet, sensitive little seven-year-old to play soccer against eleven-year-olds.
If you are not judging me right now, well, you should. If ever there was a time to read a blog and say, "Oh my gosh!! I cannot believe she did that. I would never be such a terrible mom!"--now is that time.
Well, folks, it was ugly. Despite some efforts having been made to create evenly matched teams, Greg's team, with only two fourth graders and nary a fifth grader, was clearly the youngest and least-skilled. The other teams had more older kids, and some of the older kids were very good. (One time we showed up for a game, and I was sure we were in the wrong place. The field was filled with teenage girls. Turns out that team consisted primarily of very tall, very long-legged post-pubescent fifth grade girls ... who would be playing against our seven-year-olds.) Our poor little team didn't have a chance, against any team.
The first few games were a disaster. The score was something like a gazillion to zero ... game after game. It was discouraging to say the least. David cried--bawled!--after every game. Which is what I felt like doing too. And it turns out, pulling your kid off a team is easier said than done--David felt a commitment to the team and a desire to keep trying. So what could I do, other than trudge to every game, wincing as the other team scored their umpteenth goal?
Well, one thing I could do is pray. Pray I did. For a while it was looking like they would go the whole season without scoring a single goal. So I prayed they could score a goal. Just one goal! I believe I have never prayed so hard and earnestly for a single, very specific thing in my life. ("Please, God, just one goal!") Seriously. But if you had seen how hard those kids were working, how hard they tried, never giving up--and your kid was one of them--you would have prayed your heart out too.
Guess what. A miracle happened! No, they never won a game. But they did start scoring goals. And stopping them! Greg adjusted his coaching, as it became more apparent where (and with what kind of instruction) certain kids excelled on the field. The real miracle was how much the kids loved playing--and how much they improved. It was AMAZING!
Because there was no dominating fifth grader hogging the ball, everyone on the team had a lot of contact with the ball. I noticed that on the other teams, the little second-graders rarely touched the ball. With so many older kids dominating, it was almost like they weren't even team members. They were lucky to get to throw it in. Not so on our little team. Every single player was super important. The more they played together, the more each child realized how important he or she was. No one could stand around and wait for somebody else on the team to swoop in. Each player had to be aggressive, focus, and work hard. And they all did! Every single player improved dramatically, due in large part to the absence of a team super star, and, even more importantly, they worked together.
In the end, it was a positive experience. A miracle! Again, I can't express how amazed I am by how much the team improved. Although they never won a game, they became a force to be reckoned with, losing by just a point or two (rather than a dozen or two). I am so proud of them! (And so proud of Greg for his thoughtful hard work.) All of the kids genuinely enjoyed being a team, and they were sad to see the season end. I think they are a remarkable group of kids.
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the team. But I have a few pictures of my sweet boy.
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| David played fullback most of the season. David, fullback friend Brooke, and fellow second-grader goalie Isaac formed a nearly impenetrable wall of defense. They were awesome! |
Even with the Great Soccer Miracle of 2012, my kids will only be participating in team sports with KIDS THEIR OWN AGES. Perhaps the greatest miracle of all is that no one got hurt. It was scary to see 11-year-olds plow over little kids. I know we aren't the only parents who expressed our concerns to city officials, so hopefully this won't happen again.
One more thing. As discouraging as the games were to watch, I did love going ... to chat with the other moms. I've been lucky to make such good friends here. And I loved having the chance to hang out with some of them a couple times a week. I miss those crisp fall evenings, sitting on the sidelines, cheering on our kids, and talking matters of the heart.
