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| Morgan and her friend, Caiden, hydrating between plays. |
I had a great first session with 8 wonderful kids and my co-coach Jennifer. We both had girls on the team and we both knew nothing about soccer. Funny, we were so worried about it that we watched videos on soccer and met weekly to figure out what we would cover in our weekly practices. Jennifer and i were a great team which made coaching fun and easy.
And the kids....Logan was the youngest on the team. He would always make these sour puss faces whenever someone had the ball. It did not matter if it was another team or fellow teammate. My favorite memory of him was when he stopped in the middle of a game to look at a flower. It reminded me of the book Ferdinand. Avalon who was very shy. Keira, Jennifer's daughter, was a great soccer player with those long legs. I remember her running up to me and hugging me so very tight like we had known each other forever instead of just a few short weeks. Anna, with her long, dark pig tails, would look for fellow girl teammates so she could hold their hands and play rather than score goals. I had to separate her and Morgan many times because all they would do is hold hands and skip. Levi was probably our best player. I had him work on his team skills by having him try to pass the ball at least once before scoring a goal.
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| The Ice Breakers: Taylor or Tatar Tot, Jett, Caiden, Morgan, Lilly, Quinton, and Madison. |
The second session was not as easy. The parents were not as helpful and i did not have the same connection to the kids this time around as i did in the first session. I also missed my co-coach. Jennifer's daughter decided she did not want to play soccer second session so there was no need for her to coach. After second session, i was ready to be done with coaching for the season and future seasons.
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| Riley and Jeff watching the Ice Breakers. |
Summer 2012. Morgan decided to give soccer another shot. I also signed her up for soccer camp, in hopes that it would give her a stronger start this season, and that she might fall in love with it. I was also hoping a parent would step up and coach the team. I waited and waited. I almost relented a few times when i read the FYSA emails about coach shortages and how my daughter's team still did not have a coach. I was too busy to coach and i did my duty last year. Surely another parent with more time and, possibly, soccer knowledge would step up. The day before Morgan's first game, i signed up as coach and picked up gear. I should have just signed up weeks ago rather than fight it. Now i was struggling to contact parents, issue gear, find a practice field, come up with a practice schedule, figure out snacks, and other coach craziness.
Our first game was Wednesday, May 30th. This was the first time the kids, coach, and parents had met. That first game was magical. The kids ran around that field like they had known each other and played like all-stars. I don't know if the Refs keep score but i am sure if they had, we would have won the game. I hope the first game is a sign of good a season ahead for the Ice Breakers and my coaching them.
What have i learned so far this season.....We have met Caiden previously at swimming and he will be attending school with Morgan at Barnett in the fall. Yeah!! He is super lovable and gives the best hugs. Unlike the rest of the kids that played last year on U5, this is Taylor's first year playing soccer. You would never know it with the way she handles the soccer ball and scores. Jett is our all star who is dying to head butt the soccer ball during the game. He asks to do this at least once a game. I think he feels i am holding him back from this...he is right. Lilly is a sweetheart and great helper. Quinton is great dancer and easily distracted but watch out when he gets that ball, he can run it the length of the field and score. Madi is another sweetheart and also a top scorer on the team. As for my sweet Morgan, she runs after the ball but does not always connect with it. She also has great hair as she is always adjusting that headband of hers. I also have a co-coach and one that knows how to play soccer. It is Madi's Aunt Britney.
Coaching is hard and very time consuming. I am also thinking it just might be worth it.
