Girls vs Boys

When Coach #2 was tricked into taking My Girl’s team (teehee), he never knew what he was getting himself into. I don’t think he knew how much the girls would miss Coach #1 – the faux-hawk, the jokes, the accent. I don’t think he knew how unskilled we were. I really don’t think he knew how much he would like that group of girls.

Now, I’m just going to tell you – those girls are workers. They are strong and they are fighters (sometimes literally – EEK!). They are rough and they are tough and they might not be the best, but they want to be – and “want” goes a long, long way. (Rough and tough go a long way, too – but I’ll save that for another post.)

Anyway – I digress. Coach #2 also coached a group of boys that were one year younger than My Girl's team. Those boys were (and are) fast, skilled and determined. They had Coach #2 for four months longer than we did and they were better than us. I remember the first time I watched one of their games; his players were dropping the ball back to the goalie to switch the field – SEVEN years old. They were organized and had methods to their madness. We were one step above kickball.

Coach #2 wanted to see My Girl’s team play a real game before the first outdoor tournament. He wanted to see if all of the hardworking drills had actually given the girls some real-life, game skills. So we scrimmaged his boys. Needless to say, the girls went home with a loss. But, my guess – some of those boys went home a little bit afraid of what a girl (or a sister) might be capable of.

The next time we scrimmaged, we lost by less and eventually we tied. That’s right – TIED – which if I remember correctly felt like a win to the girls and a loss for the boys. In the two years that My Girl had Coach #2, her team scrimmaged those boys more times than I can count. The girls practiced with them, had pick-up games with them and really got to know them. You probably won’t find bigger fans of that team than the players (and parents) on My Girl’s team – and I would like to think that those boys and their parents are just as big of fans as our team.

As time passed, we got Coach #3 and we didn’t get to see those boys so much anymore. And we definitely didn’t get to play with or against them.

A couple weeks ago, the girls got to scrimmage them again during practice. Some of the girls were so excited. That morning, one of the girls woke up, wiped the sleep out of her eyes and said, “I can’t wait to beat the crap out of those boys tonight.” I know and love that child, and I’ll bet she never says that before she plays “That Blue Team” that is located 30 minutes northeast of our town. Does she want to play “That Blue Team”? ABSOLUTELY!! But for a different reason.

The rivalry between Coach #2’s Boys is one of the most enjoyable things about travel soccer for My Girl. When the girls play them, they have a swagger in their step. They play loose and free and we all get to see them playing soccer at their best. They are all “on” and it seems like everyone is having a good day at the fields.

There are no refs and the score when the whistle blows only matters for bragging rights. Winning doesn’t get the girls any closer to the finals and there is no medal given at the end of the game. My Girl and her teammates know these boys and what they are capable of. And the fact that the girls can compete with them – win, lose or tie – means that the girls know what they are capable of too.

It’s refreshing. It’s fun. It’s progress.